Over the next twenty years, it will undergo a ma- jor transformation and modernisation. It will have new, more connected, functional, and sustainable neighbourhoods. It will provide affordable housing adapted to the current preferences of its inhabitants, with a focus on the natural environment, health, and well-being. As the Mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez Almeida, said: “Madrid is the city of opportunities”, “there is no other city that has plans for more than 100,000 homes that will be built in the south-east developments”. It is worth noting that more than half of these homes will be built in Valdecarros.
With an area of 19 million square meters where more than 51,000 free and subsidised housing units will be built to house a population of 150,000 people, Valdecarros is Madrid’s largest urban development, residential and public housing project between now and 2040. The development of this neighbourhood will be beneficial for the entire population of the city, as it will not only contribute to improving the access to housing for all citizens, especially young people; it will also be a great economic boost for the region by generating thousands of jobs both in the short (construction) and long term (developments destined for economic activity).
Valdecarros is also the only area where there are still significant land investment opportunities. It will be an area where the entire development and construction sector will find raw materials to perform its activity, with an investment in urbanization of more than 1,4 billion euros, which rises to 7,5 billion euros if we consider the investment in the building. The construction of the first three stages of Valdecarros alone will mean 13,500 homes and large green areas, facilities, and commercial areas - the equivalent of the entire sectors of Cañaveral or Valdebebas - with an investment in the urban development of 180 million euros.
It is therefore the most important project for housing policy in the next few years. The presence of the Public Administration in the ownership of the land and their social and sustainable commitment is a major endorsement. At the same time, the new neighbourhood represents an incredible environmental opportunity. It provides more than 700 hectares of green areas and wooded spaces. It is also part of the Bosque Metropolitano ( Metropolitan Forest) project, an authentic green lung of 75 kilometres that surrounds Madrid and one of whose strategic closures will be in Valdecarros.
In addition to the Metropolitan Forest, there will be urban parks thanks to which every house in the neighbourhood will be located within 200 meters of a green area. So, each resident will have a green area equivalent to 48 square meters, four times more than what is recommended by international organisations. Valdecarros will undoubtedly bring considerable environmental improvement for the city as a whole, which will result in a healthier lifestyle for the residents. At the same time, in its planning, the greatest importance has been given to boosting neighbourhood life, which is why it will have 461,088 square meters of commercial space, of which almost 40% will be for local shops. The neighbourhood is planned in such a way that all homes will be located less than 300 meters from a shopping centre.
On the other hand, the office space will offer a new and powerful economic centre within the capital that will allow many residents to have their own homes, live and work without having to leave their neighbourhood. Moreover, due to its location, Valdecarros will be one of the best-connected urban developments in Madrid.
In short, Valdecarros will become a centre-piece for the Southeast. A complete, self-sufficient, and dynamic micro-city, with the particularity of being, at the same time, another district of Madrid’s capital. In fact, in a project of such magnitude as this, there will be room for all existing real estate product formats, as well as those that may arise in the future, and its development in stages will be carried out with flexibility, accommodating the needs of today’s fast-changing society.