Valdebebas planners envisioned a 21st century city based on the principles
of horizontal and vertical mixed-use that would satisfy the needs and aspirations
of a modern, forward-looking society. With this idea in mind, they established
a mixed-use core, where residential areas (both government-protected and
market rate) and offices, businesses, and hotels blend together seamlessly
to create a lively environment for working and living. The concept of mixed
use has also been extended vertically, in which a single building will house
a local shop or restaurant on the ground floor, offices on the first floor,
and residences above. Within the development, there are 23 designated mixed-use
city blocks with a total buildable area with nearly 463,000 square meters.
All other blocks designated for residential use, whether it be subsidized
or market rate, have the option for local shops on the ground floor as well.
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Valdebebas has a compact design that favors taller buildings and urban density to enable the viability of shops and businesses. Furthermore, in order to round out the residential and economic-activity offering, 19 large plots with a total area of 886,870 square meters have been earmarked for public facilities such as schools, day-care centers, medical clinics, police stations, etc.
Linking the urban living space with the Woodland Park is easy, thanks to planning for 49 urban parks, each averaging 3,000 square meters, which connect the urban center with the vast forested area, ensuring that every building is no more than 150 meters from an ample public green corridor.
With the objective of making Valdebebas into a destination in its own right, anchors for attracting visitors are a central part of its design. Several large-scale initiatives contribute to making the overall project even more unique and emblematic. Thus, in addition to the 5 million square meter Woodland Park, Valdebebas is home to Real Madrid´s Sports Complex, the future Justice Campus of the Community of Madrid and IFEMA´s extension, which will house the 2016 Olympic Games Media Village, should they be awarded to Madrid.
In short, Valdebebas has been conceived of and created to be a comfortable, humanized urban space for living, working, and enjoying life.
Residential use
Residences have been planned for three distinct areas. The first, located in the northwest zone, is El Encinar de los Reyes, in which the existing development model has been maintained, with large blocks of flats, low buildings and a high percentage of land dedicated to communal zones, sports facilities, playgrounds, etc. The second initiative is Las Cárcavas de San Antonio in the southwest zone. Like El Encinar de los Reyes, the existing building styles and typologies have been respected. The rest of the residential offering is concentrated in the urban core of the development. As a general criterion, the residential blocks of flats have been laid out as close as possible to the Woodland Park to ensure the highest quality lifestyle.
Tertiary use
Areas for offices and hotels are distributed throughout several zones of the development so businesses will be integrated with residential areas. The first zone is located in the north of the development adjacent to the large shopping center. The second is a "double strip" of blocks directly north of the Justice Campus where there will be offices for attorneys, procurators and other businesses associated with the legal profession. Parallel to the M-12 and directly across from Terminal 4 is the third area, which includes the shopping center and blocks for offices and hotels, which will provide services to Terminal 4 and the shopping center itself.
Public facilities
The Valdebebas city planners have set aside ample space for the execution and implementation of public facilities. As seen in the zoning map, these public plots of land have been distributed all throughout Valdebebas with the aim of providing close-at-hand public services for future citizens.
Green spaces
With more than 5 million square meters dedicated to green spaces and a green 'lung' the side of Hyde and Central Parks combined, Valdebebas will be a livable, "breathable" urban community. The Woodland Park, built on land ceded by Valdebebas landowners in addition to a 90 million euro grant and managed by the City Council of Madrid, occupies more than half the development. This vast park, along with the aforementioned Green Corridors that act as green arteries throughout the development, further ensures an outstanding quality of life.