BARCELONA — One of the world’s top cities has announced plans to go green, cutting down on road traffic and adding miles and miles of bike lanes.

According to ‘Travel + Leisure,’ Barcelona has set the lofty ambition of turning 60% of its streets into green spaces for pedestrians. Starting with the heavily congested neighbourhood of Eixample, the city will cordon off ‘superblocks’ where motorized traffic will be prohibited. In addition, 186 miles of new bike lands and a revamped bus network are in the works.

To date, Barcelona, along with 35 municipalities in its surrounding area, have been unable to meet the EU’s targets for air quality. With this new initiative, the government hopes to curb the growing problem of air pollution, which ‘The Guardian’ reports causes 3,500 premature deaths a year in Barcelona.