Guiding Architects, tour: The new Madrid Río River Park (Fig. 1)

Guiding Architects, tour: The new Madrid Río River Park (Fig. 2)

Guiding Architects, tour: The new Madrid Río River Park (Fig. 3)

Guiding Architects, tour: The new Madrid Río River Park (Fig. 4)

Guiding Architects, tour: The new Madrid Río River Park (Fig. 5)

Guiding Architects, tour: The new Madrid Río River Park (Fig. 6)

Tour in Madrid:
The new Madrid Río River Park

The Manzanares River, although too small to be navigable, was between 80 and 100 metres below the level of the city, which for centuries was an obstacle to Madrid's expansion towards the west. This became even more evident in the 1960s, when the M30 motorway was built with three lanes on each side of the river.

This situation changed radically in 2003 thanks to a huge project by Madrid City Council: in just eight years of construction work, the M30 motorway was buried on its western side and a new and popular 7-kilometre-long green space was created on top of it: Madrid Río park, which has considerably improved the quality of life of a million inhabitants.

The bike tour with explanations about the project goes from Plaza de España to the Manzanares Valley, passing through the impressive new Madrid Río river park, and ends with a visit to the new Matadero cultural centre.