neighborhood

There is a neighborhood in Spain with so many Swedish tourists that it is already a “Little Sweden”. And it’s exactly where you imagine.

by

Neighborhoods change, they transform. That has always happened. What is less common is that the change is accompanied by new accents, especially Scandinavian accents, which is what has been gaining strength in decades. Saint CatherinePalma de Mallorca. What was once a fishing neighborhood has mutated into something totally different: an area in which there are many businesses oriented to the hospitality and the real estate market and in which it is surprisingly easy to find expats arriving from cities like Stockholm. There are those who already refer to the neighborhood as “little Sweden”. ‘Little Sweden’. The transformation of Santa Catalina is not exactly new. In 2017 Mallorca Diary realized and how the Scandinavians had acquired so many stores and apartments that the neighborhood had earned the nickname “Little Sweden.” It was not a phenomenon exclusive to that specific coastal area (at expats They are attracted to Mallorca in general), but it is true that it was clearly visible in its streets. What is surprising is to see how the scandinavization of Santa Catalina has advanced in the last decade, something that makes it quite clear a chronicle published by elDiario.es. “There are few Mallorcans left”. Probably the best way to understand the change is to listen to its residents, like Antoni, a 79-year-old neighbor who, after a lifetime in Santa Catalina recognize that he hardly knows anyone anymore when he walks through its streets. “There are few Mallorcans left,” he resigns. His environment agrees with him. The man talk with the press in an area where it is not difficult to find recently renovated buildings and shop windows silk-screened in foreign languages, including English, German and Swedish. If you look a little, not far from there you can even find real estate agencies focused on the Scandinavian market and the sign of an old Swedish bakery. A neighborhood in full change. Antoni is not (far from it) the only local who notices the changes in the neighborhood. Tomeu confirm that “there are only some old businesses left” and Raúl, also raised in Santa Catalina, confirms that none of the friends he played with when he was a child no longer live there. That neighborhoods change over the decades (and that extends to both neighborhoods and businesses) is nothing extraordinary, nor exclusive to Santa Catalina, Palma or the Balearic Islands. What is curious is that this change has as one of its driving forces the landing of expats and capital of northern Europe. More than testimonials. The transformation of the neighborhood (Mallorca in general) can be followed through more than just testimonies and memories. The studies do not always allow us to go into detail about each district, but they confirm the profound changes that the archipelago has experienced in recent years. To begin with, the Balearic Islands are the region of Spain with highest percentage of foreign population. According to a report of the Funcas Foundation, 29.3% of its population was born outside of Spain. As a reference, in Madrid they represent 25.7%. In 2004, foreigners represented ‘barely’ 15.3% of the Balearic census. Expensive, but not ‘Stockholm level’. The Swedes they are very far away of being a majority group in the Balearic Islands, but for some time they have shown a special interest for the region. Almost a decade ago the local press explained that many discovered its islands as a vacation destination and, over time, chose to settle in the archipelago, attracted by its climate, quality of life and prices. “There are the small things, like having a coffee for example. In Stockholm it costs five or six euros,” recognized in 2017 Patric, at the head of a practice located precisely in Santa Catalina. “In Stockholm the square meter is around 10,000 euros and that is why Santa Catalina is still cheap. For the rest of the world the neighborhood is terrible, but for the Swedes it is quite cheap.” Agency pending. Another front that makes the transformation of the neighborhood clear is real estate. for your article elDiario has spoken with several agencies established in the area and more or less focused on the Scandinavian market, such as Mallorcabyrån Real Estatewhich presents itself as a “Swedish-speaking real estate agency in Mallorca”, or Svensk Fastighetsförmedlingwhose managers they boast of having “brought the reliable Swedish real estate model to Spain”. Escalating prices. Beyond the agencies, the Idealista portal also offers an interesting clue. The real estate portal specifies that right now the m2 in Santa Catalina-Son Armadans-Maritim is paid at 6,200 eurosfar from the 2,385 a decade ago. In fact, Idealista has registered a year-on-year increase of 14.3%. Things don’t get much better if we talk about the residential rental market. The m2 is paid at 19.7 euros5.6% more than a year ago. Rental options right now more economical In the area there is a 50 square meter apartment for which they ask for 1,100 euros per month and a 38 m2 studio for which they pay 1,150 euros. In this last case (a room without an elevator), yes, the advertisement clarifies that it is a “seasonal rental.” Why do prices increase? The transformation of the neighborhood is clear and can be followed both through testimony of its oldest neighbors as well as of the newspaper archive, which takes years strengthening the “little Sweden” label. However, not everyone is so clear that the rise in housing prices can be explained by the arrival of Scandinavian capital. “In general, the main factor behind the lack of housing at affordable prices in Palma is the shortage of supply, especially new construction,” claims Vivian Grunblatt, head of a real estate agency aimed, among others, at Swedish buyers. “In the last ten years the creation of new homes has been limited, which generates constant pressure on prices.” “And what are you doing?” There are also who raises it from another perspective, like Raúl, the horse who recognizes that there are no longer any of his childhood friends left in the neighborhood. In … Read more

turn a neighborhood into an unbearable oven

by

In some cities around the world, the shape of a building has come to alter its environment greatly. more than expected: from skyscrapers that generate dangerous winds at street level to facades capable of concentrate sunlight as if they were giant mirrors. Contemporary architecture, in its search for recognizable icons, has shown that even the most invisible details can have very real consequences. From icon to problem. At the end of the 20th century, the city of Los Angeles decided to build one of the most ambitious concert halls in the world and commissioned the project to Frank Gehryalready converted into a global figure after the success of Bilbao Guggenheim. The result was the Walt Disney Concert Halla shiny, curved steel building that promised to redefine contemporary cultural architecture. However, in this commitment to formal spectacularity, the a basic factor: the actual behavior of materials in a dense urban environment. What should have been an icon became a source of risk, capable of reflecting sunlight with such intensity that it turned nearby streets and homes into authentic ovens. The invisible failure. The problem was not simply aesthetic, but physical. Some of the stainless steel surfaces, especially the more polished ones with concave shapes, acted like parabolic mirrors capable of concentrating solar radiation at specific points in the environment. This effect, amplified by execution decisions that altered Gehry’s originally intended finish, generated extreme glare and raised the temperature in nearby areas to dangerous levels. What on paper was a play of sculptural light became a real thermal phenomenondemonstrating how small deviations between design and construction can trigger unforeseen consequences in large-scale projects. Heat, complaints and public alarm. Shortly after its inauguration in 2003, the complaints from neighbors and workers of nearby buildings. The main problem? The reflection of the sun on the façade generated heat spots that They exceeded 60 degrees Celsius, affecting homes, sidewalks and even traffic, where drivers reported dangerous glare. The building, intended as a cultural symbol, began to be perceived as a threat urban. The local press documented how some areas became practically uninhabitable during certain hours of the day, turning the work into a paradigmatic case of how iconic architecture can fail when it ignores its impact on the immediate environment. An unusual solution. In the face of growing public pressure, the solution was as radical as it was symbolic: sand the building. Specialized teams subjected part of the façade to a process “sandblasting” to remove the polished finish and reduce the reflective ability of the steel. In practice, this meant physically altering one of the most distinctive features of the original design. And although Gehry defended that the problem derived more of the execution From conception, the episode made clear that even the most celebrated works can require drastic fixes when they come into contact with reality. As various media reflected at the time, the icon had to be “domesticated” in order to coexist with the city. Lessons from a partial failure in modern architecture. The case of the Walt Disney Concert Hall It was neither a structural collapse nor a total failure, but it was a strong warning on the limits of spectacle architecture. He demonstrated that formal innovation, when not accompanied by a deep understanding of factors such as solar radiation, the urban environment or real materials, can generate problems as serious and unexpected. Not only that. It also highlighted the fragility of the balance between aesthetics, engineering and habitability in contemporary architecture. The legacy. There is no doubt, today, the concert hall continues to be one of the most admired buildings in the world and a cultural reference in Los Angeles. But his story carries an uncomfortable lesson: even the most prestigious architect and a client with unlimited resources can overlook the most essential. In their search for a global icon, they forgot for a time that architecture is not only looked at, you also live. And in this case, for a few months, living near the work could mean something as simple and brutal as enduring unbearable heat generated by the building itself. Image | Pexels, Wally Gobetz, Slices of Light In Xataka | If the solution to the housing crisis is to “build high”, Spain has the best possible example at hand: Benidorm In Xataka | If the question is whether a skyscraper can be erased without demolishing it, Paris has the answer: yes, in exchange for a fortune

The Jarama Circuit resurrects amid neighborhood complaints

by

It is 8:30 in the morning and a light rain is falling on the Jarama Circuit. Those who already know the area expect a less than peaceful day. The Madrid circuit seems to have one of those microclimates that is governed by its own laws. There is no AEMET or weatherman to anticipate what is about to happen in the 3,850 meters through which the circuit extends. Here, you either freeze or cook, there is no middle ground. Perhaps that is why we have been able to park with complete peace of mind. Problems expected on Friday. Full house at the Jarama Circuit to see the first Formula E race in Spain in its entire history. 30,000 people packed into a circuit from the 60s that has barely been able to grow in width, constrained by the urbanizations that grew almost at the same time as the fame of Madrid’s asphalt. On Friday we had taken a first walk through the paddock thanks to the invitation of the DS Penske team. The company announced there that will leave Formula E next yearafter supporting the competition in its first twelve years of life in which it has added four championships (two for the team and two for drivers in the 2018-19 and 2019-2020 seasons), 18 victories and 55 podiums. It remains to be seen if in the remainder of the year they can scratch any more records before make way for Opel, the company that will take its place. DS will set sail. Specifically to Rolex SailGP Championship where they will take part by associating with the SailGP Team France, the team with which they will share knowledge to take an unprecedented step in their competitive vocation. Nothing indicated, at the moment, that DS Penske or any other team in the championship would have to take the lifeboats to the track but the weather, as we say, was not pleasant. Perhaps that is why the stands took time to fill on a historic day for the circuit. A new life for the Jarama Circuit The Jarama Circuit is a peculiar space. The route was born in 1967 when the land was nothing more than a wasteland still far from Madrid. But almost immediately Ciudalcampo began to be built next to it, an exclusive urbanization in which millionaire villas are collected. For decades, there have been neighbors who have had an open war against the circuit. Between 1968 and 1981, Formula 1 was a regular feature on the Madrid track. The motorcycle championships also met on a circuit that has become too small to safely host these competitions. Without major championships, the circuit has been seeking its survival in other types of events. Is the home of the Royal Automobile Club of Spain (RACE) and it has stayed alive by carrying out some federation competitions of greater or lesser significance such as some stages of the Spanish Rally Championship and some of great tradition such as the Spanish Grand Prix of the European Truck Championship. During this time, the neighbors have been denouncing that the noise generated by competitions far exceeds that allowed for rest. But they emphasize that since the pandemic, events that generate noise have multiplied from early in the morning to late in the afternoon, such as drift events or rallies and private events of car brands. The prosecutor’s office, for now, has already agreed with the neighbors Therefore, the activities on the circuit are more committed than ever in recent years. Formula E is not another headache for them. This time less noisy but with all the inconveniences of having a circuit with capacity for tens of thousands of people within an urbanization without a good connection by public transport. The three hours it took us to leave the circuit at the end of the day attest to this, forced to leave the parking lots along a single street full of roundabouts without the capacity to absorb so much traffic. Upon arrival, however, we realized that noise would not be a problem. Not, at least, the one about cars. “But they do look like my Scalextric cars“They sound the same,” I heard next to me when we passed under the tunnel that separates the outer area of ​​the circuit from the paddock, in the inner ring. And, certainly, the sound of these electric cars is very similar to what modeling fans find. Free Practice 1 had started, a difficult time to get out onto the track. Unlike Formula 1, Formula E cars do not have specific rain tires. The tires here have tread so they can perform enough in the rain to stay on the track but, yes, they do not offer as good results as the slicks when the asphalt is dry. The DS Penske team working on the car Added to this is a true truism: cars are electric. And it seems like bullshit but that says a lot about his behavior and how fine you have to be with your hands. These cars are the third generation in the history of the championship. Next year they will be more powerful and their regenerative braking will be even greater. All in all, right now they are cars that you have to be very careful with on dry asphalt. Very little developed aerodynamics, tires, as we say, that are not specific and a mechanics of up to 400 kW (536 HP) with a minimum weight of 863 kg including the driver. With acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in less than two seconds and instant torque, the crossovers at each corner exit delighted a crowd that filled the stands and the pelouse of the circuit. From the terrace of the main straight, we could already see the enormous traffic jam that was forming to enter the circuit on the neighboring A-1. By the time qualifying started at 10:40, there were still many people left to enter. Of course, the rest were already enjoying the first Formula … Read more

How can you know at what time the 2026 solar eclipse can be seen in each neighborhood or city?

by

Let’s tell you at what time will your neighborhood or city go dark due to solar eclipse of 2026. We know that this event will take place on August 12, and that it will begin to be seen in Spain at 7:30 p.m. in A Coruña, which is when the sky will begin to darken. However, since the earth is not flat, it will not be seen equally everywhere, and the route that total darkness will take will be at different times depending on where you live. What we are going to tell you is how to know how much can be seen in your city and the exact hours. All the eclipse data in your neighborhood or city To obtain this data, we are going to use an official website of the National Geographic Institute created for this eclipse. You have to enter visualizers.ign.es/eclipses/2026and at the top write your zip code or location name in the box that appears. You can also search for the site by putting a pin on the map. When you do, you will go to a page where On the left you have an informative column. In it you will be told things such as whether the total eclipse is going to arrive or it will only be partial, as well as the start times of the partial eclipse and the total or annular eclipse wherever you have chosen. On this website, what you have to do is move the temporary bar that appears belowwhere it says Evolution of the eclipse. So, when the sky is going to be completely covered the map will turn blackand you will be able to see from the beginning of the total eclipse to how long it will last. This tool can be very useful, because it will allow you to organize yourself to see the eclipse correctly. If you are going to travel somewhere or if it will be in your city, you will be able to know the exact times, as well as the differences between where you are and nearby areas. In Xataka Basics | Solar eclipses visible in Spain: these are the three astronomical events of 2026, 2027 and 2028

three new stations with connection to a new neighborhood

by

Plans to bring Madrid Metro Line 1 north are already underway. The Department of Transport of the Community of Madrid has published the informative study with the alternatives to take the metro to Madrid Nuevo Norte, which is where the capital is focusing its efforts on transforming the entire Chamartín station. Taking L1 to the north has been one of the five options on the table of the regional administration, and at the moment the favorite. The idea is to create three new stations and reorganize the current final section of the line to integrate with L4. We tell you all the details. What exactly is proposed. The alternative proposes extending L1 from Chamartín–Clara Campoamor about three kilometers to the north, with three new stops that have been nicknamed with provisional names: Business Center, Fuencarral Sur and Fuencarral Norte. The first would cover the office area planned next to Chamartín; The other two would serve the new residential neighborhoods that will be built on the old Castellana roads, and also the residents who already live in Fuencarral. The preferred option. The Ministry describes it, according to collect 20 Minutes, as “the most favorable option for carrying out this project after analyzing the different functional, environmental, territorial and economic issues.” The other four alternatives were committed to creating an independent driverless line exclusively for Madrid Nuevo Norte, but technicians ruled it out for being less efficient and more expensive in comparison. Of course, the initial budget of the chosen option is not exactly modest: the study, to which Somos Madrid had access, estimates it at 401 million euros (VAT included). The change that affects Line 4. This solution has a direct consequence on the current network, since the Bambú and Pinar de Chamartín stations, which today belong to L1, will become part of Line 4. This line, which currently ends in Pinar de Chamartín, will be extended to Chamartín, where it will connect with L1 and L10. On paper it is a reorganization that aims to benefit everyone, since L4 users will gain direct access to the train station, and L1 will become a continuous axis between the center of Madrid (Sol, Gran Vía, Atocha) and the new northern neighborhood. How and when it will be built. The works will not be done with a tunnel boring machine. As it is a short section and on land that has not yet been developed, the Belgian method (or classic Madrid method) will be used, which involves excavating from the surface. Just like they count from 20 Minutes, the cut and cover technique will be used for the stations (the same one that is being used in the expansion of L11) and for connections with L4 the German method will be applied. It is projected in two phases: First the redistribution of lines 1 and 4. Then the extension to Madrid Nuevo Norte. Work on the first phase is expected to be completed around 2030. Who will benefit. According to the estimates of demand from the studio itself, the extension will serve an environment with more than 200,000 residents and 140,000 jobs. The Community also estimates that the expansion will generate about 175,000 new daily users for L1. Where is the project now? With the publication of the five alternativesthe Ministry has opened a 20-day public information period so that citizens, associations and administrations can present allegations from the Transparency Portal of the Community of Madrid. Once the proposals have been studied, the final informative study must be approved, and from there the project would advance. Along with this, a tender has also been put out to draft the draft the future garageswhich would have a capacity of about 15,000 m² on the surface and 26,000 m² below ground, and also the commission to develop the construction project for the expansion, although for the latter we must first wait for the final study to be approved. Cover image | Madrid Metro In Xataka | Mayrit, the 1,500-ton “underground factory”, is about to start its engines with one objective: to transform Madrid’s L11

A company has filled a neighborhood with sidewalk outlets to charge electric cars. Their results are contradictory

by

In 2022, a German company called Rheinmetall proposed a new charging solution: put outlets on the sidewalks. Trying to find solutions for those who wanted to jump to an electric or plug-in hybrid car but did not have a garage, the company proposed a system to charge on the same street, without having to go to an electric station. Three years later: we have the results. A pilot test. After receiving approval from the authorities, the company began a pilot in 2024 in central Cologne and Lindenthala residential neighborhood of the city characterized by its low and individual houses. Neighborhood where, by the way, you will find the status of the local soccer team. The idea is simple, you park on the sidewalk and on the ground, on the curb, you find a plug hidden in a cover. You scan a code printed on it and connect the car with your own charging cable for AC use. As if it were any other charging point, both ends are joined and when the payment is completed, it is passed through the use of a mobile application. The results. In general terms, the results have been good. According to the company, a total of 2,800 charging cycles were carried out in the pilot test in one year. On average, the cars recharged 18 kWh, which in the city means more than 100 kilometers of autonomy for an electric car and between 80 and 100 kilometers on the highway (depending on its efficiency). They point out that each day the plug has been used an average of twice a day and that its availability has been 99%, so there have hardly been any breakdowns. The figure is good if we compare it with the European and Spanish average. In our country, public outlets They are only used 1.5 times a day and, on average, each charger is only busy between 30 and 120 minutes a day in Europe. Customer opinion. The company has conducted a survey of users who have offered their point of view to the system. It included the score given by the drivers (five points maximum) and some notes, complaints or recommendations made by customers. In total, the system has obtained 4.38 points out of five. But, above all, they have received very positive evaluations among customers over 60 years old, who value the simplicity of the system. In addition, they highlight that the plugs have not been damaged by water and that vandalism or uncivil acts (such as not picking up pet excrement) have not been found to have been a problem when recharging. A curious solution is that the cover that hides the plug has been designed to open with a small push of the charging cable, allowing the customer to lift said cover without having to touch it with their hand. Good idea, with some cracks. They point out in forumelectriccars that one of the main problems with this type of charging points is the cost of the plug. Each one of them, which has refrigeration and air conditioning to improve charging, costs 5,000 euros, so it is a bad idea compared to a traditional home charger. Furthermore, if you want to get the most out of the system, it would be necessary to reserve space for these charging points on the street, so there is no difference with any other public charging point unless the street is filled with plugs. That is, as happens with public outlets that are not located at a gas station, the parking space is reduced to reserve spaces that are not always occupied. Other proposals. Public charging is one of the great challenges that the electric car represents. One of its advantages is to leave the house with a charged car or, at least, take advantage of its parking lot to fill its batteries since alternating current is slow and most of the time a car is stopped. The most obvious proposal is the electric stations, with a huge number of high-power plugs available. another is fill shopping and leisure centers with chargerssince a visit to fully recharge the battery can take days or weeks (depending on daily trips) without plugging in our car. With an average of 50 kilometers per day, a car that drives 500 kilometers of autonomy in the city has 10 days to go without plugging the car back in, just three days a month. But if we want to bring public charging to the city streets, Portugal, United Kingdom either Netherlands have been experimenting with public outlets on streetlights. The system is as simple as including sockets on the curbs but with the difference that the socket comes from a street lamp and does not require installation on the ground. The paradox of slow recharging. The problem with this type of recharge is that slow charging takes hours and hours with the car plugged in. If a socket charges our car at 7.4 kW of power, it will be necessary to spend about 10 hours to completely fill the battery of a 60 kWh vehicle, a small size that is on the border between those who want the car for an urban environment and those who want to dare to travel with him. Those refills They are interesting if the price is low But they require that, to get the most out of it, we have to leave the car parked there for an entire working day or an entire night. The system, therefore, is certainly inefficient in terms of servicing more than one car. To charge at this power, the data says that most electric car drivers charge at home. Outside of it, the customer usually chooses to recharge at higher powers. For example, a 50 kW plug can now fully charge a car in less than three hours, which is the time we spend watching a movie at the cinema. And on a trip, the most practical thing is usually to look for … Read more

the cloud will have a neighborhood version

by

Telefónica has deployed a network of 17 mini data centers in Spain that changes the architecture of cloud computing. Instead of sending information via submarine cable to a server in Virginia for processing there, the data stays in your city, possibly in your neighborhood. Why is it important. This infrastructure edge computing brings computing, storage and AI capacity to the end user. It reduces latency and keeps data under local jurisdiction, two critical requirements for applications that require immediate response or have some regulatory sensitivity. The panoramic. The telecom has already activated ten nodes in cities such as Madrid, Barcelona, ​​Seville and Bilbao, and will add another seven before June. In a period of five to seven years it could reach a hundred locations, all of them taking advantage of telephone exchanges that are no longer in use. copper quenching after 140 years. Each node has between 1 and 2 megawatts of power and is equipped with NVIDIA accelerators for AI inference. The network adds 3 MW added starting, expandable according to commercial demand. The context. European telecoms are desperately seeking new business models in the face of the ‘commoditization’ of connectivity. Telefónica has found a way to turn legacy infrastructure into a new product to sell. After all, their plants already have electricity, fiber and a direct connection to the 5G core. The project received 93 million euros of European funds. Orange, Deutsche Telekom, Telecom Italia and 4iG already deploy similar networks in their countries: France, Germany, Italy and Hungary respectively. What is happening. Telefónica does not compete against AWS, Azure or Google Cloud. Their commitment is complementary: solving use cases that large cloud providers do not serve at all well because they require processing alongside the user. In fact, it negotiates with those same hyperscalers to offer their services over this distributed network. The objective is to combine connectivity, security and computing in a kind of ‘premium offer’ for those who need ultra-low latency. In detail. Low latency is key in usage applications that do not support delays: Real-time video analysis. Management of drones or autonomous fleets. Digital twins industrial. Assisted or autonomous driving. Medical image processing. Yes, but. The question is whether there is enough commercial demand to make one hundred mini-centers profitable. Many applications operate perfectly with the latency of a classic data center. The success of the model depends on many great use cases that require that ultra-low latency coming to fruition. The autonomous car would be the most obvious, but its real deployment in Spain has not yet gone beyond a green shoot. And now what. Commercial services will start shortly after the testing phase with clients. The real test will come when we see if companies and institutions are willing to pay a premium for that ultra-low latency. If it works, Telefónica will have found an ingenious second life for assets that seemed destined for scrapping or Idealista. If not, it will be another failed experiment by telcos to escape the data pipeline business. In Xataka | Vodafone negotiates with Telefónica and Orange to create a common front: a RANco Featured image | Telephone

In 2017, the owner of an electric car installed a charger with his neighborhood community against him. The Supreme Court has spoken

by

A neighborhood association does not have the right to prevent a neighbor from installing a charger in their garage. This is the conclusion reached by the Supreme Court, confirming what can already be read in the Horizontal Property Law where this assumption is included. This has been the case of a neighbor from Alicante. 2017. The entire case studied by the Supreme Court has its origins in the last months of 2017. As stated in the rulingat the beginning of September of that year, the owner of an electric car contacts the administrator of his neighborhood community to inform him that he is going to install an electric car charger in his garage. There begins an exchange of communications in which the property manager maintains that he cannot carry out said installation because he is occupying common areas with the cables pulled for it and asks him to wait for the ordinary meeting to ask the neighbors if they agree with said installation since he can only carry it out if all the neighbors give their approval. Why does an electric car have less autonomy than advertised? without permission. It is then that the owner of the electric car tells the administration of the garage’s community of neighbors and its president that he does not need the approval of the neighbors since it is only necessary to inform the community of owners of his intentions. To do this, remember that in the article 17.5 of the Horizontal Property Law the following is specified: The installation of an electric vehicle charging point for private use in the building’s parking lot, provided that it is located in an individual parking space, will only require prior communication to the community. The cost of said installation and the corresponding electricity consumption will be assumed entirely by the person or parties directly interested in it. Therefore, he points out, the installation will be carried out whether the neighborhood community wants it or not. He emphasizes that he will pay the costs in full and that the electricity will be supplied with the service of his home. The complaint. Once the charging point was installed in December 2017, the ordinary meeting of the neighborhood community decided in February 2018 that the installation is illegal because it is occupying common areas and that for this the owner must receive the approval of the neighbors. They point out that if the installation is not eliminated within two months they will use the appropriate legal measures. Given this decision, the owner of the electric car denounces the community of neighbors so that the agreement in which the installation of his charging point was discussed is annulled. The defendant neighborhood association requests that it be dismissed and the court of first instance agrees with it, dismissing the lawsuit and ruling that the owner of the electric car has to pay the costs of the trial. From there, the matter escalates to the Supreme Court. First, the owner appeals the decision and the court of second instance agrees with him, admitting the complaint to be processed and declaring the agreement of the ordinary meeting null and void despite the fact that the community of owners filed an appeal that was dismissed. Then, the community of neighbors files an appeal against the decision of the court of second instance. The Supreme Court. With all this background, the Supreme Court concludes that the owner has the right to install a charging point in his parking space despite the fact that he has to occupy common areas with perforations and passage of cables, as detailed by the community of neighbors. In its ruling, the highest judicial body rejects the appeal of the community of owners. They remember that although in article 17 of the Horizontal Property Law there are several points that require the unanimity of the owners to occupy common areas for private purposes, this is not the case in the case of the fifth point in which the installation of charging points is regulated. Additionally, they explain the following: (The installation) requires an electrical supply, which can only be obtained through the appropriate conduction, it is obvious that it must necessarily flow through such elements. In other words, the legislator had to necessarily imagine that the wiring would pass through common elements. If, however, it introduced this rule without referring to said circumstance or the agreement of the Community, it is because it considered that this particular action was excluded or outside the decision-making powers of the Community, which could not oppose the practice of installation Communicate but do not ask permission. As confirmed by experts in horizontal property to Xatakaany resident of a community garage can install a charging point for their electric car even if the neighborhood community objects. Legally, it is only necessary to communicate the intention to do so and comply with the Technical Guide of application of the ITC-BT 52. Special purpose facilities. Infrastructure for recharging electric cars. When the Madrid College of Administrators was consulted, its advisors recommended complying with the following requirements to avoid problems: Prior communication by the requesting owner or neighbor. From the meter to the charging point, the line must be installed under approved pipe and along the route agreed upon with the community of owners, and common conduits and boxes cannot be used. The pipe pass from the meter room to the garage will be the responsibility of the requesting owner. The charging point will be installed on the back wall of the parking space, as centrally as possible and without occupying the flight of the adjacent spaces. The owner or neighbor must deliver the installation bulletin to the community of owners. Comply with current regulations at all times. An exception. It occurs in Catalonia and its objective is to facilitate the installation of more than one charging point for electric cars by taking advantage of the implementation of the first plug or, at least, trying to ensure that it … Read more

They have wallpapered an entire neighborhood in Huelva against the gorillas. The posters are signed by “an angry neighbor”

by

Neighbors of the Huelva neighborhood of Nuevo Molino have stood up to the ‘gorrillas’ with a poster campaign throughout the area with a warning: “This street is not an ORA zone. Parking here is free.” Residents claim that this illegal practice is becoming unsustainable in the area, which has led one angry neighbor to post signs freely, according to inform the newspaper Huelva24. A spontaneous protest. A few days ago, during the night of Thursday, October 23, several residents of the Punta Umbría street area went out to put up posters on the busiest streets in the neighborhood, according to point the middle. The messages appeared next to the Quirón Hospital, sports areas, shops and residential portals. Signed by “an angry neighbor”, the notices include direct phrases such as “Don’t be charged when you leave your vehicle”, aimed at both drivers and those who carry out this activity. Some of the signs were also placed directly on the windshields of parked vehicles. What the neighborhood says. Although the initiative has not come directly from the Costa de la Luz Neighborhood Association, from the collective recognize that discontent is widespread. The association has echoed the “popular clamor” that exists in the neighborhood through its social networks, according to point the middle, where residents have shown their support for the protest and demand urgent solutions. The diary inform Furthermore, the matter was already discussed at the last neighborhood assembly, where numerous residents expressed their concern about a problem that they consider entrenched. why now. Although this is a problem that neighbors have been reporting for years, the situation has worsened in recent months. According to residents, the presence of gorillas has intensified especially at the entrances to the park and around the hospital, generating “continuous discussions and fights” that have created a climate of tension in the neighborhood. Neighbors point out that the most affected areas coincide with areas of high influx of people: around the hospital, the sports facilities and the commercial areas of Nuevo Molino. What they denounce. The residents describe the activity as “a form of pressure and coercion towards drivers”, according to they collect the texts of the posters. They report that many users give in to payment for fear of reprisals or simply to avoid conflicts. On the signs, residents remind that parking on the streets of the neighborhood is free and is not subject to any type of time regulation or mandatory payment. What they ask for. The neighbors they claim “real solutions” to the Huelva City Council and the Government Subdelegation. Specifically, they demand a greater police presence in the affected areas and the implementation of specific social measures aimed at people who practice this practice, to “be able to live cordially.” The neighborhood association does not rule out promoting other actions or proposals immediately if the situation persists without an institutional response. Cover image | Huelva24 In Xataka | “It’s plastic, greetings”: Madrid Metro has spent millions on advanced machines to cover them like shacks

Madrid has found in Usera an unexpected vein to touristify the neighborhood: a "Madrid-style Chinatown"

by

If London, New York, Antwerp, Buenos Aires (and so on a long etcetera of cities) have their own “Chinatowns”, why would Madrid be any different? And above all, why would it be if we take into account that these neighborhoods tend to be poles of tourist attraction and Madrid is precisely looking for decentralize your flow of visitors? It sounds like pure theory, but the capital’s City Council is betting on just that: boost “a Madrid-style Chinatown” in Usera. The goal: touristify the area with that new seal. In a place in Madrid… Today’s User has little (very little) to do with the User of a few decades ago. Over the last few years, this district of Madrid has received a wave of Chinese families who have been transforming part of its streets. And not just because they now reside there thousands of neighbors from the Asian giant (in 2022 the City Council spoke of more than 10,000 people of Chinese nationality; other estimates raise the community to 20,000). To the first wave of immigrants, who arrived in the 80s and 90s and who dedicated themselves to opening restaurants and bazaars, have been followed by a second, more educated generation that has set up new businesses, such as pharmacies or law firms. It comes with taking a walk through one of the streets of the neighborhood, such as Dolores Barranco (or directly pull the street view of Google Maps), to see signs in Chinese advertising bars, clinics, shops, agencies, hairdressers, travel agencies, technology stores, food, furniture… and of course pedestrians arriving from the second most populous country on the planet. All between facades, awnings and the occasional business that reminds us that we are in a neighborhood of Madrid. Madrid’s Chinatown? That is the idea (and the brand) that has been taking shape in recent years in the capital. Both on the street and in the institutions themselves, which have not hesitated to talk about “Chinatown of Usera” either “Madrid-style Chinatow”. After all, it is nothing new. Other large cities, such as London, New York or Vancouver (to name only some cases) have their own Chinatowns, characterized by their proliferation of Asian businesses and which stand out for two reasons: their interculturality and great tourist potential. Why is it important? Because the latter (tourism potential) is something to take into account in a town like Madrid, which last year alone received more than 11 million of visitors and has seen how mass tourism became a challenge that affects something as essential as its residential market. Tourism has become a huge businessbut José Luis Martínez-Almeida’s team knows that for keep growing Without suffocating the city, it needs to grow in an orderly manner. And one of its great bets to achieve this is the “decentralization” of the flow of visitors, ensuring that tourists go beyond the Retiro, Sol or the Royal Palace and expand with a “balanced distribution.” To achieve this, the city has some important assets, such as new itinerariesthe bet on Formula 1 and… (exactly!) the “Chinatown-Usera”. What do you have in mind? Convert a part of Usera into “the new ‘Madrid Chinatown’”, as advertisement the Madrid City Council in 2022, when it advanced part of its plans for the area: opting for the decoration of the environment, delimiting the entrance and exit with large arches designed by the Chinese community, pedestrianizing Dolores Barranco street and improving some squares. Initiatives that will favor pedestrians and, Cybele reasons“will boost trade.” Since then the project has continued to advance in several phases to extend almost two kilometers (1.7km) between the Plaza del Hidrogen, the market and Madrid Río with a total investment that approaches nine million of euros. What are you looking for? “One of the most unique aspects of the remodeling will be the installation of elements that reinforce the identity of the environment as ‘Chinatown’ through the incorporation of specific furniture and cultural references in pavements and signs,” pointed out the City Council in May of last year, when it announced the second phase of the project. Among the strengths of the project, he emphasized that it had been carried out “with the involvement of the Chinese community.” Do you have a tourist focus? Yes. Although that is not the only spirit of the project, the City Council itself recognizes that it reflects a large part of its reason for being. “It seeks to reinforce the identity of the neighborhood as a place of residence for an important part of the Chinese community, favoring the integration of some of its cultural features with the traditional ways of life of the neighbors with the complementary objective of progressively decentralizing the city’s tourism, which mostly goes to central districts,” claims the Consistory. Not everything has been easy. Madrid has seen difficulties to find companies interested in manufacturing the access arches, a key part of the project and which identify the Chinese neighborhoods in other cities, such as London or New York. {“videoId”:”x91sz26″,”autoplay”:false,”title”:”This is the PERFECT BOARDING of a plane AND NO AIRLINE DOES IT ❌✈️”, “tag”:”webedia-prod”, “duration”:”567″} Is there more on the table? Yes. On Sunday elDiario.es revealed that not everything will be a pedestrian promenade and decoration with Asian echoes. The City Council also plans a “tourist quality” program that will have as its highlight a “Chinatown de Madrid” seal, according to the newspaper after consulting the contract of the Usera Board. Among other issues, the idea is to assess the quality of certain businesses in the neighborhood (there are at least 280 “with tourist potential”), help them improve and reward those that meet their standards with the quality badge. The objective, collect the sheetsis to “position Usera as an attractive destination for attracting family, cultural and gastronomic tourism” and “attract and capture new local, national and foreign audiences.” All while works progress for the almost two kilometer walk from Madrid Río and the installation of the first arch. The remodeling represents an opportunity for the neighborhood, although there … 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.