GO drone: Madrid RIO

At the beginning of 2005, the government announced an international competition for urban architects. The issue that the designers had to solve, is finding balance between liveability and accessibility. A task which every major European city deals with. West 8, along with MRIO Arquitectos, won the competition and designed the master plan of 150 hectare for the new urban area along the reclaimed banks of the river. The deserted area completely transformed into a family-friendly public park: Madrid RIO. Madrid RIO is part of the Calle 30 project, a large-scale redesign of the ring road. The M30, situated along the banks of the Manzanares, is an eight-lane road through residential areas at the edge of the city center. The road is indispensable for the traffic streams in Madrid. A part of the road is placed underground.

Election promise

The park was also living up an election promise. Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón promised Madrid in 2002 to place the road M30 underground within four years. The city of Madrid dug 43 kilometres of tunnels into which the exit routes and motorways of the six-kilometre section along the River Manzanares disappeared. No one expected him to deliver on time. On his promise to create an immense park within another four years, he was promptly re-elected. The design is founded on a concept which proposes dividing the 80 hectare urban development into a series of strategic projects that establish a basic structure. This will serve as a solid foundation for a number of further projects, initiated in part by the municipality as well as by private investors and residents. A total of 47 subprojects have been developed, which include: a large pine tree park, multiple sports areas, 30 km of bicycle paths, new playgrounds, and a sandy beach.