//3

A M O D E S T P R O P O S A LSeeding an Ecological Legacy in Madrid’s Ghost Cities

//3

A MODEST PROPOSAL: Seeding an Ecological Legacy in Madrid’s Ghost Cities

University of PennsylvaniaDepartment of Landscape ArchitectureLa Ciudad Fantasmas: LARP 602 Option StudioCritic: Christopher MarcinkoskiSpring 2012

Brian Schundler and Brian Traylor

//5

Madrid’s Ghost Cities present a once in a generation opportunity to

establish a productive regional asset that is beautiful, vibrant and

dynamic. A Modest Proposal transforms these vacant landscapes of

economic failure into spaces of ecological opportunity. Each site

contains the inherent values of land, water and proximity to Madrid.

Reconfiguring these components within a regional forestation strategy

seeds an ecological legacy that connects Madrid’s residents to the

surrounding landscape, and brings the beauty, productivity and form of

the surrounding landscape into Madrid.

This is a book for MADRID.

It is for it’s youth, it’s political leaders and it’s community organizers.

It is for the under-employed and entrepreneurs, banking executives

and farmers, educators and ecologists, bikers and hikers, anglers and

naturalists. It is a reference. It is a tool. It is a provocation. Above all,

it is the beginning of a conversation about how to transform Madrid’s

ghost cities and towns into a valued regional asset.

Let’s get started.

//7

ground conditionssite analysisdesign approach

decision frameworkdesign typologiessummary

future scenariosregional outcomes

RESOURCE

TOOL

PROVOCATION

pg 11

pg 21

pg 29

pg 54

pg 63

pg 114

pg 119

pg 129

Get Started on Page 53

//9

ground CONDITIONS

N

CONTIGUOUS URBAN AREAS

GHOST TOWNSEXISTING PARK SPACE

//11

N

UBIQUITY

“THE COLLAPSE of Spain’s booming housing

market has left near-empty or abandoned

residential development across the country.

Giant ghost towns like Valdeluz and Sesena

have been profiled in the New York Times and

the Guardian. But they are just the tip of the

iceberg.

Rafael Valderrábano, director of Basico Homes

in Madrid, told us “more than ghost towns, the

real problem is the large numbers of small ghost

villages surrounding big cities.”

-Business Insider, May 27, 2011

//13

VACANCY

“ON A WEEDY DIRT LOT, lender Bankia is

pursuing its answer to a banking and property

crisis that has left Spain with a glut of around

one million vacant homes. Its approach: Build

even more.

The drive to keep building in a housing market

drowning in empty properties shows the depth

of Spain’s banking crisis.

Including repossessed properties, some

economists and real-estate consultants

estimate the total could be as high as one

million, or even 1.5 million vacant newly built

homes.”

-Wall Street Journal, January 11, 2012

//15

“MARIA GIL ULLDEMOLINS is a smart, confi-

dent young woman. She has one degree from

Britain and is about to conclude another in her

native Spain.

Before the financial crisis Spanish unemploy-

ment was pushed down by credit-fuelled growth

and a prolonged construction boom: in 2007 it

was just 8%. Today it is 21.2%, and among the

young a staggering 46.2%. “I trained for a world

that doesn’t exist,” says Ms. Ulldemolins.”

-The Economist, September 10, 2011

UNEMPLOYMENT

//17

“NEARLY ONE-THIRD of Spain’s roughly

500,000 square kilometers (200,000 square

miles) faces a “significant risk” of desertification,

making it one of Europe’s most affected nations,

according to the Spanish environment ministry.

Intensive agriculture, deforestation and a never-

ending construction boom, with its sprawling

urban projects add to desertification in Spain.”

-Terra Daily, September 5, 2007

DESERTIFICATION

//19

ecological INVENTORY

Parque Guadarama

Parque del Sureste

Vegas

Jaram y Henares

Manzaneres

Del rio Guadarama

//21

PROTECTED AREAS

Regional Assets

Communidad de Madrid is surrounded with a

rich mosaic of cultivated and uncultivated land-

scapes, ranging from natural grasslands to co-

niferous forests, from pasture to permanently

irrigated land.

Beauty and experience are among the qualita-

tive values inherent in these landscapes, while

the employment and ecological processes

generated by their development move toward

a standard of a more quantitative productive

value.

These landscape typologies are legible

throughout central Spain and will form the pal-

ette of our forestation strategy.

Parque Guadarama

Parque del Sureste

G

T

+

more intensive less intensive

//23

Permanently Irrigated Land

Annual Crops

Olive Groves

Vineyards

Non-IrrigatedArable Land

Pasture

Significant NaturalSpace AGRICULTURE

G

T

+

more dense less dense

//25

Coniferous Forest

MixedForest

Deciduous Forest

Chaparral

Transitional Shrub / Woodland

Natural Grasslands

Sparsely Vegetated Area REGIONAL ECOLOGY

//27

defining TERRITORY

//29

Transportation Territories

The urban form of the Madrid region is defined by a dense central core, surrounded by concentric ring highways and spoke

highways that radiate from Madrid’s center. This transportation infrastructure has fueled Madrid’s urban expansion and directly

impacted the current unsustainable land development patterns. Recent private speculative investments in the construction of

parallel and redundant spoke highways--Autopistas--within the system have created a unique set of spatial configurations in

the areas between the old and new highways. Concentrating regenerative efforts within these specific territories effectively

claims a strategic armature to establish an ecological legacy on the metropolitan scale.

A4-R4 CorridorA5-R5 Corridor

A4A5

R5

R4

UNDISTURBED URBANGHOST TOWNSAGRICULTURE

//31

A2-R2 CorridorA3-R3 Corridor

A3

A2

R3R2

CORRIDORS

P.A.U Site 2P.A.U Site 1

UNDISTURBED URBANGHOST TOWNSAGRICULTURE

//33

P.A.U Site 3

Territorial Framework

Focusing on vacant urban sites within these

territories and connected developments

planned through Spain’s Programa de

Actuación Urbanística (PAU’s) begins to form a

ring that connects the major existing parks and

ecological areas that surround Madrid. These

PAU developments include new neighborhoods

with the infrastructure and services required to

support a substantial population that currently

does not exist.

P.A.U.’s

N

R-2

R-3

R-4

R-5

A-1

A-2

A-3

A-4

A-5

A-6

EXISTING NATURAL AREASGHOST TOWNSPROPOSED TERRITORIAL FRAMEWORK

//35

N

R-2

R-3

R-4

R-5

A-1

A-2

A-3

A-4

A-5

A-6

A MODEST PROPOSAL

Communidad Madrid is littered with incomplete and under utilized residential, industrial, and infrastructural construction sites. These sites

represent a spatial manifestation of the underlying economic, social, and ecological impacts caused by a generation of speculative investment in

development and construction. In order to reverse this trend and create value from this degraded land, we propose a massive forestation strategy

that connects the surrounding natural areas and agricultural regions to the heart of Madrid.

Our proposal is predicated on the assumption that the scale and ubiquity of these damaged sites requires a solution with minimal investment and

new infrastructure. Windfarms, solar fields, algae tanks, and other green tech “magic bullets” rely on the speculative business model that led to

the current crisis. More importantly, they require expensive, single use infrastructural investments that will create a new scar on Madrid’s landscape

if they are ultimately unsuccessful or financially unsustainable. Conversely, doing nothing with these sites is not an option. The cumulative effects

of soil erosion, desertification, and unmanaged storm water runoff from all of these sites will create an ecological dead zone surrounding Madrid.

This blighted region will adversely affect the property value of adjacent communities, while severing Madrid’s physical and cultural relationship to

the surrounding environment.

In addition to the degraded construction sites, the speculation and collapse of the Spanish economy has had severe effects on youth employment

rates and urban air quality. Youth unemployment is around 45% and the Madrid region suffers from deteriorating air quality due to a 20% increase

in pollution levels over the past 20 years. In order to address these issues, an approach to reconcile these vacant urbanized territories ought

to be coupled with an immediate seeding strategy that preferences labor over technology, while promoting a long term investment in creating

an ecological legacy. Most importantly, seeding an ecological legacy creates a situation that is resistant to uncertain futures. By establishing

an ecological legacy, the vacant territories assume values greater than the existing conditions and hold the capacity to maintain their value in

perpetuity.

PROPOSAL

Madrid’s ghost cities present an opportunity to seed a forestation and vegetation strategy on a metropolitan scale. This long term effort will

be supplemented by resources generated from the short term repurposing of strategic sites as temporary event space. This phased synergy

minimizes investment risk, provides immediate site utilization, and also provides the opportunity for temporary site uses to influence the

structure and form of future planting efforts. Deploying this strategy within the context of Madrid’s existing regional ecological and agricultural

infrastructure requires minimal additional investment and limited risk; while creating a valuable asset to the city of Madrid, its environment, and

its people.

ANALYSIS

The existing land cover surrounding the Communidad de Madrid includes a mix of vegetated land and agricultural areas, ranging in type

from natural grasslands to coniferous forests, and in form from pasture to permanently irrigated land. These landscape typologies are legible

throughout central Spain and will form the palette of our forestation strategy. Their value as a land cover is inarguably superior to the deteriorating

and vacant urbanized territories that form the foundation of our proposal. Beauty and experience are among the qualitative values inherent

in these landscapes, while the employment and ecological processes generated by their development move toward a standard of a more

quantitative productive value.

The territorial strategy is informed by the location of the existing under utilized urban infrastructure, the metropolitan urban ring morphology,

and areas of significant natural and ecological value. The form of the Madrid region is defined by a dense central core, surrounded by

concentric ring road highways and spoke highways that radiate from Madrid’s center. This transportation infrastructure has fueled Madrid’s

urban expansion, but vacant territories exist both along these roadways and far removed from them. Recent private speculative investments in

the construction of parallel and redundant spoke highways (Autopistas) within the system have created a unique set of spatial configurations

in the areas between the old and new highways.

//37

Focusing on vacant urban sites within these territories and

connected PAU’s, (Planned Development Areas) begins to form

a ring that connects the major existing parks and ecological

areas that surround Madrid. Using sites within these specific

territories effectively claims a strategic armature to establish

an ecological legacy on the metropolitan scale. Once these

spaces are territorialized by the seeding strategy, their inherent

value is captured not on an individual site basis, but as a

system that operates by leveraging existing natural and physical

infrastructure.

STRATEGY

In order to develop a design language and functional expectations of the proposed ecological legacy, we are establishing a series of

typologies that will be deployed using Madrid’s natural and agricultural landscapes as the palette and the strategic territories as the location.

These typologies range in form and function from more ecological (such as Riparian Corridor, Chaparral/Pasture and Native Forest), to highly

cultivated (such as Plantation, Poplar Intercropping, Olive Grove and Urban Forest.) Each typology contains a set of conditions necessary

to be successfully implemented, as well as a set of anticipated values that will be produced. The goal of developing these typologies is to

create a consistent methodology that will match the conditions on the ground of each site with the conditions necessary for each typology to

successfully seed.

//39

know your SITE

*all images drawn to scale

+40˚34’49” N+ 3˚11’10” W

+40˚27’33” N+ 3˚26’51” W

+40˚21’22” N+ 3˚44’40” W

+40˚35’28” N+ 3˚06’40” W

+40˚24’55” N+ 3˚33’11” W

+40˚13’26” N+ 3˚38’48” W

+40˚35’03” N+ 3˚15’01” W

+40˚29’23” N+ 3˚36’32” W

+40˚15’04” N+ 3˚43’36” W

//41

Madrid’s ghost cities and towns are characterized by a broad

range of ground conditions. Each site presents a unique set

of infrastructural conditions, opportunities and constraints.

Analyzing water availability, level of development, scale,

and adjacencies, begins to break these ubiquitous sites into

operable units.

+40˚36’28” N+ 3˚16’09” W

+40˚20’25” N+ 3˚46’55” W

+40˚17’57” N+ 3˚53’45” W

+40˚35’19” N+ 3˚18’17” W

+40˚16’50” N+ 3˚55’40” W

+40˚30’44” N+ 3˚21’46” W

+40˚17’49” N+ 3˚59’20” W

del Rio Guadarama

AVAILABLE /Riparian Corridor AVAILABLE /Infrastructure Retrofit

//43

Water availability is the most critical factor

when determining new land uses and planting

strategies for Madrid’s ghost cities. Existing

waterways should be preserved and enriched

with robust riparian planting strategies.

Under utilized water infrastructure can be

retrofitted as a source for drip irrigation. Drip

irrigation efficiently irrigates agri-forestry

plantations, and can cultivate new ecologies by

broadening the regions planting pallet.

Where water resources are not available, draught

tolerant species and planting groups should

complement their surrounding ecologies.

NOT AVAILABLE /Incomplete Water Infrastructure

WATER AVAILABILITY

Valdaluz

Sessena

//45

BUILT /Under Occupied

HALF BUILT /Barely Occupied

UNBUILT /Un Occupied

LEVEL OF DEVELOPMENT

The developments that surround Madrid range

in their levels of completed construction and

building occupancy. The level and intensity of

development impacts the potential of each site

to hold productive value as an ecological or

agricultural resource.

Some residential developments have completed

an initial phase of construction and are already

supporting a small population, whereas other

areas have only been cleared in anticipation of

future infrastructure and housing units.

The level of development present on each

site will determine its capacity to function as

a productive agricultural installation or a new

constructed ecosystem.

The scale of the development grid has significant implications that inform how the site can be transformed. Sites with

large grid geometries are well suited for productive landscapes that require larger expanses for planting and cultivation

operations. Smaller sites provide a unique opportunity for creating distinct micro-climates with subtle topographic

modifications.

smadrid

//47

M L

SCALE

agriculture

urban

//49

chaparral

forest

ADJACENCIES

//51

let’s get STARTED!

Yes

No

Is the site adjacent to a river?

Is there potential for irrigation?

What are the adjacent conditions?

Yes

No

riparian

(go to next page)

event space

chaparral

chaparral

forest

agriculture

urban

chaparral

forest

69

69pg

pg

75pg

105

99pg

pg

//53//53

START WITH A SITE

Built \\ Under Occupied

plantation

olive grove

urban forest

intercropping

plantation / intercropping

olive grove

plantation / intercropping

olive grove

olive grove

forest

forest

forest

agriculture

urban

chaparral

forest

agriculture

urban

chaparral

forest

agriculture

urban

chaparral

forest

M

L

s

LEVEL OF DEVELOPMENT SIZE: ADJACENCY:

63pg

83pg

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95pg

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//55//55

LEVEL OF DEVELOPMENT SIZE: ADJACENCY:

Un Built \\ Un Occupied

plantation

urban forest

urban forest

plantation/intercropping

olive grove / plantation

olive grove

poplar intercropping

olive grove

olive grove

plantation/forest

olive grove / forest

forest

agriculture

urban

chaparral

forest

agriculture

urban

chaparral

forest

agriculture

urban

chaparral

forest

M

L

s

99pg

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83pg

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83pg

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87pg

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63pg

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//57//57

LEVEL OF DEVELOPMENT SIZE: ADJACENCY:

UnBuilt \\ UnOccupied

plantation

plantation

forest

plantation / intercropping

intercropping

olive grove

intercropping

olive grove

olive grove

plantation

plantation / forest

forest

agriculture

urban

chaparral

forest

agriculture

urban

chaparral

forest

agriculture

urban

chaparral

forest

M

L

s

99pg

99pg

99pg

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//59//59

//61

defining TYPOLOGIES

EXISTING

//63

URBAN FOREST

Existing residents can access natural open space system.

Landscape amenity has the potential to increase adjacent property values.

social environmental economic

value

s Madjacencies scale value

//65

Green infrastructure potential for storm water management in urban areas.

Shading and insulation provided by trees reduces urban heat islands and reduces the energy required to cool indoor spaces during summer.

Soil stabilization prevents erosion from existing construction sites.

investment maintenance

urban forest PROCESSES

inte

nsity

YOUTH TREE TEAMIndianapolis, IN

“The Youth Tree Team is a nine-week summer program. Participants will receive

a free lunch each work day, and will earn $8.00 per hour for their work! The Youth

Tree Team members will work 20 hours a week as a team to preserve and maintain

trees. The team will be working outdoors to water, mulch, prune, stake, and plant

trees. Youth Tree Team applicants must currently be enrolled in high school to

participate.” -http://www.kibi.org/youth_tree_team

MILLION TREES NYC TRAINING PROGRAMNew York, NY

“The MillionTrees Training Program is a collaborative initiative between the City

of New York Department of Parks and Recreation and The New York Restoration

Project. The program helps work towards a more environmentally sustainable

healthy living for the future through a 7-month green-collar job course of training

that is specifically designed to teach, educate and motivate young adults to

become more aware and proactive in the wellness of the environment while jointly

gaining employment and life skills.” -http://www.milliontreesnyc.org

URBAN FOREST YOUTH CORPLos Angeles, CA

“The LA Conservation Corps was founded in 1986 to provide 18- to 24- year olds

with a high school diploma and paid on-the-job-training. The program serves

approximately 500 18- to 24-year-old corpsmembers each year. Approximately

80% of the corpsmembers enter the program without a high school diploma and

participate in our school/work model alternating two-month blocks of high school

classes at one of our charter school sites and paid on-the-job training on work

projects throughout Los Angeles County.” -http://www.lacorps.org

//67

Sites adjacent to existing urban areas are well

situated for nurseries and seed production

operations that provide saplings and seed stock

for forestation efforts throughout the region.

Arboriculture, horticulture, forestry, ecology

and agriculture are all industries that offer jobs

across a broad range of skill sets, from labourer

to scientist. These industries provide a new

source of jobs for young Madridians previously

employed in the construction industry.

urban forest YOUTH EMPLOYMENT

+ +EXISTING PASTURE TREES

//69

= CHAPARRALTREES

Restore scenic landscape qualities of traditional Spanish countryside.

Provides grazing land for livestock; harvesting solar energy and converting it to food and fiber products.

Opportunity to re-establish endangered plant species and communities.

social environmental economic

value

s M Ldevelopment adjacencies scale value

//71

Returns ecosystemservices to degraded urban lands. Chaparral plants contain more biomass below the soil surface than above.

Increased biodiversity and vegetation cover conserves soil and contributes to the prevention of desertification.

Vegetated land cover reduces storm water runoff and contributes to a water cycle that recharges groundwater.

investment

inte

nsity

maintenance

chaparral PROCESSES

//73

Medicago aborea

Jasione mansanetian

Echium acanthocarpum

Teucrium balthazaris

Arenaria sandwort

Astragalus glycyphyllos

Aardbei bloem

SEED BOMBING

In large open sites without significant existing infrastructure, traditional

seeding efforts are not sufficient to establish strong, drought resistant

new plant communities. Broadcasting seed pods through aerial

distribution is a way to provide new plants with enhanced growing

conditions; including water and fertilized soil to ensure a strong start.

Using seed bombs over larger areas will boost the site’s resilience.

EXISTING + +DECIDUOUS WATERWAY

//75

RIPARIAN FOREST=WATERWAY

social environmental economic

value

s M Ldevelopment adjacencies scale value

Connectivity between the riparian environment and adjacent terrestrial ecosystems is considered a key element for the preservation of biodiversity.

Vegetated river edges reduce the impact of nutrient pollutants on the water supply from agriculture run-off.

Trees along waterways improve soil fertility by increasing the return of organic matter to the soil as a result of litter fall from above ground tree biomass and in situ decomposition of tree roots, especially those of the fine root fraction.

//77

investment

inte

nsity

maintenance

riparian PROCESSES

Existing waterways provide a natural corridor for new trail connections and other recreational uses.

Green infrastructure in the form of riparian buffers adjacent to urban areas reduces the need for expensive storm water infrastructure systems.

Utilizing existing natural fluvial systems reduces the need for new irrigation systems to cultivate new ecologies.

Lesser BullrushTypha angustifolia

Travelers JoyClematis vitalba

Field Elm GroveUlmus minor

Snake GrassEquisetum sp.

Winter FlameCornus sanguinea

White PoplarPopulus alba

Giant ReedArundo donaxa

HawthornCrataegus monogyna

White WillowSalix alba

//79

“Riparian habitat is a key element of river

functioning. It can support a high biodiversity,

especially in large floodplain rivers, protect

the main channel from temporal changes and

buffer large disturbances and provide refuge

and food for wildlife.

The structure and function of this riparian

habitat can either be extremely complex

and heterogeneous, as in floodplain rivers,

or relatively simple such as alongside

headwater streams. Connectivity between the

riparian environment and adjacent terrestrial

ecosystems is considered a key element for the

preservation of biodiversity.”

- M. RIERADEVALL

Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona

riparian PLANTING PALLETESpider GrassJuncus sp.

Black LaceSambucus nigra

AlderBetulacae sp.

European ChubSqualiius carolitertii

Great CormorantPhalocrocorax carbo

Spanish minnow(Anaecypris hispanica)(endangered)

MallardAnas platyrhynchos

Northern PikeEsox lucius

Common PocardAythya ferina

Brook TroutSalvelinus fontinalis

Northern ShovelerAnas clypeata

//81

Iberian NaseChondrostoma polylepis iberus

Spanish Toothcarp Aphanius iberus(endangered)

Black Crowned Night Heron Nycticorax

SterletAcipenser ruthenus(vulnerable)

Iberian BarbelBarbos comizo(vulnerable)

riparian WILDLIFE

+ +EXISTING PASTURE

//83

OLIVE GROVE=OLEA EUROPEA

social environmental economic

value

s Mdevelopment adjacencies scale

For the residents of the Spanish countryside, olive oil historically constituted the main source of nutritional fats, their most valuable export product, and was identified with their culture.

Olive cultivation is an additional income source and supports the population in rural areas during the winter period.

Chemical substances used for the production of olive oil are the lowest possible among not only its competitive products but among all other agricultural products of the Mediterranean.

The olive groves, which grow mostly on inclined, shallow, and low fertility soils, and on hand-made stone terraces, have limited watering requirements and sustain the fragile natural resources of the Mediterranean.

//85

investment

inte

nsity

maintenance

olive grove PROCESSES

Although an agro-ecosystem, the olive grove resembles the natural Mediterranean ecosystem and abandonment transforms them into natural Mediterranean type forests.

The ecosystem of the olive is relatively stable when compared with other agricultural ecosystems due to the stability of the environment itself, the trend of production, the small number of pernicious pests, the tolerance of pest damage, and the abundant beneficial arthropod fauna.

EXISTING + +GROUND COVER

//87

PLANTATION=POPLAR

social environmental economic

value

m Ldevelopment adjacencies scale

The aesthetic qualities of tree stands in plantations offer a natural buffer and wind break from undeveloped territories.

Plantations restore or maintain natural biochemical cycles and contributes to creating habitats that favor biodiversity.

Carbon sequestration in above and below ground biomass of plantations provide a direct environmental benefit estimated at 89 metric tons of carbon per hectare.

//89

investment

inte

nsity

maintenance

plantation PROCESSES

Opportunity for private investment and EU/Spanish subsidies for agro-forestry industry development.

New employment and training opportunities in forestry industry; land preparation, cultivation, processing, and maintenance.

Growing plantations mitigate the impacts of the significant pollution problem that currently exists in Madrid.

Black Bellied SandgrousePterocles orientalis

Lesser KestrelFalco naumanni

Great Spotted CuckooClamator glandarius

10 m

20 m

30 m

Hybrid PoplarPopulus x euroamericana25-35 m

EucalyptusLaurus nobilis30-60 m

HOLM OAKQuercus Ilex20-27 mNative

//91

Pines have been extensively used for land

restoration in the Mediterranean basin because

they are stress tolerant and act as a pioneer

species, facilitating the development of late-

successional hardwoods in the long-term.

Combining pine, oak, poplar and eucalyptus

plantings provides greater genetic and

economic diversity in the short term. Equally

important, mixed plantation plantings provide a

successionary jump start should the plantation

fail and go uncultivated.

This planting pallete avoids the ecological

dangers of monocropping, and provides habitat

for a number of regional bird species, including

the Lesser Kestrel, great spotted cuckoo, and

Spanish Imperial eagle.

plantation PLANTING PALLETE

Eurasian Black VultureAegypius monachus

Spanish Imperial EagleNycticorax

Scots PinePinus sylvestris30-35 m

CO2

BIO MASS

WOOD CHIPS

LOGS

carbon sequestration

//93

Liquid Fuels

Paper Fiber Board

Saw MillVeneer

Economic Development

energyemployment

materials

plantation CARBON CYCLE

EXISTING + +GRAIN

//95

POPLAR INTERCROPPING=POPLAR

social environmental economic

value

m Ldevelopment adjacencies scale

Employment and training opportunities in the agricultural and forestry industries.

The planting structure; between that of intensive monoculture agricultural systems and complex natural ecosystems, enables better exploitation of resources due to the complementarity of trees and crops in using water, nutrients and light as well as their beneficial impacts on the physical, chemical and biological properties of the soil.

//97

investment

inte

nsity

maintenance

poplar intercropping PROCESSES

Improved tree growth from stimulating the soil microbial biomass and mineralizing nitrogen through intercropping and from recovery by the tree roots of a significant portion of agricultural fertilizer residues.

The diversity and abundance of predators of agricultural pests is higher in intercropping than agricultural monoculture, which ultimately reduces dependence on costly pesticides.

Intercropping can play a major role in sequestering of carbon and the offsetting of other greenhouse gas emissions such as N20. Use of fast-growing tree species such as poplar, can increase the potential for atmospheric carbon fixation.

EXISTING + +PINE / DECIDUOUS MIX

//99

MIXED FOREST=GROUND COVER

social environmental economic

value

s M Ldevelopment adjacencies scale value

Irrigation infrastructure creates the potential to inform unique planting patterns and landscape design.

Tree species variety contributes to the overall potential for a diverse range of ecosystem services and environmental values associated with successional growth.

Investments in establishing higher landscape qualities adjacent to residential neighborhoods can increase property values and serve as a recreational amenity to many outlying communities.

//101

investment

inte

nsity

maintenance

forest PROCESSES

Forest landscapes accessible to the public provide a connection to the natural environment that is currently lacking among the majority of Madrid’s urban residents.

Establishing new forests stabilizes potentially fragmented ecosystems and provides habitat for endangered plant and animal species.

Mountain PinePinus uncinata25-30m

Spanish JuniperJuniper thurifera20-25 m

Field MapleAcer campestre20-25 mNative

30 m

20 m

10 m

Thymus praecox Myrtus communis Genista aetnensis Rhamnus integrifolia

//103

Water availability is the primary variable

affecting the regional ecology. Generally, the

higher and wetter conditions to the north and

west of Madrid support coniferous and mixed

forests, while the lower and drier conditions to

the south and east favor Holm Oak and other

draught tolerant species.

Abandoned development sites have the

potential to generate emergent ecologies

by manipulating site conditions. Changes

to grading and repurposing water mains for

irrigation allow for the development of a broad

range of micro conditions that support a range

of plant types.Spanish FirAbies pinsapo30 mNative

Rosemary officinalis Erica arboreaforest PLANTING PALLETE

EXISTING

//105

EVENT SPACE

social environmental economic

value

Using existing semi-urbanized territories limits the need for temporary infrastructure usually needed to hold major events.

Large-scale temporary events present the opportunity for cultural and artistic development.

Convening a large group of individuals presents the opportunity to promote volunteer planting efforts and educate the public on the value of maintaining regional ecologies.

Ldevelopment scale

//107

event space PROCESSES

investment

inte

nsity

maintenance

There is a growing market for large-scale event space to hold major national and international festivals.

investment

events

successional value

MajorInternational Event

SignificantNational Event

RegionalEvent

Minor Local Event

Local Short Term Repurpose

//109

Many of the abandoned sites within the proposed

territorial framework and throughout the Madrid

Region benefit from direct access to regional and high

speed rail lines or even international airports. These

sites present an opportunity to generate immediate

economic resources by organizing temporary events

that take advantage of, or require direct access.

Within the overall context of establishing an ecological

legacy that connects the regions’ natural resources,

these sites present an opportunity to offset investment

costs that may initially exceed the value generated by

the newly planted landscapes.

As the ecological, social and economic value of the

planting strategy increases, these events may be

organized less often or may not take place

event space PROGRAMS

The temporary events that take place within these abandoned sites will provide visitors with the opportunity to visualize a future

scenario where the ecological legacy has been fully realized. Through an Augmented Reality framework for the sites associated

with temporary events, users will be able to interact with the surrounding landscape by holding their mobile phone or geo-located

device up to access a real-space comparison of the site’s mature growth. In the future, similar devices can be used to demonstrate

what these sites looked like before the initial planting strategies.

//111

event space PROJECTIONS

URBAN FOREST OLIVE GROVEPLANTATIONINTERCROPPING

wat

erad

jace

ncie

sde

velo

pmen

tsc

ale

inte

nsity

M MMMs sLL

investment investment investment investmentmaintenance maintenance maintenance maintenance

//113

CHAPARRALRIPARIAN FORESTMIXED FOREST EVENT SPACE

M M Ms s s LL L L

investment investment investment investmentmaintenance maintenance maintenance maintenance

//115

future SCENARIOS

+40˚15’36” N+ 3˚54’33” W

This stalled development along the periphery of

an existing suburban settlement is characteristic

of many abandoned sites between the A-5 and

the R-5 to the southwest of Madrid. Surrounded

by chaparral, forest, agriculture, and urbanized

land, the typologies most appropriate for this

site include forest, chaparral, and plantation.

Projecting future scenarios based on these

initial planting efforts offers insight into the

value of implementing this strategy, regardless

of an uncertain future.

Arroyomolinos

2012

2006

2004

2002

//117

LEVEL OF DEVELOPMENTSCENARIO A

INITIAL SEEDING STRATEGY

GROWTH POTENTIAL

DEVELOPMENT SCENARIO

SUCCESSIONAL SCENARIO

2080

2080

2040

2020

//119

The unbuilt site has a variety of adjacent land covers that influence both the

planting strategy and the potential growth patterns of the proposed plant

community typologies. A typical planting in this location would include a

chaparral pasture to the west and an expansion of the existing riparian corridor

to the east.

As these plant systems establish themselves, they will grow in size and scale,

presenting the opportunity for in-fill planting. The chaparral begins to mature

as smaller species take root among the initial planted areas. The forested area

also expands beyond the areas of the initial planting strategy, growing along low

points and in soils with higher moisture content.

This implementation strategy presents the opportunity for the adjacent urbanized

areas to grow into the underlying built infrastructure already established within

the site. This scenario may involve new residential or other uses developing

along the established forest to take advantage of it as an amenity. Some

peripheral chaparral and forest areas may be displaced if future development

expands into the seeded areas.

It is also possible within the context of this typical planting strategy, that the initial

growth is sustained without the pressure of future development. In this scenario,

the chaparral areas begin to expand toward the growing forest, creating a

landscape gradient that crosses the site and adds value to the once abandoned

landscape.

+40˚18’53” n+3˚45’50” w

Madrid’s Programa de Actuación Urbanística

(PAU) has resulted in a series of infrastructure-rich,

but resident-poor landscapes with an uncertain

future. This site benefits from its proximity to

central Madrid, access to major highways, and a

diverse mix of land uses within a short distance,

however no significant building has occurred

since the site was initially cleared between 2001

and 2004. Anticipating future scenarios within

this context offers a contrasting view of how the

regional strategy maintains its value, regardless

of an uncertain future

Leganés

2012

2008

2004

2001

//121

LEVEL OF DEVELOPMENTSCENARIO B

2080

2080

2040

2020

INITIAL SEEDING STRATEGY

GROWTH POTENTIAL

CULTIVATED SCENARIO

SUCCESSIONAL SCENARIO

//123

This vacant site with irrigation potential and agricultural adjacencies presents

the opportunity to establish a poplar intercropping and plantation system at a

manageable initial scale. The long contiguous block form is well suited for parallel

poplar rows, and the spaces between, cultivated for annual grain production.

As these planted areas become established, they will grow in size and scale,

relying less on irrigation supply and regular maintenance. Some roadway

infrastructure not used to access planting areas may be taken over to establish

continuous rows for planting.

Because these planting typologies are consistent with their agricultural

surroundings, the potential for their integration with neighboring farms is a distinct

future possibility. In this scenario, the irrigation infrastructure is maintained

and expanded to increase planting areas and crop yields. The poplar rows

are expanded and the areas between them continue to yield higher productive

values than comparable monoculture crop products.

It is also possible within the context of this typical planting strategy, that sufficient

resources are not available to sustain the initial plantings or maintain them

beyond the initial growth period. Within this context, a potential future scenario

would consist of native vegetated buffers establishing themselves within the

moist fertilized soil, and potentially denser chaparral landscape emerging to

take advantage of the enhanced growing conditions present on the site.

//125

now WHAT?

N

R-2

R-3

R-4

R-5

A-1

A-2

A-3

A-4

A-5

A-6

Individually, Madrid’s ghost cities represent a flawed investment strategy

fueled by speculation; when viewed collectively, their inherent value as

a regional resource begins to emerge. The unprecedented scale and

ubiquity of the current situation demands a response that transforms

these vacant landscapes from their status as a liability toward that of an

asset, with a goal of economic productivity, positive social impact and

enhanced ecological value. A Modest Proposal re-orients the approach

to these sites by discarding the assumptions of investment that resulted

in uncontrolled urban growth and adopting a new lens through which

opportunities can be identified.

//127

N

R-2

R-3

R-4

R-5

A-1

A-2

A-3

A-4

A-5

A-6

Seeding an ecological legacy out of abandoned and degraded

landscapes will require broad support across variety of interests. A

Modest Proposal stimulates a new collective thought process to move

the current discourse beyond conventional site-specific problems and

narrowly focused solutions.

The conversation starts here. It will continue in neighborhoods

throughout Madrid, through virtual online communities, in stakeholder

interest groups and in the political realm. This proposal, with its sense

of purposeful opportunism will captivate and inspire action, ultimately

resulting in a transformation of Madrid’s ghost cities into the valued

regional asset they have the potential to become.

//129