Redistribution of urban spaces, promoting citizen empowerment and sustainnability
Plaza de España used to be a roundabout in one of the busiest areas of the city, with high traffic, noise, pollution, and accessibility barriers. We transformed this space to return it to the public. In addition to a connection node for sustainable mobility, it also become a meeting place and a venue for cultural events, especially promoting our cultural heritage. It was conceived to be a natural, attractive and multi-purpose space, open to the changing needs of the citizens.
Local
Spain
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Mainly urban
It refers to a physical transformation of the built environment (hard investment)
No
No
Yes
2021-04-28
As a representative of an organization, in partnership with other organisations
Name of the organisation(s): GEURSA Type of organisation: Other public institution First name of representative: MARINA Last name of representative: MÁS CLEMENTE Gender: Female Nationality: Spain If relevant, please select your other nationality: Spain Function: MANAGER Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: PLAZA DE LA CONSTITUCIÓN Nº2 Town: LAS PALMAS DE GRAN CANARIA Postal code: 35003 Country: Spain Direct Tel:+34 928 44 66 00 E-mail:administracion@geursa.es Website:https://www.geursa.es/
Name of the organisation(s): Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (City Council) Type of organisation: Public authority (European/national/regional/local) First name of representative: Javier Erasmo Last name of representative: Doreste Zamora Gender: Male Nationality: Spain Function: Councillor of the Department of Urban Planning, Building and Environmental Sustainability Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: León y Castillo 270 Town: Las Palmas de Gran Canaria Postal code: 35005 Country: Spain Direct Tel:+34 928 44 68 67 E-mail:urbanismo@laspalmasgc.es Website:https://www.laspalmasgc.es/es/
It consists of the transformation of a roundabout located in one of the busiest commercial areas of the city. Before, it was an area of high traffic with consequent noise, pollution and difficulty for pedestrian accessibility. Taking advantage of the pedestrianization of the surroundings, it was transformed to return it to the public.
It highlights the urban transformation in favor of citizen reappropriation that a mobility project can generate and the processes of citizen reflection that originate about it, in accordance with the strategies launched from the New Urban Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals, where it is considered essential to move towards a rational, efficient and environmentally friendly urban mobility.
The main challenge faced was to act in an environment of great centrality and with a markedly road character.The project was focused on discovering its pedestrian potential, articulating all the transits that concur in it and enhancing the green mass.
The action brings together several of the edges that make up the new mobility strategy:
The reconsideration of the pedestrian as the protagonist of urban environments, for the sake of a friendlier and more inclusive city.
The improvement of public transport, placing the BRT system that runs along the adjacent road axis as the backbone of the municipal bus network.
The redistribution of public spaces with a more balanced position and oriented towards walkability and accessibility.
The change of asphalt soil for green areas.
The promotion of soft modes of mobility represented by bickes and electric scooters, as alternative formulas.
The optimization of the road system.
Also the plaza has now become a meeting place for citizens and cultural events, especially the promotion of the cultural heritage of the region, with monthly folk concerts and dances. It now really belongs to the citizens, who occupy it daily for multiple functions, recovering in the citizens, a sense of belonging.
Citizen reappropriation
Accessibility
Cultural heritage
Sustainable mobility
Soil regeneration
From the outset, the key objective of the intervention has been sustainability. Firstly, by promoting pedestrian and sustainable mobility modes over road traffic. Thus, the space is a node of the bike lane and houses two stops of the public bicycle rental service, one for e-bikes and the other for conventional ones. The BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) system (Metroguagua) runs along the adjacent road axis as the backbone of the municipal bus network.
In addition, the regeneration of the soil has been achieved, removing the asphalt to put 5,000 m2 of green areas, planting around 1,000 plants and 20 trees, some of them native and/or endemic, such as the dragon tree or the Canary Island palm tree, as well as drainage paving that channels rainwater to the adjacent flower beds.
The performance is distinguished by its polyvalence, versatility and adaptability. Thus, in addition to its daily use as a square with wooden benches and two bleachers for seating, all kinds of activities and events take place there, such a street market, sports celebration, concerts and outdoor exhibitions.
Regarding the urban landscape and the aesthetic condition of the project, the determination to preserve the circular structure of the traffic circle and its relationship with the built environment is emphasized, highlighting the presence of a vegetal volumetry, both the existing one and the new additions based on native species. This premise is combined with the objective of highlighting and bringing closer the central sculpture that dominates the plaza, previously distant to the citizen and now seen from a position of passage. The project also involved improving the conservation of this main sculpture. This work by Luis Montull is about primitive activities of the Canary Islanders, compoused of four 14-meter high sculptures that were installed on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of the founding of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Craftsmanship, agriculture, fishing and the Canarian mother are reflected there.
As for the spatial configuration of the environment, the solution has been resolved in rings that are arranged with 3 distinct environments:
- An outer ring associated with the facade line and linked to commercial life.
- An intermediate ring characterized as an articulation of flows and support of activities.
- A third, inner ring, as a place to stay. Distinguished by the use of pozzolanic earth as paving, with the purpose of bringing this natural material closer to the citizens.
Finally, the operation of raising the plant plane that divides these rings by gently sloping the flowerbeds is emphasized in order to enhance the green presence in the environment.
Inclusion objectives have been developed through two main lines of action. Mobility and reappropriation of public space.
In terms of mobility, the pedestrian emerges as the true protagonist of the action, giving them priority in such a central and commercial space as the one we are presenting. It is important to emphasize that all architectural barriers have been eliminated, favoring accessibility for people with reduced mobility, the elderly and baby carriages. Moreover, by integrating this action within a larger pedestrianization project, the barrier-free and user-friendly area is given continuity.
The reappropriation of the space by the citizens was the main objective of this action and therefor, the space was conditioned based on it, but it is necessary to say that we could not consider this objective as achieved without the collaboration of public and private entities that organize dynamization events frequently and especially thanks to the citizens who make daily use of the space, reconnecting with the sense of belonging to the urban environment.
The project was conceived within the Open Commercial Zone Master Plan for the area. Various public bodies and business associations were involved in shaping it. Among the objectives defined in the Master Plan are:
- To multiply the condition of a friendly space from the urban point of view, where the population-customer and the citizen in general will benefit in mobility, accessibility and environmental quality.
- To improve pedestrian mobility and public transport accessibility as a key element in the commercial relationship, promoting routes throughout the Open Commercial Zone as a system of accesses with adequate environmental quality and enjoyment of the surroundings.
But the highest participation is undoubtedly achieved through the dynamization of the area. The business association of the area frequently organizes events, the Sociedad de Promoción offers concerts cultural events, TURISMO LPA offers folkloric dances every month and other entities also use this space to carry out specific actions. All of this contributes to bringing the space closer to different segments of the population, highlighting its open and multi-purpose nature and raising the sense of belonging.
The political impulse to transform the space for citizen reappropriation comes from the City Council of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria through the Department of Urbanism. It was also the City Council that managed the tender for the construction work as the contracting body. The idea was born out of the Master Plan for the Mesa y López Commercial Area, in the process of which the nearby business of the area was involved. The project was financed by the Regional Government of the Canary Islands. The Local Society for Planning Management of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria S.A. (GEURSA) drafted the project and was in charge of the construction management.
Since the execution of works was completed, other stakeholders have been involved in the space. The Municipal Parking Society of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, SA (SAGULPA) established two stations of the public bicycle rental service in the area. One station for electric bicycles and the other for conventional ones. The Society of Promotions and TURISMO LPA offer regular events for free in the area and the local business association also organises events there.
The design and project team included architects (who led the team), civil engineers, environmental engineers, industrial engineers and experts in sculpture rehabilitation.
These dimensions combine and complement each other. The expert teams started from a clear premise in order to successfully integrate their areas of work: it is about making a space for citizens and visitors. The space is not the protagonist, its users are. Therefore, it was necessary to configure a multifunctional space that could adapt not only to what its authors had designed, but also to what society demands at any given time. Multifunctionality is not the only one premise for its use, it also had to be attractive, in terms of comfort and aesthetics, for which its design and naturalization were key. The project is not conceived in isolation, but in relation to the city's strategic plans, and is therefore connected to the local commitment to develop in an inclusive and sustainable manner.
Given that the objective was clearly established, the experts on the different themes: mobility, lighting and electrification of the space, rehabilitation of the sculpture and creation of the green area shared their conclusions with the team of architects, who added and combined the pieces, always keeping in mind the global whole in an iterative process that allowed the initial idea to be improved without losing sight of the established premises.
The new space is used on a daily basis, not only for scheduled events, but many people have found a place to just enjoy their city. Every afternoon you can find children playing, people walking their dogs, elderly people enjoying the sun or teenagers who meet there with their friends.... In other words, the real success is that citizens from all segments of the population use it. This is because the environment is pleasant, accessible, multifunctional and user friendly.
In addition to citizens, various public and private entities use the space to revitalize the area. Especially the Open Shopping Area in which it is located and the local authority. Occasionally, Christmas markets, craft markets, outdoor exhibitions take place and every month, there are concerts and dances of traditional Canarian music.
Another of the impacts that highlights the change made, is that, before, as a roundabout, traffic caused a very annoying and polluting noise in the whole area. Today, birds can be heard singing in the middle of one of the busiest areas of the city.
Finally, the most relevant impact has been the change in the public's mindset regarding pedestrianization. When the construction work began, a large percentage of society was against it, but after seeing the results, this resistant conscience has changed and now , new pedestrianization projects receive greater social support.
The whole project has an innovative origin, at least in relation to our surroundings.
First of all, the novelty lies in taking space away from road traffic even in a very central area to give it back to people, with no other ambition than for the enjoyment of the city.
Moreover, in general, urban sculptures tend to move away from people, they get into roundabouts, preventing them from being appreciated as pedestrians. Here, the sculpture is brought closer to visitors, so that they can surround it and admire it from all points.
The materials used have been innovative in the sense that wood (used for the steps) is not usually used in our environment because cement is less expensive to maintain. This also applies to the ground, where soil and draining paving have been used. It should be noted that we have a privileged climate, which has often made us forget about the consequences of rain or cold in the urban planning. This project is innovative in our context because it is born with a vision of sustainability and resilience to face and mitigate climate change.
First of all, the pedestrian and vehicular routes were designed by the architects and the civil engineers. Their conclusions were then studied by the Municipal Urban Planning and Mobility officers, and their assessments were added to the design. The next step was the definition of spaces and materials were the industrial engineer (installation engineer) feedback was specially relevant. Finally, the green areas were designed and so .
In the middle of each step, an iterative process took place, in which the effect of the new layers on the previous layers was reviewed, allowing the continuous improvement of the process without reducing the contributions of each of the teams of experts.
Roundabouts are a widespread traffic management system, especially in Europe. However, the current vision of urban planning, makes us see that they are a tool that harms pedestrian mobility and gives a high prominence to the car. Therefore, examples like ours that recovers these spaces for citizens as a whole can be replicated in all cities, as projects that give real results and are an emblem of the strategic commitment of local authorities to recover the city for citizens.
In addition, in the implementation we have learned lessons that can be replicated in other places, for example, before undertaking the work, we closed the traffic with fences to test the traffic without the roundabout in operation. When it was verified that the traffic flowed as planned, the construction work was executed.
The growth of cities has implied, in most cases, the creation of large mobility infrastructures for road traffic, which has taken away space and prominence from the pedestrian. The citizen or the visitor was then forced to socialize in private spaces associated with consumption or public spaces enclosed and lacking in continuity. The reappropriation of the urban context, the creation of spaces dedicated to the enjoyment of citizens, the regeneration of land and the integration of more sustainable modes of mobility are global challenges that we have faced by providing a solution easily exportable in general terms but that we have dressed with a strong local character, adapted to the reality of our society, with a main sculpture dedicated to the traditional professions of our region, the use of domestic flora, and the promotion of events connected to our cultural heritage. But above all, foreseeing the adaptability to what society may demand for its use.
