Madrid

If the solution to the housing crisis in Madrid is to build, there is a municipality that has taken the lead: Alcobendas

by

Madrid begins the countdown to have a new and large pool of apartments in the north, relevant news if you take into account how tense its market is and the serious deficit of housing that drags. The Alcobendas City Council has just given green light to the partial plan of the new neighborhood of Los Carriles-Valgrande, a new (and enormous) area of ​​​​the town that will have around 8,600 homesa good part of them (more than 4,600) protected. We will still have to wait before seeing the new blocks built, but its promoters are already anticipating that it will be “the largest urban development project in the north of Madrid”, with a wide range of residential, services and parks. What has happened? That Madrid is a little closer to reinforcing its residential offer with an injection of 8,600 homesa good part of them under protected regime. And that is always news in a market like the capital, marked by the price escalation (both in sales and rentals), certain access conditions each time more draconian and the imbalance between supply and demand. In fact in one of his latest reports The Association of Real Estate Developers of Madrid (Asprima) states that to meet the demand of the community it is necessary to create 40,000 homes per yearwell above the volume of new construction that is being generated right now. As a reference, remember that last year “a maximum peak” of 23,500 homes was delivered and everything indicates that the pace of completions will not reach that mark in the coming years either. Where will they be built? These 8,600 new homes will be built in Los Carriles-Valgrandea new (and ambitious) neighborhood planned in the municipality of Alcobendas. The initiative is interesting for several reasons. In addition to reinforcing the offer, its promoters they boast that it will be “the largest urban project” in the north of the community and one of the developments “with the highest proportion of affordable housing.” In addition, it will “complete” Alcobendas up to its limit with the capital. The new buildings will arrive accompanied by hectares of green areas, two new parks and more than 55,000 m2 dedicated to the tertiary and commercial sector. Its implementation will also generate employment: Alcobendas City Council speaks of 4,000 positions during construction and more than a thousand once the neighborhood is completed. In terms of mobilized capital, it is estimated that the investment will be around 2,300 million euros and the return for the municipality will be around 511 million. Do you know anything else? Yes. Of the 8,600 homes that will be built, around 4,600 (54%) will be protected and 40% will be built on municipal plots. The project also includes the creation of 570,000 square meters of green areas and open spaces, which will include two new and large parks, one next to Monte de Valdelatas and another near the Valdelacasa stream. “Each one will have dimensions that are equivalent to six times the Andalusia parkin Alcobendas”, they need the promoters of the project, who remember that all trees that are affected by the urbanization will be replaced. In fact, they estimate that the area will go from having 2,555 to more than 6,700. He dossier The urban planning area specifies that in total it will occupy about 2.17 million square meters, of which about 57% will be public surface. 25% will be dedicated to green areas and almost 20% to equipment and services. Once it goes ahead, its promoters estimate that it will be able to accommodate around 25,800 inhabitants, a considerable population injection for the area if one takes into account that right now Alcobendas has (according to the INE) 121,400 registered. Why is it news? The project is not new. In fact, Leopoldo Arnaiz, manager of the Valgrande compensation board, remember that there are people who have been working on it for more than 20 years. If it is news now it is because it has just overcome a key obstacle at a bureaucratic level: on Tuesday the local plenary session of Alcobendas gave the green light to the new partial plan, which will allow further progress in the processing of the urbanization. The approval has also been majority: the plan went ahead with the favorable photo of 26 of the 27 councilors of the corporation. “With the approval of the new partial plan we offer legal security for buyers, investors and to continue with the urbanization project in the area and maintain the action schedule,” stands out the mayor of the town, Rocío García Alcántara. Among other issues, the document details the distribution of homes, public spaces and parks, marks the location and layout of roads and what land will be reserved, for example, for green areas. And from now on? The step is also important because it helps urbanization overcome the legal obstacles those he had encountered. In his day the Supreme delayed it due to a technical defect after noticing a failure in the strategic environmental evaluation of an artificial mountain. Once the urbanization works allow it, the idea is to start the work to build blocks and have the first homes “as soon as possible”although the Consistory does not specify dates. “The final approval of the partial plan is great news,” claims Arnaiz. “Today we take a decisive step. We continue to advance and comply with the roadmap that we announced in June. And we reaffirm our commitment to this development, because it is viable, sustainable and necessary, since it responds to a real demand from the residents of the municipality and the north of Madrid.” Images | Valgrande and Alcobendas City Council In Xataka | Madrid needs to decentralize its tourism if it does not want to suffocate. So he’s betting on a “Chinatown” in Usera

The EU wants to connect Madrid and Paris by train, in six hours and by 2035. Or in 2042. Or maybe never

by

The European Commission has approved an ambitious Action Plan for the high-speed railway that aims to triple the European network, going from the current 12,000 kilometers to 36,000 kilometers before 2040. The objective is to turn the train into a real alternative to the plane for medium-distance journeys, drastically reducing travel times between the main capitals of the continent. And Spain is going to have an important role. What changes for Spain. The plan directly affects our country with two priority connections: Madrid-Lisbon in three hours (compared to more than eight currently) and Madrid-Paris in six hours (instead of the more than twelve that are needed now). From Bilbao you can reach Lisbon in less than six hours passing through the capital. The proposal contemplates that these improvements be operational in 2035although the corridor with France raises more doubts than the plan to join with Lisbon. Why it is important. Currently, the 12,000 kilometers of European high speed are mainly concentrated in Spain, France, Italy and Germany, while the east and center of the continent remain poorly connected. Just like points out Commissioner for Sustainable Transport, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, “Central and Eastern Europe remains woefully poorly connected.” Spain, with almost 4,000 operational kilometers, is European leader in high-speed infrastructure, only behind China globally. The money problem. Complete the planned network by 2040 will cost about 345,000 million euros. If we also want trains to run well above 250 kilometers per hour, the figure shoots up to 546 billion until 2050, according to Brussels. The organization admits that public financing it won’t be enough and seeks to attract private investment, in addition to loans from the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the national public bank (ICO in Spain). The idea is that in 2026 an agreement will be negotiated between Member States, financial institutions and other organizations and companies to settle the investment issue. Between the lines. Although the plan sounds ambitious, Brussels recognizes that it is very late: In 2020, the goal of doubling the network by 2030 was set, but by 2023 it had only grown by 17%. France, key to connecting Madrid with Paris, maintains a more pessimistic calendar than Brussels and does not see the connection as feasible until 2042. The Spanish minister himself Óscar Puente has recognized that the direct connection with Paris “will not arrive next year”. Tzitzikostas has announced who works intensely with the ministers of Spain and France to “overcome border bottlenecks.” The effect on airlines. A Madrid-Paris flight lasts just over two hours, but adding waiting times, boarding and transfers from airports, it is close to the six hours that the direct train to the city center would take. Spain and France short flights have already been banned with a rail alternative of less than two and a half hours. In addition, the EU obliges airlines to use at least 70% green fuels by 2050, starting with 2% this year, which will make flights more expensive. And now what. The plan is certainly not written in stone and the roadmap will depend on the political will of each country and the ability to attract private investment. Spain is well positioned to take advantage of these funds, since according to the media Expansión, It has 700 kilometers under construction and another 700 projected that will take the network above 5,000 kilometers between 2030 and 2032. The Commission also promises a new ticket strategy in 2026 to “make it easier for passengers to book multimodal tickets” and a full liberalization of the sector in 2040, which should reduce prices. Cover image | Tim Adams In Xataka | There was a day when Japan was the leading high-speed country. It has been surpassed by China, a victim of its own country

If the question is whether you have to pay garbage tax for a parking space in Madrid, the answer is: good luck with the Cadastre

by

April 8, 2022. The Government publishes in the BOE Law 7/2022, on waste and contaminated soils for a circular economy. Behind this name hides a small bomb that has been exploding, little by little, in each municipality. In Madrid, that detonation has come this year. Beyond the calculation, there are thousands of car parks that are now wondering: do I have to pay the new garbage fee? Where do we come from? My colleague Carlos Prego explained it a few days ago in Xataka. Madrid has recalculated its garbage rate, making reference to the famous Law mentioned above with a calculation that the OCU has come to define as “original and unfair”. The point is that controversy has arisen because Madrid City Council said “eliminate” this rate in 2015, alleging that they removed the tax burden from the citizen. The 2022 Law obliges municipalities with more than 5,000 inhabitants to begin collecting it, following European guidelines. To calculate that rate, The City Council has taken into account the cadastral value of the apartments or the tonnage of garbage that is collected in each neighborhood. That is, those who live in a neighborhood where more garbage is generated will pay more… and that directly affects neighborhoods with great tourist activity (hotels, tourist apartments…), commercial or very densely populated. a truce. The criticism has been so virulent on the part of the oppositionof the neighbors and of the associations of consumers who the City Council has partially rectified. They assure that now it will be taken into account the number of registered in each household looking ahead to next year. But what happens where no one lives? Yes, where, for example, there is a parked car because we are talking about a garage. And the garbage rate also affects the owners of a parking space… At least, apart from them. and a battle. Because although the neighbors seem to have received a truce with the new calculation in the garbage rate, which, yes, the City Council continues to defend that it will have little impact on obvious changes for neighborsthe new open front is what happens to the parking lots. And the door had been opened for a neighbor to have to pay a garbage fee for his home and another garbage fee for his parking lot. Despite the fact that, obviously, the garbage generated by a parking space is minimal or non-existent. Little more than general cleaning if we talk about a community parking lot. However, the rate taxes the provision of the service of collection, transportation and treatment of urban waste, in the words of the College of Administrators. That is, the same person (house and garage) could be charged for a single garbage collection. Who pays then? Those who will pay. Those owners of parking spaces whose parking lot is registered in the Cadastre as a “parking-industrial-use warehouse”, in the words of a circular sent by the Madrid College of Administrators to the Property Administrators of the Capital. What does this mean? They clarify it from the Cadastre which, upon consultation with one of these administrators, have confirmed that they are those independent garages that cannot be accessed from a home or from the common areas of a building. That is, those in which garbage is collected individually. Those who will not pay. Those owners of a parking space whose parking is registered in the Cadastre as “residential use”. Or, in a simplified way by this last entity, which are accessed from a home or from common areas with another building. In that case, they may be communities of different owners (garage and building) but if access is from the same common areas, the former will not pay the garbage fee. What does the City Council say? That they adhere to the type of land use specified in the Cadastre and, therefore, that it is the latter that specifies who should or should not pay the garbage rate. The only solution given in this case by the College of Property Administrators of Madrid is for the community to present a declaration of cadastral alteration to specify that the land use is residential and does not correspond to industrial use. The other alternative is to present a written due to discrepancies with the description of cadastral use. Photo | Kertis Stick and Madrid City Council In Xataka | The best horror movie of this winter has been released. And the protagonists are the owners of a home in Spain

171 million euros later, Metro de Madrid wants to reopen line 7B. The big question is whether the tenth time will be the charm.

by

Line 7B of the Madrid Metro will fully reopen this same month of November after more than three years closed. It is the tenth attempt to normalize a service that was inaugurated in 2007 and that has accumulated more than 800 days without functioning since then. The total cost of repairs reaches 171 million eurosnot counting compensation to neighbors, which already exceeds 23 million and continues to increase. A disaster that began in 2007. When Esperanza Aguirre promoted this expansion to have it ready before the regional elections of 2007, no one could imagine the consequences. The construction of the tunnel seriously altered the subsoil by bringing salt and water into contact, which caused the progressive dissolution of the soil. The result: collapse of the tunnels, massive water leaks and structural damage to hundreds of homes in San Fernando de Henares and Coslada. According to internal documents obtained by El Paísalready in 2008 the technicians warned of the “risk of collapses in the metro tunnel and the surrounding buildings”, and in 2009 they warned that action was “extremely urgent.” The figures of the disaster. The repair bill includes 117 million invested by the Ministry of Transport in works and compensation, 49.7 million from the Canal de Isabel II in hydraulic infrastructure, 2.4 million from the Metro itself and 1.7 million from the Ministry of Education to demolish the El Pilar educational complex. In total, more than 171 million euros. But the number will continue to grow: Property compensation, which in 2022 was estimated at 12 million, has already reached 23.3 million and there are nearly 300 open files. Additionally, 73 homes had to be completely demolished, leaving families paying mortgages on homes that no longer existed. The technical solution. To stabilize the ground, the Community has injected more than 11,000 tons of mortar of concrete in the subsoil through 26,000 drillings that reach up to 45 meters deep. It has also deployed 179 mini topographic prisms inside the metro and laser sensors that send daily data on ground movements. The Polytechnic University of Madrid analyzes also satellite images to detect any anomaly. According to the Minister of Housing, Transport and Infrastructure, Jorge Rodrigo, 511 surveillance elements and five robotic stations have been installed that will constantly monitor the road, the land and nearby buildings. The neighbors don’t forget. Although the Community assures that the infrastructure now presents “stability” and meets “the necessary security conditions”, those affected they maintain their mobilizations and demand greater compensation in court. Furthermore, a study by the Polytechnic University detected “considerable movements” in distant areas “without stabilizing”, although without specifying more details. For the 120,000 inhabitants of San Fernando de Henares and Coslada, the November reopening is just the first step to move forward in almost two decades of nightmare. And now what. The Community will allocate an additional 8.2 million to surveillance and maintenance contracts to act immediately in the event of any incident without the need for emergency contracts. Line 7B will be the most monitored infrastructure of the Madrid Metro, precisely because it is the one that has caused the most problems. It remains to be seen if this time the line is truly stable or if it will close again, as has happened on nine previous occasions. Cover image | Zarateman (Wikipedia) In Xataka | Madrid and Lisbon will be linked by the AVE. It will only arrive (if it arrives) 24 years late

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

by

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

by

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

by

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

by

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

by

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

by

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

Log In

Forgot password?

Forgot password?

Enter your account data and we will send you a link to reset your password.

Your password reset link appears to be invalid or expired.

Log in

Privacy Policy

Add to Collection

No Collections

Here you'll find all collections you've created before.