Veronica Rudge Green Prize in Urban Design 2015: Madrid RÍO

The 12th Veronica Rudge Green Prize in Urban Design has been awarded to Madrid RÍO, a new linear park in Madrid designed by a team led by Ginés Garrido of Burgos & Garrido, including Porras & La Casta, Rubio & Álvarez-Sala, and West 8. The park entailed the creation of 120 hectares of new public space, which encompasses dozens of sports areas (tennis and basketball courts, soccer fields, fitness areas, rock climbing center, skate park), greenswards, plazas, cafes and restaurants, an orchard, an urban beach, children’s play areas, plus 30 kilometers of cycling paths and 11 new footbridges. The project also prompted the restoration of five historic dams and two historic bridges (the Puente de Segovia and Puente de Toledo), as well as the refurbishment of highway bridges and the recuperation of areas surrounding these infrastructural works. With these new river crossings and the incorporation of existing historic features into the new park plan, Madrid RÍO has strengthened surrounding neighborhoods’ connection to the new amenities and to each other.

According to Professor Rahul Mehrotra, chair of the jury, the decision to award Madrid Río the Green Prize was motivated by the jury’s desire to highlight the potential for thoughtfully planned and carefully executed mobility infrastructures to transform a city and its region. The extent to which the project harnesses the deployment of new infrastructures as an opportunity to repair and regenerate the city through carefully articulated design interventions is particularly valuable within the context of contemporary urbanization globally. The award ceremony will feature a brief presentation on the project by Ginés Garrido of Burgos & Garrido, with other team members in attendance. An exhibition on the project is on view in the main gallery of Gund Hall from January 19 to March 6, 2016.

For more information about the Veronica Rudge Green Prize in Urban Design or to view past winners and online exhibition content, visit urbandesignprize.org.

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