Barcelona Smart City: Learn about the progress of a city of the future

The concept of Smart City refers to those cities whose management is carried out  in an intelligent, integrated and connected way through optimised resources. 

Its application in areas related to urban mobility, the environment, health, safety or  the economy makes it possible to improve the lives of its inhabitants. The  cornerstone of this technology is the IoT (Internet of Things), an ecosystem of  interconnected objects accessed through the Internet. 

Barcelona Smart City is not yet in the top positions of the ranking of this type of  cities. London, Paris, New York, Tokyo or Singapore currently lead the avant-garde  list. However, its constant digital transformation improves its ranking with ever greater rapidity. 

The proof is that since 2012 Barcelona has implemented response and intercom  technologies in systems such as waste management, public transport, noise and  parking sensors or public lighting.   

Barcelona Smart City: improvements leading to this goal

Efficient waste management 

Efficiently disposing of waste generated by the inhabitants of a city is a  considerable challenge for any city council. Barcelona is certainly on the right  track. In many places in the city, it is possible to come across smart containers. 

An intelligent waste disposal system makes all the waste deposited by residents  disappear. For this, it uses a vacuum system that sucks up the waste underground.  This means a reduction in noise pollution and bad odours usually generated by  garbage trucks. 

The technology used in the metropolis allows to detect the level of waste in the different neighbourhoods and thus optimize the its collection. An effective  management that saves time and resources. In addition, the incineration of waste  is used to generate energy for heating systems. 

Greener public transport 

The implementation of an efficient public transport system that is less harmful to  the environment reinforces the idea of Barcelona Smart City. The use of solar  panels in canopies and the appearance of hybrid buses are clear evidence of this. 

So is the layout of a network of horizontal, vertical and diagonal routes that  facilitate the speed and frequency of buses. In 95% of trips, users only make a  maximum of one transfer between two destinations located in Barcelona. 

Energy-efficient street lighting 

All citizens of Barcelona benefit from a public lighting system with low energy  consumption. The use of LED lighting through a network of sensors allows to  considerably reduce the energy consumption generated by pre-existing lamps. 

The sensors receive information about temperature, pollution, humidity or the  presence of people and with this data they are readjusted. A central unit on the  street facilitates communication between lights and the management of other  services such as fibre optic cabling, Wi-Fi or electric car charging stations. 

Use of noise sensors 

They are a clear example that the city is on the right path so that Barcelona Smart  City will one day reach the top of the list of smart cities. 

The city has a wide network of autonomous noise sensors distributed throughout  different conflict areas of the city. These sensors, cost effective and easy to use,  allow to control and manage the problems of noise pollution. They detect noise  levels, temperature, air pollution and humidity. 

Thanks to the network of noise sensors, technicians and managers obtain very  specific noise pollution values. After analysing them thoroughly, they can then take  charge of applying strategies and actions with absolute objective decision-making  capacity. 

Parking Sensors 

It’s another interesting system that drives a city to become a smart city. Barcelona’s parking sensors warn drivers of free parking spaces. 

They are installed under the roads. Parking sensors promote the reduction of  emissions and the decongestion of traffic. This happens because drivers go  straight to the place where there are free spaces, thus avoiding having to  continuously go around until they find one. There is also an App that allows you to  pay the parking fee online. 

Barcelona, ideal city for digital nomads and coworkers 

The improvements made have a very positive impact on the quality of life of its  inhabitants. They also encourage digital nomads to choose Barcelona as an  attractive place from which to work remotely and enjoy living there. 

In Cloudworks we also play our part in the common project of Barcelona Smart  City. We offer coworking spaces for companies and freelancers where they can  carry out efficient and versatile work. The IT team makes available to the coworkers  own lines with fixed IP or a customised infrastructure. We have high speed  internet. 

Our locations (Casa Les Punxes; Drassanes, La Rambla; Passeig de Gràcia; Sagrada  Familia; Sant Antoni and Sant Joan) are extremely well connected and have  common areas and spectacular terraces that promote synergies among  professionals. Are you a digital nomad, entrepreneur or freelancer? Do not  hesitate to contact us!