Researchers from the Department of Geography and the Institute for Environmental Science and Technology at the UAB (ICTA-UAB) have designed a new methodology with which to conduct a quantitative analysis and map the vital areas of a city. It is the first analysis that synthesises and applies the theories of Jane Jacobs on the configuration a modern city (dense populations, mixed uses and pedestrian-oriented) must have in order to have street vitality. This new tool was developed using data from the city of Barcelona and its conurbation.