Post-Dana urban planning begins: ground-floor housing ends and first-floor parking arrives

ValenciaIf the 2009 economic crisis made it clear that the construction-based economic model had feet of clay, the 2024 disaster has brought a new reality check to Valencian society, which has realized that it needs to rethink its urban planning model, especially in the face of an increasingly volcanic Mediterranean climate. A year after the catastrophe, improvements are still minimal, but some good ideas are already underway. In the case of infrastructure, the focus will be on adapting it so that it no longer acts as a barrier to the natural flow of rivers and ravines. Regarding cities, housing construction and the design of municipalities will be modified.

The urban area appears to be progressing most rapidly, and local councils have already begun the process of implementing the first reforms. In l'Horta Sud, the region most affected by the floods, many municipalities have announced that they will prohibit the granting of licenses for ground-floor residential developments without a connected first floor that serves as an evacuation zone. Another option is to have a dry zone, defined as a space at least 2.20 meters high and with a surface area of one square meter per occupant. Along the same lines, Valencia City Council will prohibit basement parking in the Torre district: vehicles must be located on the first two floors.

María Jesús Romero Aloy, an urban planning expert, clarifies that, although it may seem like it, we are not facing a revolution. She emphasizes that high-rise parking is already used in some European regions and adds that administrations should promote them on municipal land. The researcher from the Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV) also warns that the legislative improvements will apply only to new construction; A significant problem in Horta Sud, where most homes were built in the 1960s and 1970s, and only a portion were built after 2003, when the Territorial Action Plan for Flood Risk Prevention (Patricova) was approved. "The Patricova is not applied retroactively because it would conflict with the right to property," explains Aloy. For this reason, she is calling for public aid so that citizens can adapt their homes. The professor also emphasizes that 70% of urban development plans in Horta Sud were not drafted with the 2003 regulations in mind, since they predate them, and have not been reviewed since. "The Patricova already required access to an upper floor for ground floors. The tool can be improved, but if it's not applied, it's useless," she recalls.

In addition to the houses, the work will also affect infrastructure. The goal is to reduce asphalt and obstacles to the natural flow of water in a very densely populated area, almost all of which is classified as a flood zone. One of those responsible for designing the solutions is Eduardo Rojas Briales, who is leading the drafting of the Potsdana Reconstruction and Resilience Strategy, which the Generalitat (Catalan Government) has entrusted to the UPV (University of Valencia). "There has been a great lack of care in implementing construction and more construction," laments the climate change expert. He cites the location of large industrial estates and large sports facilities such as the Cheste motorcycle circuit in the same area. He also denounces the fact that almost all communication routes cut perpendicularly through rivers and ravines. To address this, the document will propose works to allow industrial areas to absorb some of the rainfall. Furthermore, it will request that the Patricova Regulation simply be applied. It already demands that the Valencia-Alicante railway line and the V-31 highway—which predate the regulation and block traffic through the ravines toward their mouth in the Albufera—include water evacuation points. In fact, the median section of the highway has already begun to be withdrawn. The report will promote large flood-prone parks and the interconnection of municipalities, encouraging less car use and designing roads to transport water to green areas. Regarding the Poio ravine, it indicates that its headwaters will need to be reforested. The ravine's capacity will also need to be increased and small discs installed in its first few kilometers. Similarly, the Saleta ravine will be redirected, draining into the new channel of the Turia River. The lower section will be renovated to recover 15% of the capacity it has lost due to the installation of new bridge piers. Regarding timescales, he estimates five years for the Confederation's construction projects, which were halted by the 2011 economic crisis. For major renovations, he warns that it will take between 10 and 15 years. "In Vitoria, it took 25 years to complete the green belt," he summarizes.

A sick lagoon

Improvements are also expected in the Albufera de Valencia (Valencia Lagoon). The pond is still suffering from the accumulation of microplastics added on October 29th. However, its main problem is the arrival of untreated water from the Horta Sud, especially during heavy rains. Investment in the lake's sanitation stopped in 2015 and has not yet recovered, according to the president of its governing council, Carles Sanchis Ibor. The basin plan projected an expenditure of 100 million euros for the 2015-2020 period, and by the end of 2025, only 6% has been invested, summarizes the UPV researcher. "We need the work on expanding the collector to resume. We need more water, and we need it to be cleaner," he concludes.