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Tetuán residents reject urban plan that could double homes in already overcrowded areas
Tetuán’s urban planning future is once again causing concern among residents. The draft new Municipal Strategic Plan proposes increasing housing density in the city and, in one of its most populated districts, the reaction has been immediate: the neighbourhood, residents say, has already reached its limit.
With almost 170,000 inhabitants in just over five square kilometres, Tetuán is Madrid’s most densely populated district. Neighbourhood associations – such as Cuatro Caminos-Tetuán and Ventilla-Almenara – warn that any new development would aggravate already visible problems: a lack of facilities, scarce green spaces and constant pressure on public space.
The opposition is based on concrete data. The district has barely around twenty green areas and many streets, particularly in neighbourhoods such as Berruguete and Valdeacederas, lack trees. The shortage of sports facilities forces people to use squares as improvised play spaces, while recent growth – 25 buildings in three years – has reduced the available room even further.
Added to this situation are rising housing costs and the transformation of the urban fabric. Commercial premises converted into flats, an increase in tourist apartments and new developments have changed the profile of the neighbourhood. For many residents, the problem is not only how much is built, but for whom.
The City Council insists that the plan does not yet define specific measures, but the debate is already on the streets. Residents fear that Tetuán will become a priority target because of its strategic location between the centre and the north of the capital.
What is at stake is not only the number of homes, but the balance of the neighbourhood. More density without new services can mean less space, more noise and greater pressure on daily life. In a district where every metre counts, any urban-planning decision has an immediate effect on how people live, coexist and remain in the neighbourhood.