Everyday Access Across Madrid: Mapping Neighbourhood Reach Across the City
An independent 250-metre micro-grid analysis of neighbourhood accessibility, daily amenities, transit frequency, and street infrastructure across 4,789 evaluated cells in Madrid.
The Madrid 250-Metre Score Map
BarrioRadar evaluated 4,789 discrete 250 m × 250 m grid cells covering the evaluated grid envelope of Madrid (299.3 km² nominal area across evaluated grid cells). Every cell is scored on a calibrated 0–100 scale based on spatial proximity to groceries, healthcare, education, transit services, and leisure amenities.
One Capital, Diverse Urban Realities
Evaluating Madrid across uniform 250m cells reveals the contrast between higher-scoring central cells and the lower-scoring outer parts of the evaluated municipal area.
Master Score Distribution (10-Point Intervals)
Sample: 4,789 CellsThe score distribution shows marked spatial differences across Madrid's evaluated municipality:
- Higher-Scoring Central Cells: In cells scoring Grade B+ to A+ (scores 65–93), address portal density averages 75 to 103 portals per 250m cell, representing 140,084 address portals (62.4% of all address portals) with close spatial proximity to essential services and transit stops.
- Outer Evaluated Cells: 2,060 cells (43.0% of evaluated cells) score Grade D (scores 5–44), where address portal density averages 17.1 portals per cell with greater measured distances to mapped daily amenities and transit services.
Empirical Infrastructure & Livability Benchmark Table
| Evaluated Spatial Metric | Empirical Value | Coverage / Context | Data Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Evaluated 250m × 250m Grid Cells | 4,789 cells | 299.3 km² nominal grid area | CartoCiudad (INE 28079) |
| Address Portals Represented | 224,448 portals | 46.9 portals / cell municipal average | IGN CartoCiudad |
| Weekday Scheduled Stop Departures | 928,619 departures | 58,280 daily vehicle journeys | CRTM / NAP GTFS (20260819) |
| Active Public Transit Platforms | 6,760 platforms | 635 bus routes, Metro, Cercanías & ML | CRTM / Renfe Cercanías GTFS |
| Peak Hour Transit Volume (09:00–09:59) | 56,596 departures | 56,444 bus, 150 rail/metro scheduled departures | GTFS Scheduled Timetables |
| Total Mapped Street & Pathway Network | 12,730.7 km | 146,680 discrete street segments | OpenStreetMap (Comunidad de Madrid) |
| Dedicated Pedestrian Footways | 4,694.9 km | 36.9% of total network length | OpenStreetMap (footway tags) |
| Total Cycling-Accessible Infrastructure | 1,303.3 km | 8,730 segments (cycleways, lanes, shared ways) | OpenStreetMap (cycling tags) |
| Mapped Building Footprints | 248,114 buildings | 48,798 with recorded levels (19.7%) | OpenStreetMap Building Layer |
| Average Building Height | 4.5 floors | Median 4.0 floors above ground | OpenStreetMap Building Levels |
| Dominant Low-to-Mid-Rise Band (3–5 Floors) | 22,764 buildings | 46.6% of buildings with level data | OpenStreetMap Building Levels |
| Municipal Median Master Livability Score | 52.0 / 100 | Mean 47.0 / 100 across municipality | BarrioRadar v1.1 15-Minute Engine |
| Grade A Master Score Cells (Master Score ≥ 80) | 581 cells (12.1%) | Concentrated in central postal codes (28004, 28012, 28001, 28005, 28015, 28002) | BarrioRadar v1.1 15-Minute Engine |
| Address Portals in Grade B+ or Higher (≥ 65) | 140,084 portals (62.4%) | Concentrated in 1,691 core cells (35.3% of area) | BarrioRadar • CartoCiudad Overlay |
What Madrid Has Around You
OpenStreetMap records extensive commercial storefronts and civic facilities across Madrid's evaluated area. Commercial venues and community services are analyzed directly from verified geometry layers.
Top Mapped Amenities by Category
Mapped Sports Infrastructure
OSM Pitch & Court Features by Tagged Sport* OpenStreetMap may map individual pitches or courts separately within a larger sports complex, so these counts represent mapped features rather than unique sports facilities.
* Data source: OpenStreetMap (Comunidad de Madrid extract, August 2026). Values reflect mapped features and do not constitute an exhaustive municipal commercial tax register.
How Madrid Moves
Analysis of official General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) schedules on a representative weekday (Wednesday, 19 August 2026), capturing the pulse of Spain's largest multimodal transit network.
Scheduled Stop Departures by Hour of Day
Analysis of GTFS schedules across the 6,760 active stop platforms within Madrid's evaluated area records 928,619 scheduled stop departures across 58,280 daily vehicle trips on a typical weekday:
- Bus Operations (GTFS route_type 3): 925,319 scheduled stop departures across 57,527 daily vehicle trips and 635 distinct routes.
- Light Rail & Tram Operations (GTFS route_type 0): 3,262 scheduled stop departures across 715 daily vehicle trips and 3 distinct routes.
- Peak Departure Volume: Scheduled service reaches its peak between 08:00 and 09:59, exceeding 56,500 scheduled departures per hour.
The Streets Beneath the Capital
Geodesic length calculation across mapped street, path, and cycleway segments within Madrid's evaluated cells.
Mapped Road and Pathway Composition
Geodesic Distance (km)Building Levels & Vertical Profile
Analysis of mapped building levels across Madrid's built environment, illustrating the distribution of low, mid-rise, and high-density structures.
Building Levels Distribution
Explicit Levels DataBuildings with 3–5 floors (22,764 buildings, 46.6%) and 6–10 floors (10,795 buildings, 22.1%) together account for 68.8% of structures with recorded level data across Madrid's evaluated grid envelope.
Highest and Lowest Scoring Cells
Factual extremes identified from the evaluated 250m grid cells. Descriptions identify representative street addresses and postal codes directly from official CartoCiudad records.
Frequently Asked Questions: Madrid Urban Livability & Transit
Direct empirical answers to common spatial questions regarding spatial accessibility, public transit operations, street network composition, and vertical urban density across Madrid.
How does Madrid score for everyday accessibility?
Across Madrid's evaluated area, 581 cells (12.1% of evaluated cells) achieve Grade A or A+ (scores 80–93), representing 56,219 address portals (25.0% of all evaluated portals). These high-scoring cells are concentrated in central postal codes (such as 28004, 28012, 28001, 28005, 28015, and 28002), where high portal density coincides with frequent scheduled transit departures and close spatial proximity to daily amenities.
What is the structure of the urban accessibility divide in Madrid?
The 250m micro-grid reveals a pronounced spatial contrast across Madrid municipality. In cells scoring Grade A or A+, address portal density averages between 96.6 and 102.7 portals per cell. In contrast, 2,060 cells (43.0% of evaluated cells) score Grade D (scores 5–44), housing 35,203 portals (15.7% of evaluated portals) with an average of 17.1 portals per cell and greater measured distances to daily amenities and transit platforms.
How does Madrid's public transit network operate on a typical weekday?
On a representative weekday (19 August 2026), official GTFS transit schedules deliver 928,619 scheduled stop departures across 6,760 active boarding platforms and 58,280 vehicle journeys within Madrid's evaluated area. The network comprises 925,319 bus stop departures across 635 routes and 3,262 tram/light rail departures across 3 routes, peaking between 09:00 and 09:59 with 56,596 departures.
What is the extent of cycling and pedestrian infrastructure in Madrid?
OpenStreetMap records 12,730.7 km of total mapped network across Madrid's evaluated area. Dedicated pedestrian footways comprise 4,694.9 km (36.9% of the network), complemented by 253.1 km of dedicated pedestrian streets and 97.9 km of living streets. Total cycling-accessible infrastructure spans 1,303.3 km across 8,730 segments, including 339.3 km of designated cycle tracks.
What is the typical building height and vertical urban density in Madrid?
Among the 48,798 mapped buildings with explicit level tags in OpenStreetMap (19.7% of all 248,114 mapped footprints), the average height is 4.53 floors (median 4.0 floors). Low-to-mid-rise buildings of 3–5 floors represent the largest cohort at 22,764 buildings (46.6% of tagged structures), followed by 6–10 floor buildings with 10,795 structures (22.1%) and 11+ floor structures with 1,941 buildings (4.0%).
Data Provenance & Reproduction
1. Official Cadastral Addresses • IGN CartoCiudad
Address portals and spatial centroids are derived from the Spanish National Address Directory (CartoCiudad) published by the Instituto Geográfico Nacional (IGN) and Centro Nacional de Información Geográfica (CNIG). Bounded strictly to municipality code INE 28079 (Province 28: Madrid).
2. Public Transit Operations • National Access Point (NAP) GTFS
Public transit departures, stop locations, and route variants are computed from official General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) feeds published via the Punto de Acceso Nacional (NAP) and Consorcio Regional de Transportes de Madrid (CRTM). Evaluates multimodal operations on the standard representative weekday 19 August 2026.
3. Physical Amenities, Roads, and Buildings • OpenStreetMap
Amenities, street network segments, and building footprints are ingested from OpenStreetMap (Comunidad de Madrid regional extract, osm_madrid, ingested August 2026). Data is published under the Open Data Commons Open Database License (ODbL) © OpenStreetMap contributors.
4. BarrioRadar 15-Minute Life Score Model
Scores are calculated across uniform 250m × 250m grid cells using continuous diminishing-returns curves (v1.1 scoring engine). Each grid cell is scored at its representative IGN CartoCiudad address portal located nearest the cell centroid. Evaluates spatial proximity to groceries (30%), essential services (30%), multimodal transit (25%), and social/leisure spaces (15%).
How to Cite This Research
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