La Barceloneta, better for the shade
The heat is pressing –and how–, so it is possible that we feel more tempted than ever to take the car and turn on the air conditioning to the maximum to go anywhere. However, with this gesture we only increase the harmful effects of climate crisis . To try to encourage citizens to walk, but preventing as much as possible the embarrassment of summer days , Cool Walks is born, an app in the form of a map created by the Barcelona Regional public agency.
"This pedestrian routing tool is aligned with one of the lines of action of the Climate Plan: prevent excessive heat . With this goal in mind, we have modeled direct sunlight and shadows and developed a tool that creates optimal routes for heat prevention by looking for shaded sidewalks, drinking fountains or places to take refuge," they explain from the urban development agency.
In the shadow of La Barceloneta
Right now, the app, whose development has been very complex due to the large number of data that must be taken into account to create such a technology, It only works in the Barceloneta neighborhood . To start it, all you have to do is choose a starting point and a destination point on the map – visually, since they cannot be entered from the name of the street as it happens in Google Maps.
Later, you choose the time of day you plan to walk and the type of route you want : the shortest –which does not take into account the shadows of the path, but shows them nonetheless–, the coolest –the one that allows you to walk under the shelter of the shade– and even the ' vampire mode , which avoids direct light completely. The route will appear with a color code that goes from purple to yellow, this being the tone that indicates the sunniest paths. Likewise, the map, as its ideologues explained, it shows the sources that you will find along the way and the buildings and public places that can serve as shelter from the sun.
Due to its limited operating range, Cool Walks is obviously not the ultimate tool for getting rid of the heat during a walk. However, it does highlight the negative effects of climate change, trying to combat it as best we can: through green. Thus, the reason that the city dedicates so many resources to studying the evolution of the shadow throughout the day is the creation of a master plan for know where to plant trees , well it is planned to increase the green canopy of the city from 5% to 30% to fight against the high temperatures caused by the climatic emergency . Thus, this curious app would be just an 'intermediate' tool until that goal is achieved.