In November 2019, the construction of Valencia’s first ‘superblock’ was announced. Since then, details have been given in dribs and drabs, but the truth is that more than 15 months later, the project is still in the process of formalising the “design of the graphic paving stone” that will illustrate this area located next to the Gran Vía Fernando el Católico. Aumsa details in the public tender project the obligations to be fulfilled by any applicant, who will be charged a sum amounting to 3,000 euros. The resolution will not be known until April, so the works will still take some time to start. The Valencia ‘superblock’ is expected to be created in three phases.
The idea of the concejalía de Desarrollo y Renovación Urbana (Department of Development and Urban Renewal) is not new, as it would be to apply in the city of Valencia a model inspired by the one followed in Barcelona. The ‘superblock’ consists, directly, of almost completely pedestrianising an intersection and its adjoining streets, inverting the space available to the car for the pedestrian. In this way, and applying it to the case of Extramurs, what is currently the junction of the streets Palleter and Calixto III and the sections between this and Literato Gabriel Miró, Juan Llorens, Erudito Orellana and Gran Vía will essentially stop having parked cars so that pedestrians will occupy the space of the streets. In addition, the direction of traffic will be changed.
Approximately 16 months after the project was announced, a public competition has recently been launched for “professional designers and design studios of the Valencian Community ” to design the graphic paving stones to be placed in this area between several schools. The winning project will receive a financial compensation of 3,000 euros.
Aumsa has a document on its website which formalises the conditions for submitting projects and states that the aim is to “create a neighbourhood identity” with a “paving stone,” which will be the image to be painted on the pedestrian area. In one of the cases in Barcelona, for example, it is a set of yellow triangles.
The public company’s document sets out the three phases in which the ‘superblock’ project will be implemented, as well as describing how the work will be carried out. In this case, Valencia City Council will opt for “white or flexible urbanisation”, a method that involves “minimal, fast and low-cost work”.
In addition, in June 2020, the City Council announced a second ‘superblock’ in Valencia.
