Page 205 - 360.revista de Alta Velocidad - Nº 6

Processes, urban impact and evaluation of the high-speed rail in the city of Zaragoza, Spain.

22. Conclusions

Strategic urban projects in Zaragoza had a great influence from the iconic architecture
since previous years, from the “miraculous architecture” according to Moix (2010). It was
also influenced by the politics of great events and from an excessive infrastructural view
of the city. This is evident in the intermodal station building. In its design prevailed the big
scale and monumentality over the permeability and the relationship with the surroundings.
The station is already now seen as a huge independent object in the territory. As Pie (2000)
states, the interest of the local and railway authorities matched in converting the new station
in a real estate and urban renewal operation. And the railway company was interested in
the profits generated by real estate generation to finance part of the investments.

According to Pie (2000), in the era when the rail transport goes underground and the metro
entrances are simple access in the urban skin, it is a contradiction the emergence of great
roofs in monumental shapes, that it might seem more to symbolic and propagandistic
needs more than to the demand of this new technology. The ceremony of travel in the
contemporary era needs more of efficient interchanges than solemn nodes.

These projects were the result of an optimistic and wealthy era, where almost everything
was possible. The strategic decision of changing the new station to Delicias area assumed a
strong and immediate growth of the city, a growth that has not happened and it not foreseen
for years. 200.000 square meters of tertiary uses in Delicias area and more than 150.000
square meters in the Expo site were clearly excessive for the Zaragoza size. Surely, if the
city had today to undertake this process, the results had been totally different, developing
a smaller and more functional station, with and urban design of more but smaller buildings
varying typologies and without all the elevated and tunneled roads infrastructure.

The urban projects were also the result of the excessive political influence but a lack
of leadership and consensus, prevailing particular political interests extending planning
over time and losing a precious time, decisive to finish the urbanization and create a new
neighborhood.

Some interventions created uses do not really needed. They created these needs, that later
was difficult for the city to deal with. Many of the buildings emerged for the Expo still are
not being used and it will be difficult to renovate them: Spanish Pavilion, Aragon Pavilion,
the Bridge Building and the Water Tower. The urban projects that have been more successful
are those needed before the Expo: the new airport, the ring roads, the Convention Center,
and above all, the Water Park and riverfronts.

Results show as well the need to incorporate all the stakeholders in the process; not only
the Administration or professionals, but also citizens and real estate developers. Maybe if
real estate agents were incorporated from the beginning of process, the subsequent failed
bids would not have taken place.

Great scale projects have been questioned for different questions: being too costly for the
city, an excuse for a real estate speculation and an instrument for the personal political
promotion, with absence of social cohesion, territorial impact, lack of sustainability.
Besides, these projects hinder other investments in the city and the territory.

The economic and real estate crisis delayed or stopped the majority of these projects,
and in the last years another paradigm has raised, as the environmental sustainability,
the social cohesion, public participation, knowledge economy and an integral approach in
urban regeneration.

International Congress on High-speed Rail: Technologies and Long Term Impacts - Ciudad Real (Spain) - 25th anniversary Madrid-Sevilla corridor 203