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Reference Date: 26-07-1998
Experience selected in the 1998 Dubai Award for Best Practice, and catalogued as BEST.
(
Best Practices Database.)
País/Country: Spain
United Nations Region: Europe
Ecological region: Coastal
Activity: City / town
Partnerships: Local government. Central government
Themes = Architecture and Urban Design: historic preservation;
sustainable community design. Housing: access to housing finance;
affordable housing. Land Use Management: land-use planning.
Main contact:
Jose María García Zarco or
César Jiménez Alcañíz
Oficina Riva-Ciutat Vella. Conselleria de Obras Públicas,
Urbanismo y Transportes. Generalitat Valenciana. (Regional
Government)
C/ Palma, 5-bajo
46022 Valencia
Spain
Tel: +34-96 386 55 51
Fax: +34-96 386 55 52
E-mail: riva.ivvsa@coput.m400.gva.es
Partner:
Miguel Domínguez
Ayuntamiento de Valencia. (Local Government)
Plaza del Ayuntamiento, 1
46001 Valencia
Spain
Tel: +34-96 352 54 78
Fax: +34-96 362 81 62
Administrative support
Partner:
Ministerio de Fomento. (Central Government)
Paseo de la Castellana, 67
28071 Madrid
Spain
Financial support
Nominating organization:
Comité Nacional Español
D. Marta García Nart
Paseo de la Castellana 67
Ministerio de Fomento
Madrid 28071
Spain
Tel: +34-91 597 75 72
Fax: +34-91 597 86 04
E-mail: mgnart@mfom.es
1. Situation Before the Initial Development:
Amongst all the large European cities, Valencia can count itself
as having one of the largest and extensive Historical City
Centres (1,730,000m2) in the continent. From the century 2B.C.
it has seen a Roman settlement, an Arab extension and later the
Christian expansion which has given us the five inner-city
districts that today make up the "Ciutat Vella":
Carmen, Velluters, Mercat, Seu-Xerea and Universitat-San
Francesc.
During the second half of this century , abandonment and urban
decay have considerably tarnished the splendour of the Ciutat
Vella. There has been a rapid increase in urban deprivation both
social and economical which has had the effect of the loss of
57.3% of local residents, many areas now are only used as offices
or places of work during the day, the ageing of the resident
population, and the appearance of pockets of marginalisation.
In 1992 given the clear decline of the Historical Centre,
together with the fact that the city was a regional capital made
the City of Valencia Local Authority and the Autonomous Regional
Government come together to sign an Agreement of joint
intervention in the development of a Regeneration Project
(Project RIVA) outlined and designed by the Generalitat
Valenciana.(Local Autonomous Regional Government).
2. Objectives
Project RIVA was presented as a co-ordinated package of measures
covering a wide number of areas (urban, social, housing,
commercial, cultural) whose main objectives are:
3. Process
14 September 1992: The Autonomous Regional Government passed the
decree 158 in which it declared the Area of Urban Regeneration
in the Ciutat Vella with the objective of:
Moreover we have Direct Works, which are specific regeneration
projects in diverse and different parts of the Historical
Centre, such as public spaces, green areas, the renovation of
buildings or the conservation of buildings National Heritage.
These type of interventions we can find scattered throughout the
Historical Centre.
Also of importance are the specific intensive projects labelled
"Unidades de Actuación". These are Public Sector Initiatives
created to help the total regeneration of zones where there is
a high level of decay and dilapidation. To achieve this the
Generalitat Valenciana uses "Compulsory Purchase" to acquire
these areas. The initiative includes the temporary re-housing of
the families affected with the option for them to return to their
original homes, once these are rehabilitated, being able to
obtain grants for the purchase or rent of these new homes. At the
same time new homes,previously empty, can be offered on the
market, therefore attracting new residents to the area.
The RIVA-Ciutat Vella Office was created to oversee and
co-ordinate all these different actions. This entity is
responsible for managing and making available the grants that are
applied for from the Public Administration by the local citizen.
Moreover, it provides technical, economical and legal assistance
and/or assessment, always free of charge, to those who need it,
responding to requests personally.
Also it has the co-operation of the neighbour associations,
technical support of the College of Architects, the Superior
School of Architecture of the University Polytechnic of
Valencia.
Achieved Results
Indirect Works
A variety of improvements whether in living conditions, roofing,
street fronts or other parts have been carried out in 3,500
homes, benefiting from the system of grants made available to
residents. The interest of the local residents has been
exceptional, way above the original forecasts of Project RIVA.
If the response of the local population has been better than the
most optimistic original predictions, the same has to be said for
the decision taken by a number of important private entities to
move their headquarters or have representations in the Historical
Centre. Societies, foundations, and associations with social and
educational objectives have made use of the grants and financial
help included in the Project RIVA to move themselves into the
Ciutat Vella. In this way the Historical Centre is seeing a
resurgence in a variety of university, professional, cultural and
commercial activities, that are contributing to give it back its
social and civic dynamism, with a sense of community.
Direct Works
Different works have been carried out directly, these include the
regeneration of public spaces, with street re-urbanisation, the
creation of new open spaces and the modernisation of the
electrical system, water piping, telephone network and drainage.
As part of the works carried out on buildings of National
Heritage and patrimonial value, restoration work has been done
on "Iglesia y Colegio de las Escuelas Pias", "Iglesia de los
Santos Juanes" and the blocks of workers' houses in C/ Na
Jordana.
Work is presently being carried out in creating a group of homes
by public promotion, which will ultimately be for those people
who come under the "Unidades de Actuacion". These homes are
almost all found in the two inner-city districts of Carmen and
Velluters, these areas being where the majority of the "Unidades
de Actuacion" are going to take place. These buildings are being
offered to those residents affected by the Compulsory Purchase,
at "Unidades de Actuación" N. 5 and N. 21 of Carmen district for
purchase or rent. The homes that are left over unoccupied
afterwards, will go on to the market. With this strategy the
present population in the area will be maintained while new
residents will move into the zone. In the same way, work will be
carried out in Velluters, where most of the work will take place
over the next few years.
Impact
Strong Points:
Better estetic and functional quality of the urban surroundings
(pedestrianized streets, new open spaces, improvement in water,
heating, lighting, telephone and gas infrastructures), the
recuperation of specific buildings and works carried out on
buildings of National Heritage.
An improvement in the living conditions of homes.
Co-operation and collaboration between the Autonomous Regional
Government and the Local City Authority and the active role of
social organisations in the recuperation of the Historical
Centre.
Guarantee of the continuation of the process of recuperation of
the Historical Centre by means of a system of co-operation and
collaboration between the different Administrations with the
signing of a new agreement for a New Project RIVA.
Situation after the works carried out
The period of 5 years that has passed during which Project RIVA
has been in operation, allows on analysis of what has been
achieved and a re-adjustment with the aim of carrying out the
project more efficiently and effectively.
The implementation of Project RIVA, has impulsed the indirect
works, and encouraged the residents to renovate their own homes.
This has achieved a transformation in the "Ciutat Vella" piece
by piece. The result in notable in zones such as the district of
Carmen where one can appreciate the attractive surroundings which
are also in a process of continual renovation. However in other
inner-city districts such as Velluters, the results haven't been
as good, given the social problems that exist in these districts.
Given this situation, a change in the level of operations has to
be made in Project RIVA. If a real breakthrough is going to be
made to turnaround the steady income of deprivation an
delapidation in some districts, the scale of theoperations has
to be changed.
Complete fragments of a district, with homes, shops,
infrastructure, facilities have to be developed. These more
far-reaching works will not only achieve the regeneration of the
area that the district occupies, but will also provoke activities
within it's boundaries.
As a pilot project with these characteristics and incorporated
in a new stage of Project RIVA a model is being planed for the
inner district of Velluters, included in the URBAN Initiative of
the European Union.
With these assumptions, the Agreement of Co-operation and
Collaboration between the Local City of Valencia Authority and
the Autonomous Regional Government is being revised so that the
development of Project RIVA 2 can go ahead with an investment of
39.490 million pesetas during the period 1998-2002 in which
specific promises will be undertaken by both administrations
regarding housing, shops, social services, tourism and culture.
We think that Project RIVA is a good exponent of "a Good
Practice" since it builds a habitable city that respects the
environment.
Attention has to be drawn to the integrated treatment of urban
problems, the great effort of co-ordinating the different
administrations involved and the participation of social agents.
5. The experience in numbers
Financial Profile
Budget years 1992-1997: 18.635 million pesetas
References
de Miguel, Eduardo (1997) "Ocho viviendas de realojo en Valencia.
España" (AV Vivienda Mejor number 67 september-october 1997. N.
pages: 86-89)
(1997) "El RIVA adjudica 15 pisos para realojar vecinos" (Levante
(newspaper) 26/07/97)
Ventura Meliá, R. (1997) La restauración del testero de los Santos
Juanes descubre una fachada monumental (Levante (newspaper)
6/08/97 Page 6 )
(1997) La iniciativa privada colaborará en rehabilitar el centro
de Valencia (El mundo (newspaper) 8/12/97)
Niño, Ana "El nuevo convenio RIVA potenciará la financiación de
viviendas en el casco antiguo" (La Clau, n. 181. Pages 20, 21)
Moreno, Paco (1998) "Cultura incluye en el nuevo Plan Riva la
intervención en todos los monumentos del centro histórico" (Las
Provincias (newspaper) 7/12/98. Page 32)
Cartagena, Lui Fdo. (1997) "La iniciativa privada puede y debe
complementar las actuaciones de la administración en centros
históricos" (ARCHIVAL, number 13. October 1997. Pages 4-5)
Zapater Colomer, José Fco. (1997) "Edificio de viviendas"
(Rehabilitación. Number 5. January-Febrary 1997. Pages 6-10.)
| 1998 Spanish Best Practices selected by the International Jury > http://habitat.aq.upm.es/bpes/onu98/bp435.en.html |