Barcelona has intensified its efforts against graffiti in public spaces, recording a total of 82,861 operations in the first eight months of 2026. These interventions, part of the Pla Endreça, have resulted in the cleaning of over 222,000 square meters of affected surfaces and the management of nearly 8,000 citizen requests.
The Deputy Mayor for Urbanism, Laia Bonet, highlighted the positive impact of these measures, which include increased teams and economic resources. "The combination of prevention, speed, and planning allows us to have a cleaner city and reduce the rate of re-graffiti," she stated, assuring that work will continue along these lines to guarantee the quality of public spaces.
The change in working methodology has significantly reduced the re-graffiti rate, dropping from 15% to 20% in early 2024 to around 2% currently. This indicator is calculated by monitoring streets with the highest incidence, identifying new graffiti the month after cleaning.
The speed of graffiti removal is a key factor: currently, 93.8% of citizen requests are resolved within 7 days or less, a notable contrast to the 30-day timeframe in 2024. This agility helps reduce recidivism.
In parallel, fines for graffiti and vandalism have decreased by 23.1% compared to the same period last year, with 103 fines issued between February and June 2026, versus 134 in 2025.
Regarding heritage graffiti, 3,619 operations have been carried out on facades cataloged as level B and C, cleaning 11,075 square meters. Four specialized teams use techniques such as recycled glass micro-beads and biodegradable products, applying anti-graffiti protection for building conservation.
Preventive checks have also been conducted in recurring problem areas, municipal buildings, public infrastructure, and the city's 41 markets. A specific campaign has been launched around Gaudí's heritage, involving 140 team-days and over 2,200 operations.
Additionally, special deployments were made for major events such as the passage of the Tour de France, the visit of the Pope, and the Goya Awards Gala, reinforcing cleaning efforts along related routes and spaces.
