What will Valencia look like in ten years? Álvaro Llagunes of Valencia Secreta casts his eye over the major projects transforming the city…
What will Valencia look like in ten years? Álvaro Llagunes of Valencia Secreta casts his eye over the major projects transforming the city. In his article, he cites a few standout projects that he feels will transform life in Valencia. Namely, the new AVE high-speed train station, the completion of the last section of the Turia Gardens and the new City Hall square. These, he says, “are among the most eagerly awaited projects before 2034”. Let’s find out a little more.
AVE train station is going underground
Well, let the brass bands play and feet start to pound. No, Álvaro didn’t write that! That is from the lyrics to the classic song Going Underground by The Jam, back in 1980. Part of the soundtrack of my childhood. (Yes. I really am that old!)
In the article, Álvaro says that this possibly the most ambitious of the projects. And the one that will transform Valencia the most. It will affect the Joaquin Sorolla station and Parque Central. It will also connect Malilla with the rest of the city. That neighbourhood is presently cut off by an ugly flyover fringed with ugly blocks of flats. By diverting the railway tracks underground, the flyover will become surplus to requirements. And it will connect Ruzafa and Malilla.
The approach to the AVE station, Joaquin Sorolla, will become part of the beautiful urban park, Parque Central. And the green corridor will extend out to the west to meet the Turia riverbed alongside the V30 carriageway.
A new Town Hall Square
The new government has announced that it will make some modifications to the initial project. That said, Valencia has already approved a complete overhaul of the current Town Hall Square to make it more pedestrian- and public transport-friendly. It will also add small green spaces i the city centre. The Re-Natura project even incorporates a small “urban beach” in the very heart of Valencia.
A new neighbourhood for El Grao
La Plataforma Autonómica de Interoperabilidad de la Generalitat Valenciana (PAI) is a name for autonomous municipalities in Valencia. The PAI del Grao is to have a facelift. Grao is the area between Avenida de Francia and the port area. The neighbourhood is to have 3,000 new homes (40% of which will be public or social housing), together with green areas. There will be a connection between both ends of the riverbed. And there will be an extension of the Avenida de Francia and the Alameda to the sea.
Benimaclet gets a facelift
The PAI of Benimaclet has also received the greenlight for its plan to build 1,000 new homes. Those worrying that it will blight the neighbourhood’s traditional vibe and charm need not worry. These are to be along the Ronda del Norte ring road.
Desembocadura Park
The final section of the Turia Gardens, known as the Parque de Desembocadura, will become an urban forest. It is to provide areas for public use and a large-scale play area recreating Gulliver’s shipwreck. This will complement the existing chidren’s play area that recreates a giant Gulliver tied down in Liliput. In addition, there will be a sheet of water reminiscent of the old Natzaret beach. The (Con)fluir project was the winner of the international ideas competition to design this park. Completion date will be between 2026 and 2027.
Roig Arena
This will be Valencia’s large multi-purpose stadium, with a capacity of approximately 16,000 spectators. Sources say it will be ready by 2025. It will include the national basketball (baloncesto) stadium, the Casal España Arena de Valencia. And it will be a venue for music concerts, as well as a new school and park. Its construction is already in advanced stages and you can see the progress between the streets of Ángel Villena, Bomber Ramon Duart and Antonio Ferrandis, near L’Alqueria del Basket and the Font de San Lluís pavilion.
The new Mestalla
This is the great pending project in Valencia. The 2030 World Cup is the great trump card they are trying to play for its completion, but so far the machines have not begun to finish the work pending since 2009. Valencia C.F. has announced its intention to finish it soon, with a new project. Fans will need convincing to leave their home in Mestalla to move to the new stadium in Benicalap.
The Vinival Project in Alboraya
The ‘Kremlin’ of Alboraya will be a housing development with urban orchards and gardens. This sustainable neighbourhood in the surroundings of the Patacona beach will have homes surrounded by 4,000 square metres of urban orchards and fruit trees. And it will offer 16,000 square metres of landscaped areas with native species and masses of pollination. Estudio Herrero, together with Metrovacesa, is at the forefront of this urban development project in the surroundings of the old Vinival bogedas, towering wine vats that are an icon of the Valencia landscape.
