What 300.000 Km/s is All About
300.000 Km/s is an urban think tank that dives deep into the new challenges cities face today. It’s all about turning the disruptions shaking urban life into chances for positive societal change. Think digitalisation, climate change, social inequality—these aren’t just buzzwords but forces that reshape how cities work, how people live together, and how spaces are organized. The team behind 300.000 Km/s doesn’t simplify this complexity; instead, they embrace it, aiming to craft strategies and actions that lead to fairer, more sustainable ways of living in cities. They collaborate with cities, governments, international organizations, research institutions, and companies to imagine a future where urban spaces respond successfully to today’s crises.
Main Benefits and Recognitions
Over the last decade, 300.000 Km/s has earned some serious recognition for its work. Here are a few highlights:
- UIA Patrick Abercrombie Award Honourable Mention (2023)
- Manuel de Solà-Morales Award (2020)
- Spanish Urbanism Award (2019)
- S+T+ARTS Prize from the European Commission (2019)
These awards reflect the impact and innovation behind their projects, showing how their approach resonates across the urban planning and design world.
Exploring Urban Challenges Through Projects
The projects led by 300.000 Km/s tackle a wide range of urban issues. For instance, the “Impact of the Superblocks” project investigates how transforming public spaces affects the urban fabric and local economies. Then there’s the “Atlas of novel social and urban vulnerability in Spain,” which looks at how reduced mobility changes social and urban mixes. Other projects like “Air / Aria / Aire” push for a change in urban models, while the “Affordable Housing Atlas” offers tools to improve housing access globally. They also develop systems of indicators to guide urban regeneration policies and create integrated frameworks like the “Urban Agenda Santa Coloma de Gramenet” to steer strategic transformations. Big data and citizen participation come together in the “Ciutat Vella Land Use Plan” to balance economic activity with quality of life.
Diving Into Key Urban Topics
300.000 Km/s doesn’t just work on projects—they explore the very topics that shape urban life. Their focus areas include:
- Territories: Territorializing the city
- The commons: City as a sharing space
- Heritage: Unveiling the city’s symbolic values
- Inequality: The spatial injustice
- Night-time: Planning the 24-hour city
- Health: Collective care
- Public space: The place of crisis and identity
- Housing: New forms of living
- Livability: Cities as vital hubs
- Mobility: From moving people to transporting goods
- Tourism: Measuring the visitor’s economy
- Commerce: Retail as an urban service
- Innovation: Fostering economy inside the city
Each topic is a lens to understand and influence how cities evolve and how urban planning can be a tool for positive change.
The Toolbox: How Change is Made
To tackle these complex urban issues, 300.000 Km/s relies on a rich toolbox. This includes collaborative methodologies that bring people together to co-create new urban visions. Mapping and cartography play a big role, giving agency to spatial data. They decode urban spaces through data analysis and build tools that enhance skills and understanding. Visualization techniques make complex data visible and accessible, while data publication ensures that insights are shared and communicated effectively. This toolbox is the backbone of their commitment to informed and inclusive urban transformation.
Impact on Sustainable Development Goals
- SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
- SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
- SDG 13: Climate Action
- SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being
- SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
- SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions
By addressing urban challenges through their projects and tools, 300.000 Km/s contributes directly to these global goals, pushing cities toward more equitable, resilient, and sustainable futures.
Services That Support Urban Transformation
To meet the needs of clients and partners, 300.000 Km/s offers a range of services that bring their expertise into practice. These include creating data platforms that tell compelling stories through numbers, helping build consensus with policy assessments, and providing integrated diagnoses that clearly describe urban challenges. They also develop spatial observatories to deepen understanding of cities through data and draft informed public policies that guide effective urban governance. These services ensure that their vision for better cities translates into real-world impact.
