Culture, Sports and Tourism
DESCRIPTION
Since 25 July 2021, “Paseo del Prado and Buen Retiro, Landscape of Arts and Sciences”, or the “Landscape of Light”, as we usually refer to it, has been a World Heritage Site.
Classed as a Cultural Landscape, the area was deemed to meet UNESCO’s primary criterion: to be a site of “outstanding universal value”. For UNESCO, the fact that the site depends on the involvement and collaboration of local stakeholders is of utmost importance.
With the aim of giving a voice to all of the institutions, associations, organisations, collectives, groups and people with a connection to this urban cultural landscape, in a plenary session on 24 July 2018 Madrid City Council approved the creation of a Civic and Social Council as a management tool to advance the—at the time—UNESCO World Heritage nomination of the site “Paseo del Prado and Buen Retiro. Landscape of Arts and Sciences”. The management system that was devised to handle the nomination consists of an Advisory Board, an Executive Commission with members from various governments, and the aforementioned Civic and Social Council.
This Council is firmly committed to participative processes. Its primary functions include listening to all participants with the aim of pooling ideas, projects and initiatives that advance the Landscape of Light. It also puts forward, to governments responsible for the site’s management, proposals for plans and actions such as coordinating and supporting the activities of other institutions, organisations and private individuals connected to the site.
The Council's initial constituent plenary session was held on 23 October 2018 in the Events Hall of the Mayor's Office of Madrid City Council, and was presided over by the mayor, the head of Madrid's regional government and the Minister of Culture and Sport, along with senior representatives from institutions and bodies linked to the Landscape of Light.
The success of this constituent plenary session and the numerous meetings held since then, as well as the consensus between all of the stakeholders connected to “Paseo del Prado and Buen Retiro, Landscape of Arts and Sciences”, attest to the degree of interest shared by all parties involved in a project whose scope is not just citywide, but national.
Over twenty meetings have been held since October 2018, all of which have been highly successful in terms of both participation and content. When evaluating our site, UNESCO viewed this Civic and Social Council as a valuable asset, which illustrates why it is vital to foster and improve the independence of such bodies.
OBJECTIVES
The Civic and Social Council, one of the three bodies in the Management System, aims to give a voice to all stakeholders in this World Heritage cultural landscape.
- Ensuring conservation and improvement of the Landscape of Light
- Striving for the well-being of all stakeholders, especially local communities
- Achieving the participation of representatives from the highest institutional level
- Giving a voice and quality of life to all stakeholders with an interest in civic life at the site
- Holding regular meetings either in plenary sessions or focus groups
DURATION
Indefinite
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
