city

Opening an R&D center in the city that makes the most sense

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Xiaomi recently announced that The Su7its first electric car, would arrive in Europe in 2027. In this way, the European public will be able to taste first hand one of the electric cars that have caused the most in recent years. In addition, silently, the now also vehicle manufacturer has opened Your first research and development center Out of China. The installation, located in Munich, marks the starting point of the arrival of the Chinese manufacturer to the European market for electric vehicles. The first step. The opening of this center is much more than a simple technical office. Xiaomi, a company known for its mobile phones and other technological gadgets, launched its first car in 2023, and this new expansion is accelerating its transformation into a car manufacturer made and right. Its president, William Lu, He already made it clear In August that the company aspires to become one of the five largest automobile in the world, and Europe is key in that plan. What will the center of Munich do. German facilities will focus on adapting Xiaomi vehicles to the demands of the European market: from the development of technology for electric vehicles and intelligent driving to compliance with strict safety regulations. The teams of engineers, designers and European researchers will collaborate directly with the centers in China to prepare specific models for international markets. The models that will arrive. Although Xiaomi has not officially confirmed which vehicles will bring to Europe, everything points to SU7, a high performance sedan that would compete with the Porsche Taycanand al Yu7a SUV that would be measured with the Tesla Model and. Su7 Ultra has already demonstrated its potential by establishing The fastest back record For an electric production car in the Nürburgring circuit, with a time of 7 minutes and 4 seconds (6 minutes and 22 seconds its prototype version). A success in China. The growth of Xiaomi in the automobile sector has been meteoric. His su7 reached 200,000 units delivered in China In just 119 days, a stellar figure for a brand that opens for the first time in the automobile world. Now, the brand seeks to replicate that success beyond its borders, taking advantage of its experience in technology and software. It is not the only China in Munich. The Bavarian city has become The favorite destination of Chinese manufacturers to establish your design and research centers in Europe. Nio opened his design headquarters in 2015, while Avat and Li Auto have also chosen Munich for their European facilities. The proximity to the German car industry and access to specialized talent are usually the main reasons for this election. Cover image | Xiaomi In Xataka | China’s government is discovering that selling cheap cars is not enough in Europe: spare parts will be insured

The city of Las Vegas bet everything on mass entertainment. Now he only lacks the most important: tourists

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In the summer of 2023 it seemed clear that something had changed in Las Vegas. The data They corroborated it: the “city of sin” had fewer clients than in 2019, but in return Much more money squeezing your visitors as never before. Since then until now, drifting towards exorbitant prices for anything has done nothing but grow. The problem is that he has done it at the same pace that lost the most important thing: the tourists who supported her. Neons cemetery. I told the weekend in A report The New York Times. A few steps from the strip, in a plot where old marques rest, the condensed history of Las Vegas can be read: pink feathers of the Flamingo, the red martini of the Red Barn, or the dancing shirt of a dye frequented by Liberace. This Neon Museum Remember that the city has managed to reinvent itself again and again, from that to the game, of gastronomy to the sports show. However, the present does not distill so many “vibes” as turbulence. The imitation elvis, almost empty coffees and European tourists who are surprised to pay one hundred dollars for a breakfast They feed the feeling that the world capital of excess goes through a stage of uncertainty. A descent as a warning of something worse. Recent figures from the Convention and Visitors Authority talk about a 11% setback In the volume of visitors in a single year. What happens in Las Vegas resonates beyond: experts like Andrew Woods They warn that the city works as an advanced barometer of the US economy. In other words, if the Vegas cools, the country could be at the gates of a broader brake. The fall is perceived In details: nightclubs without queues, gondolas sailing empty in artificial channels and half -filled card tables. The Canadian facor. One of the most sensitive blows comes from the north. Canada, which contributes 1.4 million visitors a year, has reduced In almost 20% His trips, dragged by commercial and diplomatic tension with the Trump administration. He Canadian boycott Threat to subtract hundreds of thousands of tourists from the final numbers of 2025. For a city where the international clientele represents the oxygen of hotels, restaurants and shows, that absence translates into less busy rooms and revenues that evaporate. Price bubble. The other great wound is in The traveler’s pocket. Room prices have gone from an average of $ 120 in 2019 to more than 160 this year, with peaks of more than 1,000 in luxury hotels, to which are added resort rates of 50 dollars daily and tickets to shows that exceed 300. After The “Revenge Travel” From postpania, the industry got used to it To collect expensive. Now, in a context of uncertainty, that strategy is perceived as greed and dissuades the average visitor. The buffets of 29 dollars gave way to banquets of 90, and even a simple bottle of water or a parking lot have become Symbols of increation. The crossroads of identity. The city had always maintained a balance between luxury and accessibility. But today the balance leans towards the exclusiveleaving behind that tourist who once found in Vegas an affordable destination. The risk is clear: lose the essence of “theme park for all” and become An unsustainable bubble. Voices such as Guy Martin, veteran contractor, defend that prices respond to mathematics and not to greed, remembering that structures Like Sphere or the Allegiant Stadium cost more than 2,000 million each. Others, as Caesars executives, admit that the industry “went from enthusiasm” after the pandemic. Global comparative. The Las Vegas dilemma is not unique. Macao, who in the last two decades displaced Las Vegas as the world’s world capital in terms of income, A collapse in 2014 When Beijing imposed restrictions on capitals from the Chinese continent. The city then turned to diversify with family tourism, conventions and shows, and although it recovered muscle after the pandemic, the dependence of the visitor of high purchasing power remains an Achilles heel. Dubaifor his part, he opted for a radically different model: Instead of lowering, it has consolidated a premium destination with massive infrastructure and a global luxury story. But even there, price inflation and event saturation generate similar tensions. Both examples show that raising indiscriminate prices can turn the destination exclusive, but also fragile and vulnerable to geopolitical or economic changes. Persistence, nostalgia and uncertainty. Despite the storm, andn the Times remembered That there are faithful visitors who are still considering the city of their ritual refuge, such as Mary Reyes and her husband, who have returned twice a year for decades and barely notice the difference. He neons museum It symbolizes that duality: the city of a thousand reinventions that never ends, but that today hesitated before him Dilemma of your future. Will you be able to recover the vibrant and affordable destination image, or will it become a prohibitive enclave for majorities? The outcome will mark whether the Las Vegas brightness continues to dazzle the world, or if the bullshit signs of the museum cease to be a relic to become an omen of so many other cities with the same bet. Image | PxhereStefan Wagener In Xataka | Las Vegas now has fewer customers than in 2019, but earns much more money. Is squeezing its visitors like never before In Xataka | Las Vegas changed entertainment with The Sphere: now its creators want to carry the innovative concept much further

Vigo’s elite has an island for her isolated from the rest of the city. Now risks that to change

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Maybe it’s not as famous as The Cíesbut Torralla It is also a unique island. In its own way, of course. More than its fauna and flora, this small insula of the southern coast of Galicia stands out for its legal situation. Although it is connected to Vigo’s coast through a 400 -meter bridge and in theory it must comply The Costas Lawin practice it is an impenetrable urbanization for most vigueses. At the end of the viaduct there are A garrita with a guard who restricts the passage to the interior of the island. The barrier only rises for the (scarce) residents, their guests and the researchers who work in the Marine Science Station (Ecimat), a space linked to the University of Vigo that premiered in 2006. Torralla is therefore a city within a city, a private and exclusive village available to its even more exclusive residents, including The business elite local. The country Precise that there are only 149 people censored there, although in good weather the number of residents multiplies. Two ways to visit her As access is closed to anyone outside the island, there are only two ways to get an idea of ​​what is inside. One is to cross the bridge and (without crossing the garrita), go down to one of the coves located on both sides of the catwalk, accessible from the 90s Thanks to a Supreme Judgment. The other (more comfortable) is to open Google Maps and notice In view of birds, internal roads, large gardens, chalets and swimming pools that are distributed throughout the island. Its most characteristic piece (and perhaps controversial) can be observed, however, from a good part of the vigués coast: a tower of 70 meters high and 21 plants Raised between the end of the 60 and the beginning of the 70s, during the boom of the developmentalism. In idealist it is possible to find The announcement of a floor of 120 square meters on the 18th plant sold for 620,000 euros. Another peculiarity of the island is that in practice it is intended as a Private condominium in which the City of Vigo barely has a presence: the basic services, such as lighting, water supply or maintenance of the vials are assumed by the neighborhood community, Precise The confidential. That Torralla is today an island of private use, an anomaly of the Galician coast, is greatly explained by Its complex story. Until the second third of the nineteenth century the island belonged to the Church, but after confiscation He went to the Marquis de Valladares. Since then it has changed ownership (in 1884 a prosperous factory came to rise there, Iberian string) until in the mid -60s it ended up under the control of a society, Torralla S. This episode was key to the future of the insula, which saw how in just a few years the bridge was built that connects it with the coast, the Huge residential tower and the thirty of exclusive chalets that are distributed by its surface, some with gardens and pools that arrive almost to the rocks where the sea breaks. In its day, the construction of a nine height and 120 meters long for 85 exclusive homes that met the frontal opposition of the city. “It goes against every idea not only landscape, but I am even afraid that the island sinks,” He came to iron In 1975 the then mayor, Joaquín García Picher. After an intense pull and loosen, three years later the Supreme Court proved him right and gave the judicial folder to the megaproject. Goodbye to privileges? Torralla has been hoarding for years headlines Because of its peculiar status, but a quick search arrives on Google to verify that its rhythm has increased exponentially in recent months. The reason is simple: if the government Fulfill your wordin not long residents could lose one of the privileges that have been retaining for several decades, being the only ones (except for Ecimat workers) who can enjoy the coast of the island. In June, during a visit to the neighboring beach of Samil, Minister Sara Aagesen, guaranteed that will defend “he toCceso to the public domain Maritime-terrestrial “in the area.” It has to be for public use and we are working on the definition of the project, we hope to have it just around the summer, “he insisted. Wednesday The confidential revealed That the government is already finalizing the project to achieve it, which in practice would go through lifting the garrita that prevents the passage of non -residents and recovering the public domain strip of the insula. To understand that effort you have to understand some keys before. The first, the status of the island. What Torralla SA has is a concession, an authorization of almost a century granted in the mid -60s and will not end Until 2064. In between, in the late 80s, the Government approved the Coastal Lawa regulation that regulates the public use of the coast and the one that right now does not adjust the Galician island. In fact, if the vigueses (and the rest of the visitors) can cross the bridge and sunbathe on the coves of the island located on their margins is not because of the hospitality of the SA, but by a sentence of the 90s that forced him to retract the garrita to the end of the catwalk, allowing his public access. The Coastal Law however demands something else. The norm includes a space of “Traffic servitude” that must respect a strip of six meters widean area in which “the construction of any installation is not authorized and should be left permanently expedited for pedestrian public use.” That is what Vigo aspires now with the support of the government: a perimeter walk of more than 1.5 km and at least six meters wide for which residents probably They will have to give land. With him they would achieve two objectives: to end decades of privileges and erase Torralla … Read more

Cosplayers Carnival, stuffed blades and a crowded city

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“We had to come,” Pedro and María tell me, who hope patiently in the crowded bus on the way to the Comic-within the distant Palace of Congresses of Malaga, half an hour from the city center. Crowded with Wolverine, Leias, Narutos and Wednesday Addamswe squeeze among the Malaga who usually take that bus every day at the same time, but with much less carnival on board. The vehicle no longer admits more passengers and the driver has to stand up to shout to the row of (very obvious) attending the Comic-with that stay on land because there are nothing but behind comes another bus that goes directly to the Palacio de Congresos. The disappointment faces are inevitable, but Better that they get used tobecause comic-with is 5% aspiration, 5% expiration, and the remaining 90%, queue. To access the halls of acts, to enter the Congress Palace itself, to get food or drink water and, inside the exhibitors zone, to buy in stores. And not everyone is happy with the management of queues, which as we have often explained in reference to the attraction parks, It’s an art. In any case, good humor prevails among most attendees, crowned by extravagant headdresses, rubber prostheses, impossible wigs Or, why not, very economical costumes bought of urgency in Aliexpress. That is, above all, lto Comic-Con Fiesta: A parade of disguised people, in tones and styles that are the most sophisticated to the most homemade, and that give a colorful and unique environment to the event. “I come from Galicia with my partner, it was he who introduced me to this world, although it was already something that was inside me, I like to disguise myself since I am little,” Patricia tells us, perfectly dressed in Wonder Woman. “It was a very important event, always in the United States and here for the first time, and had to come,” he tells us, almost repeating the words of Pedro and María. Rubén has also come for free, but in an almost more extreme key, wrapped in a sophisticated (but completely homemade) characterization of Vegeta, ‘Dragon Ball’: “I have always been interested in the cosplay, but it is my first time.” And he has also attended the margin of societies or tribes: “When the tickets came out, and since I didn’t want to accompany any friend, I came alone” It is a very particular mixture of ingredients, which allows to see Batman taking a picture with the protagonist of ‘Silksong‘, While the improbable meeting is enlivened by the frantic concert, at the blow of the Sid of Comodore 64, of Narcisound interpreting the oriental melodies of ‘The Last Ninja’. That clash of generations and interests is what gives life to an event like this. To buy That and the merchandising. The merchandise, which would say yogurt of ‘Spaceballs’ (wink for fans that already exceed quarantine): in the area of ​​tenderetes and blast we find stuffed animals of cats out of the darkest memes of the Internet, stickers of the ”K-Pop Demon Hunters‘, authentic katanas but skipped at 45 euros and, of course, the inevitable funkos. It was these collectible dolls that starred in one of the first controversies of the edition: collector specimens that were only sold in the event disappeared quickly, when a few buyers hired with all the specimens available after tail hours. This stands area is the most busy edition, and where they are mixed as an exquisite post-capitalist temptation the darkest hobbies of visitors and the merchandising more unlikely. But not everything were creep purchases: visitors also crowded to get on the motorcycle of ‘Tron Ares’ (sequel to which an exclusive advance will be seen in the next few days), to take a photo in front of a Colossal Bowser de Lego or to search in the video game drawers, in the occasional second -hand store. They were not the most extravagant positions: a bank promoted manipulation with the photos made in their own stand… that was located next to the Artist Alley, the area of ​​refuge and compadre of the cartoonists, who commented with suspicion the lack of forecast of the organization by locating the bank of the bank just there, next to the guild that with more fear contemplates the advent of the generative IAS. It is also part of the nature of the comic-with: a bite of essences that, very often, take to kill. Because, obviously, not everything is kawaii pink. Complaints about the tails, as we said above, have been constant Among those who have. approached to the Palacio de Congresos: they are the minimum common denominator of each corner of the event, as some visitors have discovered with disgust (a quick walk through The social networks of the Comic-Con It allows to take the pulse to discontent). This was expressed by Azahara, which has a couple of hours ahead to access the Funkos store: “I usually go to the Barcelona manga hall, and although so many people are not there, it is also a multudinary event, and it is much better organized. You make queues, but they are fluid, orderly queues.” Pedro and Maria also agreed: “The issue of queues is worse than normal, really.” It might seem that l30,000 visitors a day calculating the organization may have partially overwhelm the eventwhich has also received abundant complaints about the prices and shortage of food, at a critical hour in which they were generated … more queues. On the back bus, with the sun at half-mast communicating that it is fine for today of hobbies and sponsorships, the fatigue marks the disheveled (and unmasked) faces of Spider-Man and Deadpool, both with signs on the face of a battle much more bloody than those we see in Marvel movies. They have made more queues than the human body is willing to tolerate in one day. Header | Xataka In Xataka | 27 jewels of the European comic that are worth discovering

The neighbors have made the City Council demolish it

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In the English town of Dewsbury, near Leeds, a businessman from the rest sector called Amir Azam decided completely transform a plot where there was already a modest house in a neighborhood of low and quiet family homes to build a brick and cement mastodon who put all his neighbors on a war foot until a judge has taken letters in the matter: “permanently withdraw the house, including the base and the foundations.” That is, throw down a millionaire investment. Family house to CasePlón. The millionaire bought the property in 2021 for about 275,000 euros and, after requesting permission to expand the small house he had already built, finally chose to demolish it completely and build a new one instead. The problem is that, instead of a family house of a plant, such as that of the rest of the neighborhood, The millionaire lifted in his place A CASEPLÓN Three floors, with brick walls more than 16 meters long and two additional buildings in the garden. A reform that was out of hand. The result was a residential complex of exorbitant proportions that broke with the visual harmony of the neighborhood. The neighbors denounced for three years the impact on the aesthetics of the neighborhood, claiming that the dimensions of the house and its oppressive design affected the adjoining houses, which they found a brick wall in front of their windows overnight. “We have small discreet bungalows here and suddenly this huge monstrous mansion appears,” They declared Some neighbors to the British Dailymail. Azam requested in 2023 a retrospective planning permit to the City Council, when the work was already finished by the residents on a war. However, the City Council rejected its application and urban planning officials declared that the mansion had an “oppressive, opaque and dominant” impact on the rest of the houses and that it does not “integrate comprehensively” into the dead end in which it was located. Fatal outcome for the millionaire. Finally, and after three years of litigation with local and neighbors, from the urban planning inspection it was decided that the only possible solution was the total demolition of the property. “The new house has a similar surface in terms of wide to the previous housing, but as it now has a two -waters front, its general volume and mass seem much greater. As a result, it seems incongruous next to the other more modest homes in the dead end. As its depth extends much further back, it creates a large side wall extension, which further aggravates its voluminous appearance,” The decision was ratified by the Urban Planning Inspector, which concluded that the construction was incompatible with the character of the environment and caused the quality of life of the residents and gave Amir Azam six months to “permanently withdraw the house, including the base and the foundations.” Demolition and restitution costs could exceed 100,000 euros, expenses that the solo businessman must face. Asked by the British press, Azam said he did not know the resolution and avoided making public statements about the ruling. It is not an isolated case. Such and as he collected the one of Dailymailthis is not the first time that a local millionaire builds a mansion with all the permits in order and then regret it. This happened with a couple of Cambridgeshire, north of London, who claimed that he was going to build a horsepower clinic, but actually raised a mansion valued in more than 1 million pounds. Once built, a judge also ordered to demolish that it was an illegal construction that was not adjusted to what had been planned in their permits. In the United States, Mohamed Hadid, real estate entrepreneur and father of beautiful and Gigi Hadid models, started in Bel Air the work of a colossal mansion of 2,800 square meters that never obtained the necessary permits. After years of litigation, justice He ordered his demolition for breaching a long list of urban and security regulations. The demolition of the structure, half -building, finally began in 2022 after a media and judicial process Very sound. A global phenomenon that also affects Spain. In Spain there have also been similar cases. In the exclusive Cala Llap, in Andratx (Mallorca), 12 luxury homes were built that exceeded 1.3 million euros each. Such and as he collected Eldiario.esthese homes were declared illegal and finally demolished By court order, which caused many of its owners to lose their millionaire investments. In Xataka | The “Off Market” has been the great secret of the millionaires: thus they have bought and sold their mansions without a trace Image | Unspash (Darran Shen)

The City Council wants to change that

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The Aquifer of the Plana de València is a ‘deposit’ of more than 900 square kilometers capable of storing about 2,800 cubic hectometers of water. Not only is it more capacity than any of the community reservoirs; It is that, indeed, it has more water than them. And there is a good reason for this: it is not used. València’s area with its two and a half million inhabitants They are supplied almost entirely of the surface water of the Júcar-Turia system. Therefore, even in the worst moments of climate crisis, the aquifer has remained in good backs to the needs of the city. Now, the City Council wants to change that. For “the treasure of Valencia”. A few days ago, Maria José Catalá, the mayor of the city, presented an ambitious plan to build four new wells with their own water treatment plants. The idea is to increase the ability to extract and power the water from the aquifer. In fact, according to the project, with this infrastructure you could get about 1,100 liters per second. To dimension these figures, it is best to keep in mind that, right now, the city’s extractive capacity would be in about 300 liters per second. And not even enough. After all, always according to EMIVASA (The Valencian water company), the city needs about 1,500 liters per second of continuous drinking water to ensure the supply. That is, to self -ability from the aquifer, València would need to quintuplicate the maximum that today can be extracted from the subsoil. “I hope it never gets used”said Mayor Catalá and, perhaps without knowing it, put his finger on one of the greatest risks of this type of infrastructure. On the one hand, from the political point of view, it seems irresponsible not to exploit the resources we have within our reach (especially in times of pressing water crisis). But it will be used … On the other, from an ecological point of view, the temptation to resort to the aquifer more than those recommended will always be on the table. Pure Say Law: If we have water available, all incentives will conspire to spend it. And no, it is not mere speculation: it is the historical experience. As They point in the Datadista For years: decades of “emergency measures” in front of drought has only ended up serving to “expand irrigation, increasing the problem of overexploitation and contamination of aquifers and wetlands.” We have shown to have a surprising capacity to find excuses about using them whenever water appeared available. Not only that WWF Spain revealed in 2019 that The four most important aquifers in the country have been sheared for years; the thing is, According to the reports of the Geological and Mining Institute“For decades, salinization of Mediterranean and insular Spanish coastal coastal aquifers have been known.” Despite this, “only in a few cases this situation is well managed.” The big question … It is whether it can be managed well (if marine intrusion can be avoided or if there is even a “rational use” of it) and, therefore, the project is now of the Júcar Hydrographic Conference. After all, this will be just one of the much dilemmas that we will have to Image | Ian Preston In Xataka | Spain has a huge problem with contaminated waters. These researchers believe that the solution is the poplars

How the city is prepared for one of the biggest tourist events of the year

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Malaga prepares to receive the comic-with next week. From September 25 to 28the capital will become neuralgic leisure center in Spainfranchise One of the most recognizable brands of the entertainment industry. A unique space for half a week that also makes clear its deep union with the city that welcomes it. We have asked ourselves how Malaga has prepared for Comic-Con, we have talked with hotels, restoration and transport and these are the answers. In Malaga better than anywhere else. Since his announcement, the fact that the Comic-Con is celebrated in Malaga has granted a special seal to the event. His first presentation was carried out in the city itself and there was a combination of international pop culture, with Marvel and Star Wars as flagships of the global fandom, with the much more native Malaga style, with dancers between droids and superheroes. Juan Manuel Moreno Bonilla, president of the Junta de Andalucía, said in that event that “for the Andalusian government, supporting this event is to consolidate Andalusia as a reference of digital art and pop culture.” The intention is clear. It is done in Malaga. Before the final approval of Malaga as the first headquarters outside the United States, a company delegation examined spaces, communications and other infrastructure, according to means like Malaga’s opinion. It is not a banal decision: The first calculations Extended by the organization talk about more than 30 million euros of economic impact, always according to Comic-Con. In any case, the city must be prepared. Hotel occupation. Although September is a month in which the hotel occupation traditionally lowers compared to August, the comic-with could change those figures. The Association of Hotel Entrepreneurs of the Costa del Sol (AEHCOS) estimates that the average occupation It could be around 87.65%, which represents a decrease with respect to the occupation of 88.74% last year. All that would change in the last days of the month, thanks to the influx that The organization estimates in 120,000 attendees. For those days, occupancy levels are expected above 90%, which could also extend the demand to nearby municipalities such as Torremolinos, Rincón de la Victoria or Benalmádena. A different tourism. Although tickets for Friday, Saturday and Sunday are exhausted since last May, Málaga prepares for the arrival of a tourism with a different profile: younger and more specialized, with medium-high purchasing power and therefore, with requirements other than traditional tourism. To the entry with food and drink to the comic-withas well as the possibility that visitors leave and return, a considerable increase in influx to restaurants, coffee shops and bars close to the Palace of Fairs and Congresses is expected, although it has been a decision not exempt from controversy and that has generated FACUA protests. The Comic-Con in the Palace of Fairs and Congresses. According to FYCMA’s own datathis year it is expected that up to 200,000 visitors will pass through the recess, an increase of 20% compared to the previous year. More than half of them could be visitors to the Comic-Con. Throughout 2025, FYCMA will organize more than one centers of fairs and congresses, but the comic-with is the “spearhead of its international projection.” According to the organization, the event “is a qualitative leap for its impact and the global scope of its theme.” And to get there. Transportation will experience reinforcements to facilitate access to FYCMA, although we have not been able to specify what will consist of exactly not obtaining a response from the city’s mobility area. If we get more precise data we will include them in the post, but for now we will know that the closest bus lines to the FYCMA (4, 19, 20 and 22) will have reinforced frequencies and greater operability during the event. In addition, the N3 night line will be available from central areas to the enclosure for those who attend activities at that time. As for the Metro, line 1 has a nearby stop (Sports Palace and Carranque), and the frequencies are expected to increase during the days of greater influx nearby, in lines C1 and C2. Although special routes have not been announced, the volume of travelers could lead to reinforcements at peak times. Header | Connor Gan in Unspash / Jesper Brouwers in Unspash In Xataka | This decision of George Lucas about his legacy is so important that he has gone for the first time to announce it

The true city of the future is not in China, we have it next to the house: Benidorm

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In the province of Alicante between crows of calm waters and white villages such as Altea, that vertical colossus that we all know appears: Benidorm; for many an urban non -non -nonsense; For others, a continuous party on its crowded sea and the streets of English bars just some apples from the beach. I, who am Alicante, know the discussions it causes. We can spend hours regretting your skyline, your infinite blocks or tourist invasion. But, beyond prejudices, Benidorm is moving in an unexpected direction: to become an urban sustainability laboratory, capable of producing its own energy, reusing almost all the water that consumes and serves as a model to other cities that seek to survive the climatic crisis. Short. The BIPV system (photovoltaic integration in buildings) is not new, but the intervention presented by the solar company Earth takes another step. According to your own statementThe company will rehabilitate two residential buildings of 17 plants, Medical Club VI and VII, by integrating 1,200 m² of vertical photovoltaic glass integrated into ventilated facade. Beyond the aesthetic. These facades will act as an energy skin capable of generating about 190,000 kWh per year, which will reduce the energy demand of the houses around 35% and avoid the emission of more than 50 tons of CO₂ per year. “This project shows that energy rehabilitation can go far beyond efficiency: it can transform buildings into active renewable energy generators,” José Carlos Antón saidCEO of Solar Earth. In addition, the ventilated facade system provides thermal and acoustic insulation, reinforcing the comfort of the neighbors. The work has the support of the Ministry of Housing, the Generalitat Valenciana and a financing of 1.9 million euros of the Next Generation EU Plan. A city looking for more. Benidorm has been working on another critical resource for years: The water. In an increasingly frequent drought context in Spain, they place the city among the more efficient in water managementwith uses close to 95% compared to 75% in Spain and the EU and with Reuse for irrigation around 30%. The strategy has been clear: constant infrastructure investment, renewal of obsolete networks, digitalization and control in real time of consumption and leaks. In 2025, the City Council He even presented a regenerated water management plan that will save about 15 % of the drinking water consumed by the city. The first phase is already underway in the Poniente area, where regenerated water will be supplied to more than 6,000 homes. All for a broader strategy. The commitment to solar glass and water reuse is part of a broader strategy of urban sustainability. He Benidorm Plan 360within the tourist sustainability plans at destination, it includes projects such as climatic corridors, sustainable urban drainage systems or the measurement of the water footprint. There are also actions in energy efficiency, such as the renewal of public lighting with LED technology, and sustainable mobility plans. All this has earned Benidorm the recognition of “green pioneer” within the network of smart tourist destinations. A paradigm shift. For years, Benidorm has been a symbol of mass tourism and urban speculation. Under that facade, however, the city has learned to manage its resources as few. He did it with water and now he wants to do it with energy. The true city of the future is not being built in Chinese megalopolis or in the futuristic experiments of the Middle East, but a few kilometers from home, in front of the Mediterranean. And it’s called Benidorm. Image | Freepik and Unspash Xataka | Self -consumption takes another step in China: windows that produce electricity while still being windows

A Chinese city has had an idea to simplify changes in meaning: to fly 180º in the middle of the highway

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Changing meaning on some roads is a real nightmare. If we go for a National Highway It is relatively simple, but skip a highway exit or in large avenues of some of the larger and more congested cities on the planetit involves going huge to change the meaning of the march. And in a Chinese city they are applying a solution that facilitates the maneuver: the ‘U -urn‘, or “U turning”. The videos are not very convincing if we talk about security. U -urn. There are several designs when making changes to meaning. The idea is to make as many maneuvers as possible and that these are safe. Roundabouts are an efficient design for this, but on roads with a large number of lanesThey are little practical. You can always turn in the street and turn the block to rejoin the main road, but it takes longer. There the U-Turn that has begun to apply in cities such as Jinancapital of Shandong. The concept is simple: a lane stuck to the median that allows not to turn left, but to make an even more closed turn to join the opposite direction of march. AAAAAHORA. The video that we leave just on these lines is revealing: several cars stop in several numbered squares and wait for their turn to make that change of meaning. A continuous white line makes the difference between that lane and the rest of its march, and a yellow makes medium. How do you get the impatient drivers wait for your turn? Through a traffic light, which is the one that regulates the maneuver. The coordination between the traffic lights allows to stop the traffic of the lane to which we want to incorporate while opening the traffic light that gives green light to the incorporation maneuver, and discontinuous lines on the ground serve as a guide for drivers. Jinan’s U-Turn Risks. Now, although in This video Posted by People’s Daily and In this other Published by MAO NO, spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, the maneuvers seem idyllic, if we look at both videos and in the above we can see two of the problems, and consequent risks, of this maneuver. On the one hand: the scope that can be produced by the vehicles that already circulated in that direction. There is a traffic light that cuts trafficbut … what happens if they jump it or if they circulated at more speed? The same goes for those who want to incorporate. As the turn is so closed, there may be touches between them. In fact, there are several cars that must lessen or even correct the trajectory so as not to “eat” any of those that are incorporated. An example in the United States. In Florida, specifically Nothing exotic. Now, this U turning is not exclusive to China and, although the implementation in Jinan has caught attention, There are other areas in which it is allowed. The United States or Taiwan are two of them, but in the case of the North American country, it depends on the State and the implementation varies from a discontinuous line on the ground, the regulation through a traffic light or more extreme cases such as a road design that, in Spain, seems exotic: Therefore, although very colorful, that Jinan lane is another implementation of this 180 degree turn to change meaning. In countries outside Europe, where apples are usually smaller and narrower roads, it is normal to see this type of implementations, but in the case of the solution applied in Jinan, the striking is the amount of cars simultaneously that can make the change of meaning. And the problem is that, although functional because it allows a road with a large number of lanes Several cars can make a 180 degree turn simultaneously, in the published videos you can perfectly see that the possibility of a range is there. Images | Mrswagger21 In Xataka | It looks like a 240 -kilometer roller coaster, but it is one of the most amazing and complicated highways in China (Function () {Window._js_modules = Window._js_modules || {}; var headelement = document.getelegsbytagname (‘head’) (0); if (_js_modules.instagram) {var instagramscript = Document.Createlement (‘script’); }}) (); – The news A Chinese city has had an idea to simplify changes in meaning: to fly 180º in the middle of the highway It was originally posted in Xataka by Alejandro Alcolea .

Madrid is an invivable city

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Do you like the autonomous community in which you live? Would you change it? And if so, where would you leave? To another tip of Spain or would you look further, abroad? Recently the Mutual Group technicians did A curious experiment: They dedicated themselves to interviewing more than 2,300 people distributed by Spain to raise those same issues and find out to what extent they are satisfied with the region in which they live or, if possible, where they would like to move. The result is striking. A percentage: 67%. Notice the cis It reminds us That Spaniards are concerned about such elementary issues as access to housing, unemployment or economy, but still the vast majority do not consider looking for fortune in other countries. That is at least the main reading that leaves the II Housing Barometer ‘Owner planet’, prepared by Mutual Group owners. After conducting thousands of interviews their technicians found that almost seven out of ten Spaniards (67%) want to continue residing in the country, which represents a slight two -point rebound with respect to 2024. For its authors it is “a discreet but significant rise” that suggests “greater satisfaction with the place where we live.” Of course, when taking out the magnifying glass and analyzing the data we observe some nuances that reveal that not all Spaniards are equally satisfied. Age of age? The most important difference is related to age. The oldest Spaniards are the least inclined to make their bags to leave the country, a reality that contrasts with the younger population cohort. The study It shows that while 77% of those over 65 ensure that they want to maintain their residence in Spain, that percentage drops to 54% when we talk about young people aged 18 to 24. It is not a surprising fact if the difficulties with those found to access housing and that The unemployment rate Between 16 and 24 years it exceeds the rest of the stripes. Another fact: 51%. The barometer It shows another curious fact that gives even more game. Perhaps the perspective of packing and moving to another point in Europe or even America, Asia or Africa does not excite the vast majority of the population, but the study reveals that the Spaniards are more willing to move to another autonomous community. Moreover, it is a “feasible” perspective for 51%. Last year that percentage reached 54%. What regions do we look mostly? Andalusia, the one desired by 9%, followed by Asturias (6%), Basque Country (5%) and the Canary Islands (5%). Preferences oscillate however from one community to another, just as the percentage of people satisfied with the place where they reside and that of those who recognize that they would not mind liking the blanket at the head and move to another community. Two cases: Andalusia and Madrid. When he reviewed Your data And he calculated the local population percentages satisfied with his community, Mutual Group of owners took another surprise. The reason? There are differences. And deep. In Andalusia, 59% of the interviewees ensure that it would not change region, which makes it the community with the greatest roots in the entire country. 6% recognize not being clear and 35% would move to other latitudes, especially to Asturias and the Canary Islands, places to which 12% of respondents would go. In the opposite pole is Madrid, the community with the most detached population. At least according to the Mutual Group study. Only 25% say they would not change community. Another 8% confess that they do not know if it would leave. Conclusion? 67% of Madrid They would transfer their lives to another territory. Which one exactly? If we talk about Spain the most desired places by the inhabitants of the capital are Andalusia (12%), Asturias (9%) and Community Valencian (8%), followed by Cantabria, Castilla y León and Galicia, regions tied with 6%. The big question: why? The study has its limitations, but leaves an interesting question: why do so many Madrid people recognize themselves willing to leave? For the company they come into play various factors: “The accelerated rhythm of life, the cost of housing and urban congestion lead to the population to look for quieter or affordable environments.” The authors of the study remember that the percentages also tell us about issues such as the “degree of stability” of the population, attachment, climate, quality of life and “cultural identity.” The cost of housing can be another crucial element, as are job opportunities. The report reveals that another community with a high percentage of open population to leave is Balearic Islands. Only 29% guarantees that they would not change region and 12% say they have no clear opinion about it, which translates into the remaining 59% is not a crazy idea. The Balearic Islands and Madrid share a peculiarity: they are the communities in which It is more expensive Buy house. The third is a Basque Country, where 43% would be clearly moved. Images | Josefina Di Battista (Unsplash) and Joshua Aguilar (UNSPLASH) In Xataka | “Chulos, arrogant and know -all”: if the question is whether there is ‘Madridophobia’ in Spain we already have the answer

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