THE ECOLOGIST ORGANIZATION FRIENDS OF THE EARTH Aragon has moved to Zaragoza City Council A proposal for the renaturalization of the Valdefierro Park and the creation of a wide green space between Gómez Laguna and the Madrid road, using the imperial channel as a backbone.
From the Association they point out that “the objective is to create a space with a high degree of naturalness, self -sufficient and self -regulated that serves as a climate refuge and buffer of urban impacts under the renaturalization criteria of the city that drives the City Council of Zaragoza and the green infrastructure strategy of the European Union.”
The initiative underlines the importance of guaranteeing “ecosystem services such as improving ecological resilience or increasing public health indicators.” It also highlights the role of this stretch of the channel as a recreation zone for neighbors and its value as a green infrastructure within the urban term.
Discard new bridge over the imperial channel as a priority
One of the most prominent points of the proposal is the frontal rejection of the construction of new bridges on the imperial channel in the section between the Madrid road and Gómez Laguna Avenue. The association warns of the possible negative impact of these infrastructure, “both on the woodland of the banks and on recently naturalized areas, such as the Zaragoza forest.”
The debate on these new bridges is currently charged with the request of some neighborhood entities to improve the connection between neighborhoods through two new road structures. Friends of the Earth defends, however, that “creating new car infrastructure does not reduce traffic but increases it since it encourages its use by the induced demand process, that is, it attracts traffic.”
Renaturalize the Valdefierro Park
Another key element of the proposal is the renaturalization of the current Valdefierro Park. The organization considers that “excess concrete and exotic vegetation prevent people’s stay and the presence of wildlife.” Among the suggested measures are the “progressive replacement of species such as soaps of China or Judas trees with native flora, as well as the creation of areas with shrubs and herbaceous strata.”
The elimination of concrete walls and accesses is also proposed, understanding that these structures increase the heat accumulated in summer and make both mobility and visual perception of space difficult.
