Madrid is expanding with a new neighborhood where only 12% of the area will be buildable, leaving the rest for green spaces. Los Cerros, located in the Vicálvaro district , is the new urban development project approved last Thursday by the Governing Board of Madrid City Council.
The space covers an area of 4.7 million square meters where a total of 14,276 homeswill be built , half of them with some form of official protection. Harmony between nature and the city will be sought, with 1.7 million square meters dedicated to vegetation, which exceeds the size of the Retiro Park.
More than 7,000 subsidized homes
Homes in the new development. | Editorial credit: Los Cerros
Of the 14,000 apartments planned, more than half will be subsidized by the Madrid City Council, limiting their price to ensure they are affordable. Thus, Los Cerros will have some 7,138 free market homes, 5,099 price-limited homes, and 2,039 basic subsidized homes. To qualify for these, applicants must meet the requirementsestablished by the Community of Madrid.
According to the council, most of the land has been provided by private owners, while the rest comes from the public administrations of Madrid City Council, the Community of Madrid, Canal de Isabel II, the Ministry of Transport and Sustainable Mobility, State Heritage, and Adif.
The green city
Map of green areas in the development. | Editorial credit: Los Cerros
Los Cerros aims to become the new green lung of southeast Madrid and will dedicate 1.7 million square meters to green areas. To this end, 7,000 trees and 100,000 shrubs will be planted, and 2,500 plantswill be reforested .
The buildings will also be integrated with various parks, gardens, and forest areas to maintain the natural landscape design. This will also help reduce pollution and ensure better air quality.
Connections with Los Cerros
Los Cerros will have a 12.7-kilometer bike lane. | Editorial credit: Pexels.
In September , the project entered its second phase, which will incorporate more than 30,000 natural species and 12.7 kilometers of bike lanes. Thanks to this, the neighborhood will be better connected to the rest of Madrid.
Located between Coslada, El Cañaveral, and San Fernando de Henares, Los Cerros has direct access from the M-45, R-3, and M-203 motorways. The Madrid City Council plans to connect it to the public transport network via expressbuses and EMT lines.