Madrid

After renting swimming pools during the summer, a new business is on the rise in Madrid: private terraces in winter

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In a chalet in Boadilla del Monte, a group of friends drinks their wine as the afternoon falls. In the center of Madrid, a couple celebrates a birthday on a stranger’s terrace. In Lavapiés, a group of twenty-somethings toast in a room. In all cases, there is something in common: none of them are owners, but for a few hours they can pretend that they are. Madrid is rented in fragments: swimming pools in summer, terraces in autumn and lounges in winter. The everyday turned into a stage, intimacy turned into a product. Renting all year round. What started as a summer curiosity —renting private pools by the hour— has become a new form of urban leisure. Platforms like Cocopool, Born as the “Airbnb of water”now they also rent interiors for the rest of the year. However, behind this fashion there is something deeper than a simple leisure trend: an attempt to buy a life. aestheticthat ideal of calm, natural light and well-being that we see every day on social networks. From the dip to the shelter. Renting pools by the hour is still very popular and there are more and more platforms where you can choose where to take your next dip. What seemed like a seasonal business has become deseasonalized. In 2022 Cocopool launched as the “Airbnb of swimming pools”. Now, as explained by its CEO Gerard Xalabardéthe company has come up with “new verticals that cover the same needs the rest of the year.” In autumn and spring, users can rent terraces and gardens; in winter, private lounges with fireplace, sofas and equipped kitchen. In Madrid, the company has 15 interior spaces and 62 terraces or gardens, with prices ranging from 15 to 300 euros, depending on size and luxury. The average cost is around 32 euros for interiors and 34 for terraces, according to company data. The wish of a life aesthetic. This boom not only responds to a practical demand, but also to an aesthetic desire. Renting a well-kept terrace or a designer living room is not just about seeking comfort, but —as Xataka Home explains— “engage in an aspirational lifestyle, even if just for a few hours.” What used to materialize in Pinterest photos or TikTok videos is now experienced in the flesh: a garden with garlands, a light wooden table, a blue pool without background noise. According to Trendsthe phenomenon aesthetic It combines nostalgia for bygone eras with an obsession with the visually perfect: a life that seems orderly, beautiful and under control. In parallel, one could speak of “silent luxury” as the new form of exclusivity: minimalism, noble materials, neutral colors and absence of ostentation. In other words, renting a beige living room is not just leisure: it is a little aesthetic therapy to escape, for a few hours, from everyday clutter. “All for hours.” Pool rentals were just the beginning. The logic of sharing has been extended to almost any experience: terraces, gardens, living rooms, naps and even weddings. But beyond business ingenuity, there is a clear drift: the capitalization of any redoubt of private life. The intimate becomes the stage, the everyday becomes the product. Fewer and fewer things escape the logic of express rental. What was once shared among friends is now reserved with a card. What was rest is now sold as an experience. However, there are also those who find in these platforms a practical solution, not a fantasy. aesthetic. In a city where the flats they shrink and houses rarely allow more than six people to gather, renting a terrace or living room for a few hours can be a reasonable—and affordable—way to celebrate a birthday, a family reunion, or a meal with friends. Not everything is posturing: sometimes there is simply a lack of space. Although, in the words of geographer Vicent Molins, “Madrid has become a product.” And economist Juan Torres López warns that this trend “erodes urban ties and deepens inequality,” because it turns coexistence into business. In other words: if everything can be rented, everything can no longer belong to us. A copy of a copy. In just five years, Spain has gone from renting other people’s beds with Airbnb to renting moments of life: a pool, a terrace, a nap or, soon, a wedding. Everything is offered by the hour, everything is measured in experiences. Platforms like Cocopool, HolaPlace or Nap & Go They capitalize on a shared desire: to experience what we see on networks, even if it is for a while. A more orderly, beautiful, more aesthetic. Maybe, as El País warned“the brand grows, but the city gets worse for those who live in it.” Or maybe we’re just learning to put a price—literally—on what used to be free: the feeling of belonging, of having something of your own. Because, in the end, that life that we so long for on screens is nothing more than a copy of another copy. And we, paying to imitate her, are also a little bit. Image | FreePik Xataka | Neither air conditioning nor fan: the best thing to cool off in summer is a swimming pool. On these platforms they are rented by the hour

proposes an ERE for 1,200 employees in Madrid and Barcelona

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The round of more than 30,000 layoffs that Amazon announced at the beginning of the week seemed something far away. Finally, the figure was lowered to 14,000 layoffswhich is still dramatic. However, two companies linked to Amazon in Spain have initiated employment regulation files (ERE) for their workers in Madrid and Barcelona, ​​which indicates that Spain is also among Amazon’s workforce reduction plans. 1,200 jobs between Madrid and Barcelona Just a few days ago, Amazon announced a round of staff layoffs that would affect some 14,000 employees around the world. According what was published by EFE and Europa Press, the company’s corporate employees in Spain will be part of that adjustment. As confirmed by Amazon at the request of Xataka, two employment regulation files have been opened in the companies Amazon Digital Spain, whose offices are located in Madrid, and Amazon Spain Services, located in Barcelona. The combination of both processes will affect up to 1,200 employees of these corporate offices. Sources from EFE point out that the layoffs would be limited only to the staff of those offices, but not to the operations and logistics part that Amazon has spread throughout the national territory. Amazon’s global workforce is estimated at around 1.5 million employees, of which around 350,000 hold corporate positions. According to data from 2025 provided by Amazonits staff in Spain would be about 28,000 employees distributed in 19 provinces. Amazon indicated in its official statement on the reduction of 14,000 jobs globally, that those affected would be offered a period of 90 days to look for a new position within the company, although it was clarified that this period could vary depending on the legislation in force in each country, so we do not know if those affected by this ERE will be able to relocate to other positions within the company. It’s not for money, it’s for agility Amazon’s decision in Spain is known just after publishing one rrising economic resultsin a context in which the company continues to break turnover and profit records. The reaction from the Government has not been long in coming from the Minister of Labor, who from her profile on BlueSky has attacked Amazon and its founder: “A company that has million-dollar profits and that leaves its workers stranded is a model of shame. The “Amazon miracle” is this: Jeff Bezos at the service of Trump, not paying taxes, destroying small businesses and mistreating its workers,” wrote Yolanda Diaz. Unlike what usually happens, the constant layoffs that are taking place in large technology companies (and in other that they are not) They are not explained in a context of financial crisis of those companies (which, in fact, set records in your quotes) but in a scenario of optimizing their templates to be more agile in the race for AI. This is how Andy Jassy, ​​CEO of Amazon, explained it in recent statements reported by CNBC: “It’s actually a question of culture. If you grow as fast as we did for several years, you know, the size of the companies, the number of people, the number of locations, the types of businesses you’re in, you end up with many more people than before, and you end up with many more layers.” Eliminating those layers of middle positions reduces your internal bureaucracy and speeds up decisions. In Xataka | Big Tech doesn’t stop firing its engineers. At the same time, they have stepped on the accelerator in hiring Image | amazon

Portugal and Spain have proposed that traveling between Lisbon and Madrid be as comfortable as in 1881. This is excellent news

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31 years after the first promise, we will have a high-speed train from Madrid to Lisbon passing through Extremadura. We will have it, of course, if the plans are fulfilled. And four years later we will be able to travel the space that separates both capitals at high speed. 2030 and 2034. At least that’s what they’ve committed to. Portugal, Spain and the European Commission, who have reached an agreement to bring the connection between Lisbon and Madrid back to life in 2030 with a conventional train and in 2034 with a high-speed line that should make the journey in three hours. The calendar. To launch the line between the capitals, the project requires various phases and actions. Poceirão-Bombel section: new line that will begin construction in 2026 and should be completed in 2029. Évora-Caia section: this high-speed section should be ready in 2026. Lisbon-Évora section: the project study should be completed in 2027. Plasencia-Talayuela section: should be operational in 2028. Madrid-Lisbon at high speed: the new lines should allow travel between the Spanish capital and Portugal in three hours from 2034. In addition, the possibility of opening a Caia-Badajoz-Elvas high-speed line has been raised to reduce times and reach three hours if the planned times are not being met. Target: airlines. One of the great objectives that the European Union has with this new high-speed line is to reduce the number of flights between both cities. They point out in elDiario.es There are currently about 40 daily flights between Madrid and Lisbon. For years, European institutions have been working to reduce the volume of air traffic by improving rail connections. Spain either France These are some of the countries that want to implement policies to reduce them. A 600 kilometer railway line to travel in three hours is exactly the type of trip that can do a lot of damage to airlines if it works correctly. A good example is the Galician runner which, despite requiring more travel time, has made passengers turn their backs on the plane. And Galicia? If travelers who aspire to take their trains from Madrid are the big beneficiaries, Galicia seems to be the big loser. In recent yearsPortugal had insisted that its true intention was to create a high-speed line between Lisbon and Vigo with an intermediate stop in Porto. The project now takes a back seat, however, since they will have to focus efforts on high speed between capitals. In Atlantic They highlight that the European Union has already dedicated more than 250 million euros to promoting high speed in Portugal and more than 750 million euros to do the same in the connection between Extremadura and Madrid, so it seems logical that the first corridor to support this. A continental network. The project to link Lisbon and Madrid on a high-speed line is part of the European Atlantic Transport Corridor. The project plans to link Portugal, Spain, France, Germany and Ireland with intermodal connections that include roads, airports, ports… and railway lines. Regarding the latter, the connection with Madrid would allow connecting Barcelona with Lisbon in less than six hours. It would be a key stage for unite Lisbon with the rest of the European Union by train since, at the moment, the Portuguese capital is isolated by rail. In addition, it would allow rapid connection with other hot spots on the Spanish high-speed rail network, such as Valencia and Alicante or connections with Asturias and Cantabria. The exit to Vigo with the high-speed network that was already planned is the other possibility to reach the north of the Peninsula. The eternal promise. The connection between Lisbon and Madrid is a promise that has been going on for more than 20 years. In The World Order They highlight that the railway connection between both cities is worse today than in 1881 when a train line was opened between both cities for the first time. Between Berlin and Warsaw, they point out, there is a similar distance traveled by seven trains a day. Despite the first promises of having a cross-border AVE ready in 2010the line is still not operational. With the latest advances in the high-speed line, already present between Plasencia and Badajoz, the travel time between Lisbon and Madrid has been reduced to just over eight hours, as explained in The World Order but you have to take three different trains. In 2022, the same trip exceeded 11 hours, collected in The Country. At least 144 years ago, travelers only had to take a train and wait for it to drop them off in one of the two cities. Photo | Phil Richards, Annie Sprat and 야스민 ㄹㅁㅅ In Xataka | A hydrogen train has crossed Spain and Portugal for the first time: 10,000 km of route, including the Pyrenees

The largest collection of malformations in Spain is in Madrid. And they are going to close it

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Hidden in the bowels of the Complutense University of Madrid, half a thousand plastinated animals with congenital anomalies wait patiently for time, lack of funds and laziness to send them to a lost warehouse by the hand of God. More than 25 years of work that are about to be lost. A very very strange place. As Manuel Ansede told in El PaísNieves Martín and Luis Avedillo (two researchers from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the UCM) have been collecting all types of animals with malformations for a quarter of a century. However, the lack of funds and the increasingly demanding requirements requested by the administration mean that the collection is on the verge of closing. The denial of the latest subsidies (of barely 23,000 euros) means that the situation is beginning to be unsustainable. And it is something very useful. Animal and human malformations are highly comparable, making the 500 specimens a very interesting resource for teratology, embryology and fetal medicine. We must not forget that, according to the WHO, Every year around 240,000 neonatal deaths are due to these types of problems and, despite all the progress we have made, we know too little. In fact, that denied grant of 23,000 sought to turn the collection into a reference center for these topics and develop a “malformopedia” that would complete the wonderful work that, for decades, the people of the Spanish Collaborative Study of Genetic Maformations coordinated by the Carlos III Health Institute. Is it really a problem? At the end of the day, without a stable and well-stocked repository, what we are losing is comparative material to study in depth embryological hypotheses and the mechanisms behind birth defects. We lose the ability to go further. Perhaps the best example is public health. By successfully integrating cases of congenital malformations (especially those in pigs) with human surveillance, we could accelerate the identification of signals about environmental or teratogenic exposures (and improve clinical guidelines). It is not an isolated event. And that’s the worst. The Olavide Museum (historical collection of ‘moulages’ – waxes – dermatological) or the long-awaited Cajal Museum (which never quite come true) are clear examples of the problems that Spanish scientific heritage has. While the Vrolik museum in Amsterdam or the Mütter of Philadelphia lead the international conversation in teratology, genetic research and the most recent ethical debates, Spain is unable to find 23,000 euros to adapt the facilities of its reference collection to current regulations. It is still a metaphor for the state of science in the country. Image | Philippe Wagneur

There are so many people in Madrid that even its surroundings are being touristized with luxury hotels. And that raises suspicions

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Navalagamella is a town of just over 3,000 inhabitants located in the Community of Madrid that has been grabbing headlines for years for a peculiar reason: there, on the southern slope of the Cerro Alarcón reservoirbetween pine forests and holm oaks, a luxury hotel is about to be built with more than 60 roomsrestaurants, sports center and gym, among other services. A complex dedicated to relaxation located less than an hour from Madrid and which arrives preceded by the controversy. His interest, however, transcends Navalagamella. In a place in Madrid… More specifically in the southern slope of the Cerro de Alarcón reservoir, in Navalagamella, near Valdemorillo, a new luxury hotel which has come preceded by controversy. For his defenders It will boost the town’s economy, promoting “quality” tourism and generating more than a hundred jobs. For its detractors, it is an error that will have a negative impact in the environment and raises doubts about how it will affect issues as basic as water supply and treatment or traffic. More than an infographic. The project is not exactly new. In fact takes years talking about the Vivood chain’s plans to set up a large resort in the heart of Madrid’s mountains, less than an hour’s drive from the capital. The novelty, the reason why it has rung againit is because it has begun to take shape. In September the Navalagamella City Council launched a statement to announce the start of works on Cerro de Alarcón and the demolition of the old yacht club. The Newspaper assures In fact, preliminary felling has already been carried out, which will allow work to start at any time. The Consistory has not been the only one to speak out. Shortly after Ecologists in Action raised his voice to underline two other ideas. First to warn that, despite the initial commitment of the promoters to “respect the trees”, oaks, pines and cedars have already been cut down. Second (more serious) to insist that the work has started under a license granted by the City Council in July despite the fact that the appeal for a previous license is still pending in the courts. A “Landscape Hotel”. The project has not only caused people to talk because of the controversy that preceded it. It also stands out for its proposal. The future complex of the Vivood chain moves away from the traditional concept of a vertical hotel and opts for a horizontal construction, made up of small pieces spread across the mountain. EPE speaks specifically 55 bungalows and villas with 66 rooms, as well as restaurants, a sports club and beach clubpier and parking. The idea is to use mineral mortars, treated stone, materials that integrate the buildings into the environment. When announcing the start of the works, the Navalagamella City Council spoke in fact of a “Hotel-Landscape in Cerro de Alarcón”. Vivood already has a similar complex in Benimantell. “We were very clear about our essence: betting on a different luxury, based on disconnection, silence, relaxation… This is what we have been doing in Alicante”, explained in June 2023 to Idealista the CEO and founder of the company, Daniel Mayo. Right or wrong? Significant projects usually arouse as much criticism as they do enthusiasm. And the future luxury hotel in Navalagamella is no exception. For the City Council It will “promote” the region as a “quality tourist destination”, generate employment, promote training in the sector and “contribute significantly to local economic development.” According to the calculations managed, the project will create more than 150 positions. Regarding the legal framework of the works, he insists that the hotel has all the permits, including environmental reports. “It remains to be seen what costs it will have”. Not everyone shares his optimism. On the contrary, Ecologists in Action remember that the complex will be located next to a Special Protection Area for Birds and warns that the works have destroyed trees and threaten to cause an even greater impact. “The hotel will have the possibility of hosting and celebrating mass events, with the consequent noise pollution and its negative effects on the local species,” warns the environmental group, which insists that the project fails to comply with the Habitats Directive and will also cause “inconvenience” for those who already reside in the area. Among other issues, it warns about the demand for water and traffic. Recently EPE visited the region to talk to neighbors who also have doubts about the real impact of the hotel. There is concern that it will end the tranquility that the inhabitants of the residences of Cerro Alarcón or how it will affect neighboring towns. “The most affected road would be the one that connects the town with the urbanization, and it remains to be seen what costs this story will have for the Valdemorillo City Council,” Julia reflectsa neighbor of the area. The backdrop. The Navalagamella project stands out for something else. One of its main attractions is its proximity to Madrid, a city that lives its own tourist boom and offers a potential market with thousands of families eager to have weekend options without having to travel hundreds of kilometers. The future Cerro Alarcón hotel reflects the interest (and enormous potential) aroused by rural Madrid in the mountains and pre-mountains. Also the challenges that this brings for the environment or public services in areas with a now limited population, as is the case in Navalagamella, where they live. 3,100 people. Images | Navalagamella Town Hall Via | The Spanish Newspaper In Xataka | The coast of Huelva has been touristed for decades. Now one of its last virgin areas will become a megaurbanization

The ‘trash’ has become the hot potato of Madrid politics. One that has forced the City Council to rectify

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It’s not the only town hall of Spain that has been shaken by he ‘garbage’but the controversy surrounding the new waste collection rate has had a special impact in Madrid. Because of its reach. And due to the formula chosen by the City Council to calculate receipts, a system that the OCU has come to call “original and unfair”. Now the Government of José Luis Martínez-Almeida has decided to reconsider the calculation of the tax to take into account a fundamental factor: the number of people registered in each residential property. The question is… Will it settle the debate? What has happened? That the Madrid City Council has decided to change your calculation system for the new garbage ratea tax that has been forced to adopt (like the rest of the cities in Spain with more than 5,000 residents) to comply a law of 2022. As a backdrop are the guidelines set by Brussels to improve waste management in the EU. After the neighborhood criticism and organizations like the OCUthe Government headed by José Luis Martínez-Almeida has decided to rectify its initial criterion and give more weight to a key factor in the equation: the number of people residing in each home. In that way, they assure from Cibelesthe average increase in the garbage rate for next year will be minimal: from 141 it will go to €142.6. Why so much trouble with the rate? To understand it you have to go back to at least April. It was then that the deadline for the Law 7/2022 It gave Spanish municipalities with more than 5,000 residents to adjust to its guidelines, which basically oblige the majority of councils to provide themselves with “a specific, differentiated and non-deficit rate” for waste collection, one also based on “payment per generation” (‘Whoever pollutes, pays’) and that “reflects the real cost.” Some town councils, like Barcelona, ​​had been preparing the ground to soften the blow of the rate. In other parts of Spain they are far behind, in case of Malaga or the Balearic Islands. In Madrid the receipts began to arrive in september, not without stirsomething that is explained by three main reasons. The first, the impact that the capital has. The second, because in 2015 the then mayor (Ana Botella) had decided “eliminate” the tax for the sake of “less fiscal pressure for the citizen.” The third (and most important) factor was the calculation system chosen by the Madrid City Council to calculate the new rate, a formula that the OCU came to cross out “original… and unfair.” Why’s that? Due to the elements that the City Council took into account when calibrating the rate it charges each neighbor. Among them (in the case of residential properties) included the cadastral value, the generation rate of each neighborhood and the waste separation coefficient. I didn’t like the formula to the oppositionto part of the neighbors (who went beyond Madrid and charged against the law) and the OCU, which after knowing the calculation criteria launched a very critical statement. What do they criticize?. “The problem is that the criteria chosen in Madrid are not really fair. There are large price differences depending on the neighborhoods and it is the case that neighbors may have to pay for garbage that they are not actually generating,” warned the consumer organization. In his opinion “it is already quite new” that part of the rate is estimated based on the cadastral value of the home, but the rest of the criteria are also far from being perfect. For example, the OCU pointed out that if the tons of garbage collected in each neighborhood are taken into account, without further ado, the calculation ends up being distorted. The reason? “The incorporation of waste whose origin is not strictly residential, such as tourist apartments, shops or businesses whose collection is done jointly with the ordinary collection”, warns. “The result is a strong penalty for residents who live in more central neighborhoods, with greater tourist or commercial activity.” And what has happened? That after weeks of complaints and criticism, the Madrid City Council has ‘rectified’ taking into account part of the proposals brandished by the opposition. On Thursday the City Council revealed that next year “a new ordinance” of the Waste Management Rate (TGR) will be approved “as a result of the need to include new parameters, which will provide greater equity and legal certainty in its calculation.” Which is it? Specifically, one stands out: the number of people registered in each home, “an aspect that has resulted from great technical complexity.” “Thanks to this, rates will be established distributed in ten sections (from one registered person to ten or more) depending on the number of registered people in the property on January 1, 2026,” ditch Martínez-Almeida’s team. That variable is completed with others. “For the calculation of the basic rate, the information on the individual cadastral value of each home or premises has been taken into account, while for the generation rate, the amount of waste generated and the percentage of quality of the separation of each of the 131 neighborhoods have been taken into consideration.” Have you announced anything else? Yes. The City Council has clarified that, according to its calculations, the average collection rate received for 2026 will be 142.6 euros, “practically the same amount” as this year. The advertisement It has also come preceded by other developments in municipal taxation, such as a lowering of the IBI rate that will benefit more than 2.2 million properties. The City Council assures that in total the reduction in taxes and fees planned for next year will allow Madrid residents to pay 33.5 million euros less than in 2025. Matter settled? Not at all. The one known as ‘garbage’ has generated a considerable political stir that extends far beyond the capital and pivots around a key debate: Is the 2022 law that has led cities to review their garbage rates the result of the community guidelines that they aspire … Read more

Madrid Metro has spent millions on advanced machines to cover them like shacks

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It was February 14, 2024 when the Community of Madrid confirmed the last investment with which he was going to get married had been committed: 145 ticket vending machines to access the Madrid underground. The deployment came in large numbers. The almost one hundred and a half devices are part of the second phase of the Metro Technological Improvement Planan investment that also includes, for example, the renovation of hundreds of Metro access turnstiles. The investment tries to give a new face to facilities that are beginning to become small after not having received large investments in the last 20 years. Now, line 6 is being modernized, line 11 is being expanded and the stations are receiving new equipment to adapt to the new transport titles. Click on the image to go to the original tweet Equipment that, in the case of these machines, will be deployed in 19 stations. The first ones, boasted the account of X of the Madrid Metrothey arrived this same week. The leap in quality is evident: 42-inch high-definition screens and even the possibility of opening a video call with Metro services to ask for help if any complications arise. Latest technology devices to be distributed at some of the busiest Metro stations in the capital such as those at the airport, Nuevos Ministerios, Feria de Madrid or Príncipe Pío, among others. Very advanced machines with “Metta’s 4.0 technology,”in the words of the company itself. Machines to which Metro de Madrid has had to put a plastic umbrella. And of course, they have unleashed mockery on social networks. 7.7 million euros and a piece of plastic “It’s plastic. Greetings” This has been the answer that the Madrid Metro has given X to a multitude of users who have asked why the company has put uralite umbrellas on its newest and most advanced machines. Despite describing the innovations and advantages of these machines, many users have focused on that plastic appendage that appears at the top of the machine. An appendix that, without a doubt, is reminiscent of the uralite roofs, everything must be said. Indeed, we could continue with the concise answers of how the person behind the social networks of the Madrid Metro has tried to appease the responses to the shabby difficult to explain solution that the company has used to protect its machines. Madrid Metro has defended itself reiterating that this plastic roof has been installed because the station is leaking. Some leaks that, according to the company, are not its responsibility and, therefore, for the moment the machines will be protected with this particular umbrella for as long as necessary. Meanwhile, Madrid Metro users will be able to use “the intelligent keyboard for destination selection” with “natural language recognition capacity” that the devices have. They can establish a video call with the operators if they need telematic help and they can even obtain new transportation tickets to travel. Of course, we recommend that users open the umbrella. There are leaks. Photo | Madrid Metro In Xataka | 1,500 tons in weight, 100 meters long and one objective: excavate Metro Line 11 in Carabanchel

Madrid consumes more and generates less energy than anyone else. And their neighbors are also refusing to install solar panels.

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Between the grain fields and the family housing estates of eastern Madrid, the residents of Villalbilla and Torres de la Alameda live a battle that is repeated in many corners of Spain: that of a territory that wants clean energy, but afraid of losing his identity. In short. On the banks of the Viso, a residential and natural area closely linked to family life, a macro photovoltaic solar plant is planned of 70.8 megawatts promoted by Envatios Promotion XXIV SL, a subsidiary of the Swiss multinational Smartenergy. The project, known as “Envatios XXIV – Phase III”, would occupy about 335 hectares of agricultural and natural land, the equivalent of more than 470 soccer fields, between both municipalities. The resolution that grants the declaration of public utility was published in the Official State Gazette, a step that paves its execution. However, the approval has set off alarms in the area: Neighborhood platforms and associations have begun to mobilize to stop what they consider a threat to their environment and quality of life. The spark of conflict. The Platform for the Defense of Visibility complaint the “lack of transparency and absence of participation” in the processing of the project. They claim that Villalbilla City Council was not even formally notified during the process, a defect that could have legal consequences. The macro project, they explainwill cause possible environmental and social risks: local increase in temperature due to the reflective effect of the plates, noise pollution, loss of vegetation and risk of fires. At the information meeting held on October 7, the technicians and neighbors summarized their position in a phrase that has become the movement’s motto: “We are not against solar energy, but rather its poor location. Energy yes, but with common sense.” A wave of institutional opposition. Neighborhood rejection has found a political echo. Villalbilla Town Hall approved a motion against the project with the support of 17 councilors from different parties. The decision reflects the concern shared by residents and municipal representatives regarding the environmental and landscape impact. A few days later, the council announced that it will present an appeal to the Ministry for the Ecological Transition (MITECO). It has also maintained contacts with the Government Delegation in Madrid and has requested a review of the process. On his Facebook page, the mayor, José Luis Luque Lorente, qualified the situation: “The plant is located in Torres de la Alameda. In Villalbilla no permanent facilities are implemented, only some plots will be temporarily affected as accesses during the works.” Even so, the council has joined the mobilizationarguing that any large energy infrastructure must be done with planning and consensus. ANDon the other front. The promoting company has with the favorable environmental impact declaration and that its capacity—70.8 MW—could supply the annual electricity consumption of some 90,000 homes. Some landowners have already signed rental contracts with the developer. “The project is unstoppable, and it is better to make a profit,” one of them explained to Infobae. The debate has even divided the municipalities themselves: while Villalbilla and Torres prepare legal appeals, Mejorada del Campo has chosen for negotiating with the company. This last municipality has achieved reduce plant size by 40%, establish a local employment plan and compensation of 3.8 million euros. Even within the regional administration itself there are divergences: the General Directorate of Environmental Quality of the Community of Madrid issued a favorable report, while the General Directorate of Agriculture considered it unviable for affecting woody crops and recommended finding another location. The dilemma of the landscape. The Platform for the Defense of Viso insists that the problem is not solar energy itself, but the model of massive implementation without territorial planning. As we well knowthe debate is not new. In a forum for El País, energy expert Eloy Sanz warned that “rejecting almost any renewable development is a mistake,” and that “the less renewables, the more fossil fuels.” But he also criticized the use of the term “macro” as an emotional label: “The prefix ‘macro’ is key on an emotional level, regardless of the actual size of the project.” The dilemma extends throughout Spain. The motto “Renewable yes, but not like this” has caught on in rural areas of Andalusia, Aragon and Galicia. In Jaén, neighbors and farmers oppose an installation that would involve cutting down more than 100,000 olive trees. In Galicia, the Supreme Court provisionally suspended a wind farm for failing to evaluate its cumulative impact on the territory. The conflicts share a pattern: rural communities that support the energy transition, but demand order, transparency and balance. It will have to be distributed. The point is that the case of Villalbilla and Torres de la Alameda has an additional paradox: it occurs in one of the regions that produces the least energy and consumes the most. The Community of Madrid generates only 4.8% of the energy it usesbut it concentrates 11% of national demand. Meanwhile, other areas of the country—Extremadura, Aragón, Castilla-La Mancha or Andalusia— support the thickness of electricity generation. This shows that the background is the same: an energy transition that advances at an uneven pace and with little territorial planning. As the country seeks to meet 2030 climate goals, local communities are demanding a say in how and where their environment is transformed. “We want a just transition.” That is the phrase most repeated by the residents of Viso. His message coincides with that of many citizen movements that have emerged throughout Spain: support for renewables, but with respect for the territory. Maybe the key is in what pointed out Eloy Sanz: “The dilemma is not between progress or landscape, but between doing it well or doing it badly.” Between climate urgency and fear of change, Villalbilla and Torres de la Alameda embody a question that Spain has not yet resolved: how to achieve clean energy that is also fair? Image | Unsplash Xataka | The Altri megaplant has caused an enormous social response in Galicia. And now the Government has given … Read more

Madrid has been filled with great fortunes and not by chance: it has known how to play its fiscal cards better than anyone

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During the last decade, Madrid has become the epicenter of money in Spain. Not only does it concentrate the headquarters of large companies and banks, but it has also become a magnet for large international and national fortunes. According to a study published by Fernando Rodrigo Sauco from the University of Zaragoza, based on the latest data from the Tax Agency, 41.9% of taxpayers with assets exceeding three million euros live in the Community of Madrid, compared to 22% who resides in Catalonia. A tax shelter within Spain. The high-net-worth migration trend analyzed in the study is not new, but it has intensified over the years. Since 2011, thousands of large fortunes have moved their tax residence to Madrid. The main reason why millionaires have gathered in the capital It is due to a more permissive tax policy with large wealth groups and the network effect of living close to where the wealth is concentrated. business and financial activity. What began as a tax difference has become a true geography of money within Spain. In Xataka 64% of Spaniards believe that they pay more in taxes than they receive from the State. It’s actually the other way around The rich live in Madrid or Catalonia. The report data indicates that 58.3% of the 1% of the richest population in Spain reside in Madrid (32.51%) and Catalonia (25.8%). Further away we find the Valencian Community, with a census of 9.76% of the country’s great fortunes, and Andalusia with 6.71%. However, if the bar is raised to the highest decile of the ultra-rich population –rich among the richest— which corresponds to 0.1% of the population, then the concentration is even more pronounced, with 68.59% of these great fortunes residing in one of the two communities, but the differences are beginning to be appreciated. In Madrid the percentage of ultra-rich increases up to the aforementioned 41.9, while in Catalonia they only amount to 26.69%. The presence of these ultra-rich residents in other communities remains more or less in the same proportions as that of the rich, with 8.2% in the Valencian Community and 6.31% in Andalusia. In Xataka Tell me where you live and I will tell you how much money you have: this is how wealth is distributed in the neighborhoods and municipalities of Spain Rooting conditioning. The study analyzes the conditions that can be decisive for a great fortune decide to pack your bags and move to the capital. This is what the study calls “migration elasticity” and defines, for example, the number of millionaires who would move if a certain tax (such as wealth tax) increased by 1% more or was reduced by the same proportion. In summary, what weight would taxation have in the decision over other factors such as roots, family, language or public services. In this context, until fiscal 2023Madrid maintained a 100% bonus on the wealth tax, which in practice means that the great fortunes residing in that community They did not pay that tribute. In the rest of the country, the tax can reach up to 3.5% of net assets. Added to this is a somewhat lower personal income tax in the upper brackets and the absence of inheritance tax for direct inheritances. Therefore, taxation gained weight in the decision to change residence. {“videoId”:”x8k9arv”,”autoplay”:false,”title”:”You could be LOSING MONEY with your 2022 INCOME RETURN”, “tag”:”Webedia-prod”, “duration”:”402″} A paradigm shift. The result of this tax policy that is friendly to large assets has been clear: between 2011 and 2015, more than 6,000 large fortunes moved to Madrid. According to the study, that flow remained constant over the next decade. However, in 2023 a differentiating factor came into play, the effects of which are not yet known: the entry into force of the temporary solidarity tax on large fortunes. This new tax applied a rule in which, with the excuse of avoiding double taxation, the State began to collect wealth tax that the communities that had it subsidized were not collecting. According to a report According to the Tax Agency, the 27.6% of large fortunes who paid the Wealth Tax in 2022 rose to 99% in 2023. Skyrocketing its collection in Madrid and Andalusia, where it was previously subsidized. That is to say, that tax advantage that previously conditioned the concentration of capital in Madrid has been diluted. In a few years we will see if this paradigm shift once again conditions the residence of the great fortunes. In Xataka | How much money do you need to be among the richest 1% in Spain Image | Unsplash (Manoa Angelo) (function() { window._JS_MODULES = window._JS_MODULES || {}; var headElement = document.getElementsByTagName(‘head’)(0); if (_JS_MODULES.instagram) { var instagramScript = document.createElement(‘script’); instagramScript.src=”https://platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js”; instagramScript.async = true; instagramScript.defer = true; headElement.appendChild(instagramScript); } })(); – The news Madrid has been filled with great fortunes and not by chance: it has known how to play its fiscal cards better than anyone was originally published in Xataka by Ruben Andres .

Crossing the A-5 works on foot has become a risky sport. The Madrid City Council solution: AI

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He burial of the A-5 It has become a headache for the neighbors. It is not only that traffic jams are the daily routine or that the works have forced the route to be diverted, creating a kind of Mario Kart where drivers have to avoid unexpected curves, unexpected exits or the appearance of cranes and heavy machinery. Pedestrians also begin to look with horror as his life becomes complicated every time they have to cross from one side of the highway to the other. The promise Being able to cross the road at the top of it surrounded by a park instead of dark and uninviting passageways is closer. But, for now, crossing from the Batán neighborhood to Lucero or Aluche is nothing short of a pipe dream. One in which the Madrid City Council has decided to intervene with artificial intelligence. With a little AI A couple of weeks ago, the large underground work on the A-5 appeared with a couple of unexpected traffic lights around Villagarcía Street, near the junction with Batán. The intention was to regulate traffic at one of the most complicated intersections in the area. Taking advantage of this unnecessary action, the neighbors began to demand that zebra crossings be set up so they could cross on foot to the other side of the road and have a quick access to the neighborhoods of Lucero and Aluche. In this way, residents would also have access, for example, to public transportation that circulates a little less than a kilometer from their homes, schools or work centers but which are much more difficult to reach on foot since the works began. Now we know that the Madrid City Council is going to take advantage of these works to also test one of the latest purchases announced: traffic lights with artificial intelligence. They explain in The World that current traffic lights already have cameras to control road traffic. This will help, taking advantage of an artificial intelligence system, to regulate traffic on demand. The traffic lights will detect the number of pedestrians waiting for the green light to turn and the system will decide when to let vehicles and pedestrians pass. Thus, it will open the way to the latter for a more or less time depending on demand. The area is conflictive because there are schools that are currently wedged between the Casa de Campo and the underground works of the A-5. With the installation of traffic lights with artificial intelligence, an attempt will be made to prioritize the passage of pedestrians at peak times when entering and leaving educational centers. The use of the system, as we said, is not new. a few weeks ago the Madrid City Council confirmed the installation of these systems in various parts of the capital, especially complicated by the large influx of pedestrians. For example, they already adjust the steps at the intersection of Calle Princesa and Alberto Aguilera, on the Segovia and San Isidro bridges (Madrid Río area) or in the Plaza de Grecia next to the Metropolitan Stadium where traffic lights with artificial intelligence regulate the passage if there are concerts or large events to improve fluidity. Photo | Xataka and Madrid City Council In Xataka | The residents of Madrid had been longing for the A-5 to be buried underground for years. Now he’s making their lives miserable.

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