Madrid is a city full of parks and gardens, most of which offer play elements for children. The Urban Parks Awards, organized by Simposium Urban Solutions, recognize the best projects of the year in several categories, and two of the five awards have gone to community parks.
The prize for the best playground for children was awarded this year to the ursa Minor park. Located in Leganés between the neighborhoods of Solagua, Poza del Agua, Campo de Tiro and San Nicasio, this park has the largest children’s castle in Europe. It covers an area of 5,388 square meters and is full of attractions for both children and sports fans.
The second award that has fallen in Madrid has been the prize for Best Urban IndoorPark. It has been for the park of the maternity and infant building of the Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, a garden with play elements adapted to a cozy space.
The best playground in Spain:
The best playground in Spain, according to the Parques Urbanos awards, has a large castle that is also considered the largest in Europe. Robinia’s castle is ten meters high, has three six-meter-long slides, as well as climbing areas and bridges.
Inside the play area there is also a 32-meter zip line, many trampolines and three zones with games for different ages: from swings to drawing boards or an experimentation zone with various textures to try out.
The Zone located at the left of the park is reserved for those who want to get in shape without spending a single euro out of pocket. In addition to trampolines (this time for adults) and an obstacle course lining the perimeter, there is machinery of all kinds.
On the one hand, exercise and elliptical bikes with built-in screen that connected to your app allows you to see the progress of the exercises. On the other side there are functional training machines and elements of TRX and workout characteristic of a gymnasium. The track is complemented by cross training elements for those who enjoy crossfit.
Alhaurín el Grande, Vila Seca and Zumaia: the other award-winning cities
The Urban Parks Awards have recognized three more parks in different cities in Spain. The Aita Mari public school in Zumaia (Guipúzcoa) has won the award for the best inclusive urban park. This pedagogical project goes beyond simply remodeling a space: it has renaturalized the schoolyard, making it accessible and welcoming for everyone.
The space La Pineda de Vila Seca (Tarragona) has won the award for the best Urban Park with a sporting character. This location has transformed the waterfront with health facilities that are distributed along the promenade. Finally, the Parque Fundadores de Alhaurín el Grande (Málaga) won the prize for the best landscaped urban park. This park, created in a natural and aesthetically pleasing environment offers a place of recreation with unique views.
These awards not only recognize the quality of the design, but also value the improvement in the quality of life of the local communities where these parks are located.