A few minutes by subway from the Sol station we find Madrid Rio: one of the best areas to escape from the overcrowding and traffic of the center. This is an enclave designed to promote leisure, culture and sustainability next to the Manzanares River: an urban transformation project that began in 2005 and will be completed this year with the athletics track that will be installed where the Manzanares River used to stand Vicente Calderón, which was once one of the most important stadiums in the city. Considered a monument to the colchoneros, the building was demolished in 2019 and now, after five years, the space it left behind will come back to life.
A renovated Zone
The athletics track will be part of a new park divided into three zones. The first Zone will be a path surrounded by pine trees that can be accessed from the San Isidro bridge. It will be built next to the Manzanares and will connect the two sections of Madrid Río to the north and south. The second, former location of the Calderón, will be the central area of the park. Here we will find the runner’s track, located around a meadow with rounded edges. Finally, there will be a pedestrian area on the Virgen del Puerto promenade, with stairs and a ramp to make the space more accessible.
This promising Verde space with more than 620 meters for strolling will incorporate 1,500 trees, 3,500 shrubs and 4,500 square meters of meadow to a spot in the city that had been unused for years. Great news for the residents of Arganzuela the new park will soon be available for them to enjoy. At the moment, the estimated completion date is September 2024.
