Capitals of the Future: the city of proximity and resilience 

Do you know what it takes to make a capital a 15-minute city? In a 15-minute city, everyone is able to meet most of their needs within a short walk or bike ride from home. It is a city composed of people-friendly and connected neighbourhoods. It means re-engaging people with their local areas and decentralising city life and services. If you are looking for jobs in Barcelona, learn why it’s the ideal 15-minute city in our new post.

How to live better in a 15-minute City

Where does this new concept for the resilience of the major cities come from? In 2020, pandemic lockdowns forced billions of people around the world to become intimately familiar with their neighborhoods. The idea of ​​the 15-minute city advocates an urban reconfiguration. It’s in direct contrast to the urban planning patterns that have dominated for the last century, whereby residential areas are separated from business, retail, industry, supplies, culture, sports and entertainment.

Covid-19 has accelerated the introduction of the 15-minute city in many cities, thanks to the rediscovery of proximity, the use of active mobility and the strengthening of social ties. If you are looking for a job in Barcelona, we have good news for you: Barcelona embraces the up-coming model. The Catalan capital’s post-Covid recovery ensures natural resource management and hyper-proximity. If you are looking for a job in Spain, read on about the benefits of living in Barcelona.

Barcelona’s plans for road-space reallocation

There are many examples of cities around the globe that are responding to this opportunity to expand cycling and pedestrian infrastructure in the new normal or the wake of Coronavirus. Working in Barcelona, you’ll be happy to know that the city is improving its walking and cycling systems, including the reallocation of street space to pedestrians and bikers that have emerged as vital forms of mobility during the Covid-19 context. These physically distant, active and low-carbon modes of transport are facilitating safe local shopping and reducing pressure on public transport. If you are in search of Barcelona Job Offers, please note that the city is investing in walking and cycling now, while streets are still quiet and traffic is reduced. Shifting to green and healthy transport modes delivers huge rewards for cities. Living in Barcelona you will quickly discover that these measures also bring other benefits such as creating space for shops, restaurants and other pillars of public life that are essential to local economies, as well as improvements in air pollution.

Barcelona’s 15-minute vision includes a superblocks system that modifies road networks within 400×400 metre blocks to improve the availability of public space for leisure and community activities. The new set-up is a low-cost and reversible redesign, implemented in collaboration with residents.

If you’re looking for jobs in Barcelona for German speakers, your next destination is a green city that is reducing unnecessary travel across the center, providing more public space, injecting life into local high streets, strengthening a sense of community and promoting health. Of course, if you work in Barcelona you will love the pleasant weather and its initiatives to stop the climate change. The new model limits the environmental impact of life in the city by significantly reducing carbon-intensive journeys, fostering attachment to your own area of residence.

The role of cities is decisive in this paradigm shift, since urban areas are responsible for 70% of emissions, with more than 50% of the world’s population living in them and 65% predicted to do so by 2050. Choose a city of proximities for you. Apply to our Dutch Jobs Barcelona and enjoy the best work and travel experience in the south of Europe. You will fall in love with your new working location. 

Why the 15-minute city is more relevant than ever

As cities work towards COVID-19 recovery, the 15-minute city is the answer for a more sustainable and livable future. It’s a consequence of understanding the impact of health and environmental crisis on urban living. This ecological approach through polycentrism offers a new solution that puts individuals instead of automoviles at the heart of urban planning. The goal is to give residents back the possession of their time and inject new life into their territory. Barcelona has the perfect size. 

Living in Barcelona you will go away from the paradigm of a fragmented city, to move to a polycentric and multi-service city supported by the possibilities of digital technology. The 15-minute city aims to put your useful living time on the cover, to preserve quality of life. All these elements converge towards the same mission: to provide residents with positive emotions.

Other important aspects can be added in the formula to find your dream city: the beauty of the public space (art, architecture) and access to nearby natural areas. Working in Barcelona you will find everything you expect for your well-being. Send your CV and make a career journey!