Major Projects of Madrid for the 21st Century

With more than 3,300,000 inhabitants, the city of Madrid is one of the most populated capitals in Europe. Over the last two decades, the city has undertaken various modernization efforts, and in the coming years it plans to carry out many more, many of them related to the main theme of this year’s Australian Leaders Program: the sustainable city.

For this reason, the Leaders visited Madrid City Hall to learn first-hand about some of these projects and to discuss them with those responsible for them. They were welcomed by Ricardo Iglesias, head of the External Relations Service of the city council; Dolores Ortiz, Director General of Urban Planning and Mobility Infrastructure; and Jorge Serrano, Technical Director of CREA Madrid Nuevo Norte.

First, Dolores Ortiz explained what will be one of the most important environmental projects for the city: the Metropolitan Forest. The Metropolitan Forest will be a green belt around the city, 75 kilometers long and covering 32,000 hectares, of which 4,900 hectares will be newly created. Madrid, Ortiz noted, is the European capital with the most trees. It already has large parks, forests, and green spaces such as Casa de Campo, Monte de El Pardo, Juan Carlos I Park, and Valdebebas Forest Park, among others. The project aims to connect these spaces through a network of green corridors. This will involve restoring degraded areas by replanting native species and protecting zones with high environmental value.

The resulting green ring will not only help maintain air quality in the city but will also facilitate the connection between urban and rural areas. The project, which will be developed over several years, is already underway and involves not only Madrid City Council but also numerous private companies and public institutions such as universities.

The Metropolitan Forest is an ambitious project included in the Madrid 360 Environmental Sustainability Strategy, through which the city aligns itself with the objectives of the Europe 2030 project. According to Ortiz, this strategy focuses on improving energy efficiency, expanding green areas, and enhancing mobility in the city. Madrid 360 combines the fight against climate change with economic development, promoting the transition toward efficient heating and cooling systems, fleet renewal, the promotion of public transport, the integration of all modes of transport, improved road safety, and innovation.

Measures aimed at improving mobility include upgrading infrastructure, promoting public transport, and encouraging personal mobility vehicles and electromobility. “We have more than 13 million trips in the city, and we try to encourage sustainable mobility through public transport and walking: people in Madrid walk a lot,” noted the Director of Mobility Infrastructure.

Another important transformation, she explained, is administrative. “We must incorporate all the measures that will be implemented into regulations. In the last four years we have introduced more than 200 ordinances to reinforce and support these measures.”

Other mobility initiatives include the implementation of Low Emission Zones, which limit traffic from older or highly polluting vehicles; the creation of new cycling infrastructure; and improved management of urban freight transport, which has a significant impact on pollution and traffic problems.

Madrid also pays great attention to air quality: for the first time, the city complies with European directives on air quality and NO2 levels. All the measures implemented have reduced emissions by more than 65%.

The success of these policies is also due to significant investments: the City Council has allocated 100 million euros in subsidies for vehicle renewal, heating and building insulation improvements, micromobility, renewal of taxi and private vehicle fleets, and charging infrastructure.

For Elizabeth Mossop, one reason for the success of these policies is that urban planning policies and mobility infrastructure planning belong to the same department. “Until recently,” said Ortiz, “they were separate. Now it is very interesting to have everything together because they are interconnected. It’s the first time this has been done and I think it’s a very good idea. Everything is interconnected, and the way we plan the city, green areas, and mobility is fundamental.”

Madrid Nuevo Norte: the major project of Madrid in this century

Next, Jorge Serrano presented what will be one of the most important projects for the city in the coming years. The project arises from the need to renovate Chamartín railway station and integrate it into the city. The railway infrastructure has created a large divide that splits northern Madrid in two, and this initiative aims to close that gap by burying much of the railway tracks underground.

Madrid Nuevo Norte is the largest urban regeneration project in Europe. According to Serrano, it will connect neighborhoods that have traditionally been isolated from the rest of the city, provide new green areas, and create space for 10,500 new homes, along with associated services such as schools and health centers. Among the characteristics that make this project unique is that more than 76% of the land will be publicly owned and used, and it will include 400,000 square meters of green areas.

Sustainability is also one of its defining features. Madrid Nuevo Norte is the first urban development project in Europe to obtain both LEED and BREEAM pre-certifications, the two most prestigious sustainability certifications in the world.

This is also the first project in Madrid in which it has been deliberately decided to create very few parking spaces: the minimum parking requirement established by law is the maximum that the developers have set. “Cars are no longer the priority,” said Jorge Serrano.

Participants in the meeting:

· Ricardo Iglesias, Head of the External Relations Service of Madrid City Council
· Dolores Ortiz, Director General of Urban Planning and Mobility Infrastructure of Madrid City Council
· Jorge Serrano, Technical Director of CREA Madrid Nuevo Norte

See the Program Summary in PDF