The other important square that has recently been pedestrianized is that of la Reina, located beside the Cathedral. Work of the architectural studio of José María Tomás, the square is paved with the same limestone as that used for the surrounding monuments. The condition of maintaining the old underground carpark of this square has conditioned its exterior structure with regard to the planting of large trees. The remodelling has resulted in a total of 12,000 square metres of pedestrian space, with the incorporation of a children’s play area, public toilets, 115 trees and 1,378 shrubs. The make-over has been completed with the addition of two fountains, 900 seats and 30 parking spaces for bicycles.
The final large square of this urban conversion project is the Plaza del Ayuntamiento, provisionally pedestrianized since 2020. The definitive project has recently been awarded to the studio of architect Miguel del Rey. The architect has explained that, to prepare the initiative chosen to reform the square, his team considered all the public consultations carried out during the award process. The team is completed by the architects Juan Ignacio Fuster and Antonio Gallud. The project, named Re-natura, contemplates a large tree-lined corridor that will run through the square.
As Deyan Sudjic says in “The language of cities”, “A successful city is an entity that is continually reconfiguring itself, changing its social structure and meaning, even if its contours don’t look very different.” The project to pedestrianize the city’s squares evokes this idea of Sudjic with its firm commitment to creating a space for communal life based on a place “for everyone” with the main aim of “making the city”.
Photos: Visit Valencia.