Barcelona · 11.133 inhabitants · 2.284 buildings analysed one by one

Sant Joan de VilatorradaClimate risk in its neighbourhoods, streets and rivers, today and in 2050

We have scored the climate risk of the 2.284 buildings in Sant Joan de Vilatorrada using Cadastre data, satellite imagery and climate projections, and added it up by area, street and watercourse. The clearest change comes at night: from 4 to 35 tropical nights a year by 2050.

4→35tropical nights a year in a typical building, today and by 2050
87%of homes at high or very high heat risk by 2050
604homes in the official flood zone (500 years)
At a glance

Where the risk lies by 2050

LowMediumHighVery highRivers and streams

Level of the highest hazard in each 250 m area by 2050: flooding, heat, wildfire, wind or ground movement.

Tropical nights a year in a typical building

Sant Joan de Vilatorrada compared with Spain

  • Tropical nights a year, 2050: 45 nights
    higher than 74 % of municipalities
  • Average summer maximum, 2050: 34,2 °C
    higher than 72 % of municipalities
  • Flood-prone area (100-year): 5,0%
    higher than 82 % of municipalities
  • Area burnt 2016-2026: 0,0%
    lower than 64 % of municipalities
  • Water stress 2050 (0-5): 3,3
    lower than 79 % of municipalities

Position among the 8.217 municipalities: further right means more risk. These are figures for the municipality as a whole, the same for everyone; they may differ from those for the typical building. Compare with others →

What stands out

What we found in Sant Joan de Vilatorrada

It comes from matching each building with its neighbourhood, its street, the nearest watercourse and its surroundings.

1

604 homes in a flood zone

604 homes

They are in the area that can flood once every 500 years according to the official maps (SNCZI); 140 of them are in the 100-year area. Next to el Cardener, 228 homes are inside the flood zone, less than 100 m from the watercourse.

According to the Ministry’s studies, this is an annual probability of 0,2 % (500 years) or 1 % (100 years), not “once every 500 years”: it can happen two years in a row. Small gullies are not always mapped.

2

From 4 to 35 tropical nights a year

4→35 nights

In a typical building in Sant Joan de Vilatorrada, nights when the temperature stays at or above 20 °C would rise from 4 a year (1991-2020) to about 35 by 2050. For this reason, 0 % of homes would be at a high or very high level.

Median of the buildings. Intermediate-to-high emissions scenario (SSP3-7.0).

3

Where there are fewer trees, 3,4 °C hotter

3,4 °C

Around homes with less than 2 % tree cover, the surface in summer is 0,5 °C above the median for Sant Joan de Vilatorrada; with more than 40 % tree cover, 2,9 °C below. 1.054 homes are in surroundings with almost no trees.

Ground surface temperature (Landsat), not air temperature. More trees usually go with less asphalt and lower density: this is a correlation, not a measure of the effect of planting trees.

4

178 homes at very high wildfire risk

193 buildings

These are 193 buildings right next to vegetation that can burn. Almost all are houses (188), on the edges of the town and in housing estates.

Proximity to woodland and to burnt areas (ESA WorldCover, EFFIS). It does not measure the state of the vegetation or any firebreaks.

5

2 schools, care homes or health centres in a flood zone

2 facilities

They are in the official 500-year flood zone or in a preferential flow zone. They are the first to review in an emergency plan: who is inside, how to get out and whether they use the ground floor.

  • Nursery school: Llar d'infants Barrufets
  • School: Centre Municipal de Formació de Persones Adultes

OpenStreetMap location matched to the nearest Cadastre building.

Six hazards

How many homes are at high risk, today and in 2050

The 4.383 homes in Sant Joan de Vilatorrada by the level of their building. Tap a hazard to see it on the map.

LowMediumHighVery high
What can be done

For the town council and for residents

For the town council and its technical staff

  • Climate shelters, and late-afternoon and evening opening hours at libraries and community centres in the areas with the most tropical nights.
  • Review with the river basin authority the watercourses with no official mapping that run next to homes, and keep them clear.
  • Firebreaks and evacuation routes in the streets that border woodland.
  • Emergency self-protection plans in the schools, care homes and health centres that are in a flood zone.
  • Download the tables by area, neighbourhood, street and watercourse (Data tab) to cross-check them with urban planning.

For residents

  • Air your home in the early hours, shade west-facing walls from the sun and ask about grants to insulate the roof.
  • If you live on a ground floor or have a garage next to a watercourse, have a plan: where to go upstairs, what to switch off and how to hear about warnings.
  • Keep the strip around your house clear of dry vegetation and know both ways out of your street.
  • Look up your building: the free report gives its level for each hazard, and the Climate Note gives the full detail.

Look up your building