Looking for solutions to sustainable growth
During the 1990s and 2000s, the Spanish real estate sector boomed, posing serious challenges to environmental sustainability and housing affordability. In recent years, new urban developments have tried to address these problems. Ecociudad Valderspartera represents such an attempt to provide new affordable and sustainable social housing.
Aerial view of the site under construction
In 2001, Zaragoza City Council signed an agreement with the Ministry of Defence to acquire 243 hectares of land, a former bar racks called Valdespartera, on which to build a sustainable urban development. The development would be publicly subsidised, and 97 per cent of homes would be social housing. It would also meet ‘bioclimatic usage criteria’ aimed at reducing energy consumption.
Vision and leadership
Zaragoza City Council played a key role in unlocking the site’s potential, negotiating an agreement between all public sector stakeholders: the Ministry of Defence, Aragon Regional Authority and several other national ministries.
The architectural design was led by the local authority, with an emphasis on mitigating the effects of climate. Energy- saving criteria to be used for the master planning and building specification were established in partnership with the Department of Engineering at the University of Zaragoza. The City Council were also able to build on the experience of a previous sustainable social housing development in Saragoza, Goya Park, in the planning of Valdespartera.
Topics associated with this project
Eco-town, Energy, Housing, International