The Retiro has already been closed for ten days since May due to the application of the municipal protocol for wind gusts and high temperatures. Not bad for what the Madrid City Council describes as “1% of the time”. But of course, that 1% is also the period in which 80% of the branches fall, according to the calculations of the consistory itself.
The measure is part of the already known protocol of action in green areas of the City Council, which affects not only the Retiro Park, but also eight other areas that the Environment area considers “unique”: El Capricho, the Rose Garden of the West Park, Juan Carlos I, Juan Pablo II, Fuente del Berro, Quinta de los Molinos, Torre Arias and the Lineal Park of Manzanares.
The history of protocol
This is a protocol that was activated in 2014 and in 2019 was tightened by the previous mayor, Manuela Carmena. Criticism, however, has not stopped coming, especially when the closure coincides with sunny days and pleasant or extreme temperatures from the hot. This year, some sectors have baptized it directly as the protocol “against common sense”, in reference to the apparent mismatch between the perceived weather conditions and the restrictions imposed.
The last activation of the protocol (which took place on Saturday, July 5) is no exception: the entrances to the Retiro remained closed for several hours, even though the park looked quiet. Once again, the municipal algorithm dictated closure.
Meanwhile, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, mayor of Madrid, lives his days out of the public spotlight. Since July 3, he has been on paternity leave following the birth of his son Lucas, the fruit of his marriage to Teresa Urquijo.
Why parks close when it’s hot
Although much of the focus is usually placed on the wind, the heat also triggers closures. According to the protocol, not only intense gusts are taken into account, but also temperature, humidity and other meteorological indicators provided by the AEMET. Based on these data, a level of alert is determined – green, yellow, orange or red – which can lead to the total closure of the site, as has already happened on several occasions this summer.
One of the most controversial days was May 30, when the Book Fair had to improvise an unexpected closure. And, while the Retiro is closed for security, shade is scarce in other newly refurbished areas of Madrid. The irony has not gone unnoticed by many neighbors, who compare the closure of the park with the installation of awnings in places like Puerta del Sol or Santa Ana, where there are hardly any trees left to protect from the sun.
Neighborhood complaints about the park closures
The discomfort is evident: in the middle of the heat wave, parks are closed when they are most needed. El Retiro, and other key spaces such as Quinta de los Molinos or El Capricho, have remained closed on several of the harshest days of the summer. In social networks, criticism has been echoed by messages that are already being repeated as a mantra: “Close parks when it’s hot? Just when the asphalt burns and shade is scarce”. For many, the decision is contradictory and they call for urgent changes in the prevention model.
From neighborhood associations to opposition parties, the pressure is focused on revising the current protocol, which they consider too rigid and poorly adapted to the urban reality. They demand investment in tree maintenance, partial openings in safe areas and, in some cases, more clear information on why parks are closed and for how long.