Vitoria-Gasteiz has created the core of a new superblock, upon completion of the pedestrianisation works of Médico Tornay Street. The investment in the intervention, that started in August last year, has almost reached one million euros.
Completion of the pedestrianisation works of Médico Tornay Street in Vitoria-Gasteiz.
ReVeALing Médico Tornay Street
This morning we can see how the intervention has been very worthwhile. Today we have a pedestrian space, friendly, accessible, renovated. Where before there were parked vehicles and little space, now we enjoy a high quality area. An area with people in the middle of the public space, bars, restaurants and commercial activity: an area with life.
These were the words of the mayor Gorka Urtaran, who visited the site together with the Councillor for Mobility and Public Space, Amaia Barredo. With them, there were also the neighbourhood representatives and shopkeepers.
This new square is a perfect example of what it means to extend the pedestrian areas and develop the model of superblocks in the districts of Vitoria-Gasteiz,
said Gorka Urtaran.
Triangular-shaped interior sub-squares for Médico Tornay Street.
The refurbishment has enabled the creation of a “superblock” core. This gave continuity to the provisions of the Mobility and Public Space Plan.
How does the new superblock look like?
Until this moment, the area had narrow sidewalks and winding itineraries in an area mostly intended for private vehicles. The intervention affected an area of 5.500 square metres; it has also provided new pedestrian overpasses at the intersections with the adjacent streets to improve accessibility.
The Department of Mobility and Public Space of the Vitoria-Gasteiz City Council designed two triangular-shaped interior sub-squares for Médico Tornay Street. Two of the streets within the intervention, on the other hand, maintain their character as roads. However, authorities have left the section of this route at sidewalk level with polished asphalt pavement and pedestrian priority. They have also further renovated and extended the existing children’s play area.
In the same way, the urban furniture has been updated with new benches, litter bins, bike racks, bollards and new trees that will grow as time goes by, specifically, several mulberry trees and a large Celtis australis.
In the coming months, the previous study that was carried out within the framework of the ReVeAL project will be repeated to evaluate the changes in mobility in the pilot area, after the spatial intervention in the new superblock core has been completed.
