Urban Development, Works and Equipment
DESCRIPTION
The Mediterranean Forest is a key instrument in the strategy to renature Madrid by creating a 75-km-long green belt around the city that will help it adapt to and mitigate the effects of climate change, in addition to providing numerous benefits for Madrid’s population. Rather than succumbing to the heat island effect, Madrid will transform into an “island of colour” that is more resilient and self-sufficient and has a greater connection to nature. Efforts will be made at a local level to extend plant cover and incorporate sustainable facilities in order to achieve a positive impact at the regional level, transforming the city and surrounding areas. The project aspires to embody the specific principles and values of Madrid's society, which wants to be able to enjoy a healthy, safe, sustainable, resilient city.
The Metropolitan Forest is also a component of various key strategies for the city of Madrid such as the Madrid 360 Environmental Sustainability Strategy, the Healthy and Sustainable Eating Strategy, and the Madrid, Island of Colour Strategy, among others.
OBJECTIVES
- Improve citizens’ health and well-being
- Contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), making Madrid a more environmentally, socially and economically sustainable city
- Create a green belt around the city of Madrid by adding new green areas connected to those that already exist, with a planned length of 75 km
BENEFITS FOR THE CITY OF MADRID
- Improved quality of life for citizens
- Sustainability
- Adaptation to climate change and mitigation of its effects
- Reduction of the heat island effect
- Increased biodiversity and improved conservation thereof
- Incorporation of peri-urban agroecological production linked to the development of healthy, sustainable eating habits among citizens
- Creation of new facilities and opportunities for healthy recreation
- Fostering the green economy and the consumption of local agricultural products
- Creation of new jobs
- Ecological and landscape restoration of degraded areas
DURATION
An international ideas competition was held from June to December 2020 by Madrid City Council's Department for Urban Development, which included the participation of the other municipal departments involved as well as professional associations and schools, the Regional Federation of Homeowners’ Associations (FRAVM), political groups and renowned experts in the areas of environment, landscape, and urban development.
Work is being carried out with the teams that won each of the lots into which the Metropolitan Forest was divided for the purpose of the competition, and the first actions are being developed.
The Metropolitan Forest is envisioned as a medium-term project, with investments to be made over a 10-year period and benefits to be enjoyed by present and future generations.
FACTS AND FIGURES
The green ring covers a total area of 35,000 ha, and thanks to the Metropolitan Project it is expected to include 4,390 ha of newly created forest and 600 ha devoted to peri-urban farming. The rest consists of existing green areas that are already part of the urban park network, such as Valdebebas Forest Park and natural spaces within the municipal area of Madrid such as Monte de El Pardo Park, Soto de Viñuelas Park and Casa de Campo Park. The green ring connects different natural environments thanks to the great landscape diversity in Madrid's municipal area.
It is estimated that the Metropolitan Forest Project will add 1 million trees and 10 million bushes to the 5.7 trees already located in the city of Madrid, creating a 75-km-long ring of plant cover around the city.
INVESTMENT
Madrid’s Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan aims to enable the city to meet the 26 transformation challenges that it faces, which have been identified in each of the six pillars that comprise the Recovery and Resilience Facility. To this end, it identifies 12 projects with a far-reaching, transformative long-term impact which are the main drivers of the economy, jobs, the environment and social cohesion in the city. The Mediterranean Forest, with a planned investment of 149 million euros, tops the list of projects with a pull effect and is at the heart of Strategic Action Line 1, which focuses on renaturing the city.
The Metropolitan Forest aims to make strategic use of public investment, capitalising on its multiplier effect to mobilise companies and social stakeholders, attract private funds and increase the capacity for growth and creation of sustainable, inclusive employment, taking a systemic, structural approach that involves planning and implementation of coordinated, interconnected actions to maximise impact.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
