In Madrid there are debates that never end. And if there is one that competes for the podium of the eternal, it is this: why are there no trees in Puerta del Sol? Now that the City Council of José Luis Martínez-Almeida has installed 32 beige micro-perforated PVC awnings along the northern arch of the square -between Alcalá Street and Arenal Street-, the issue is once again the subject of debate.
The awnings, which can be dismantled, have cost 1.5 million euros and have gone through all the possible filters of the Historical Heritage, to the point that, according to the City Council itself, “even the anchor pin” was checked. The work, signed by the team of architect José Ignacio Linazasoro, seeks to alleviate the heat without touching anything that cannot be touched.
Why are there no trees in Puerta del Sol?
The underlying reason – the one that has been unresolved for decades – is more technical than aesthetic. Under that apparently neutral surface there is a concrete slab of about 20 centimeters, very close to the pavement. Underneath it pass the Metro, the Cercanías and several technical galleries, which turns the subsoil into an almost impossible puzzle. To plant trees with deep roots would require at least 1.5 meters of soil, something that is neither available nor expected here.
The other reason is patrimonial. The Local Historical Heritage Commission, which oversees everything that happens in this square declared an Asset of Cultural Interest, imposes severe limits on what can be modified. And in Sol, the trees have never been part of the decor. When the City Council raised in 2023 the possibility of planting nine trees in the only area without technical pavement, the Commission said no.
Complaints and reasoning
And yet, the complaints are repeated. Madrid Decadente, an X account that actively criticizes local urbanism, ironized: “after months of speculation and a million euros later, we can finally enjoy the brand new awning supports that will enrich the visual heritage of the square”. The PSOE spokeswoman in the City Council, Reyes Maroto, described the reform as “neither good, nor pretty, nor cheap”.
To all this, another element is added: the intention of the City Council that Sol will not be an area of rest, but of passage. In other words, without extra benches, without lasting shade, without vegetation that invites to stay. A functional logic that clashes with the effects of climate change and with the recommendations of reports such as the Urban Heat Snapshot, which warn of the urgent need to expand green areas in the center.
Alternative options? There are. The architect José María Ezquiaga, winner of the National Urbanism Award, suggested some time ago on La Sexta that fountains, sprinklers or low rooted vegetation could be installed, solutions that already existed in the past and that do not require major works or violate regulations.