Amongst the most specific objectives of the project are the following:

The city of Zaragoza faces drastic urban change both now and during the coming years as a result of several different events converging on its city centre all at the same time: the arrival of the Madrid-Barcelona high-speed train (AVE), the creation of PLAZA, the Zaragoza Logistic Platform (Plataforma Logística de Zaragoza) covering 1,050 Ha. and the city’s candidacy for EXPO´2008, covering an area of approximately 100 Ha.

Valdespartera has emerged to meet the demand for housing for a wide sector of the population. This is due to its situation, with a tendency towards the development of new blocks of subsidised flats or council houses, of which far fewer were being built in recent years.

When it came to design, our starting point was based on the conviction that the project should be founded on the search for the best relationship between housing and the environment, with optimum morphological and typological arrangements, for which technological norms should only be included as an accessory. An endeavour also had to be made to achieve environmental conditions based on the principles of efficient energy use. Likewise, an attempt has also been made to create a real urban community, by increasing the quantity and quality of urban space and equipment for the city.

During its development, the Project enjoyed the collaboration of experts that gathered the information deriving from the needs that were identified and analysed in the "Diagnostic Study of the Social Needs of the City of Zaragoza", along with the information that emerged from drawing up the General Plan for Urban Development for the year.

The team of multidisciplinary technical experts that is carrying out the project has been completed with the incorporation of several sectorial and entrepreneurial specialists, collaborating in specific fields. Thus, we have had the collaboration of the Department of Mechanical Engineering from the University of Zaragoza, which has proposed a series of criteria applied in drawing up the Plan, evaluating the advantages according to savings in energy to be derived from such application. On the other hand, the IDAE - Institute for Diversification and Conservation of Energy (Instituto para la Diversificación y Ahorro de la Energía) was formalised in an Agreement to conduct the feasibility studies and analyses required to implant criteria for efficient energy use and the application of renewable energy in the Development Plan for Valdespartera.

The result obtained is an “Ecociudad” that responds to the objectives that had been set, forming and illustrating a high-quality residential package that was accessible and varied, and developed according to bioclimatic architecture and town planning criteria.

General data for the project are as follows:

Ecociudad Valdespartera S.A.
Spain
valdespartera@ayto-zaragoza.es
Mr. Miguel Angel Portero Urdaneta (Gerente), tel. (+34) 976 72 44 18

13/03/2001

case

Urban Policy > Urban environment > Land use

Urbanisation