Paseo del Prado and Buen Retiro, a landscape of Arts and Sciences

• Management: developing and implementing the full monitoring system, completing the documentation and listing of the historic buildings, establishing an adequate buffer zone, developing an interpretation strategy, enhancing the role and independence of the Civic and Social Board

N/A

On 30 November 2022, the State Party submitted a state of conservation report, available at https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1618/documents/. Progress on a number of conservation issues addressed by the Committee at its previous session is presented in this report, as follows:

• The Madrid City Council uses a geospatial data analysis system called GEOPORTAL as a basis to monitor the property. The portal displays various layers of geo-referenced information, primarily from the City Council’s open portal, as well as from other institutions located within the property;
• The documentation of all historical buildings within the property is reported to be completed;
• The State Party submitted new maps showing the definitive delimitation of the property and establishing its buffer zone;
• A project is currently underway to improve the quality of the public space of the Paseo del Prado, including the pavements;
• The listing of some of the buildings has not been completed yet;
• A logo and visual identification for the property have been developed;
• Efforts are underway to recognise the Civic and Social Board as an association independent from the City Council.

On 16 September 2022, the State Party informed the World Heritage Centre about the demolition of an existing building and the construction of a care building and underground parking in the Niño Jesús University Children’s Hospital within the property, in line with Paragraph 172 of the Operational Guidelines. ICOMOS provided a Technical Review for the project proposal, which was transmitted to the State Party by the World Heritage Centre on 30 November 2022.

The State Party has implemented some of the Committee’s recommendations and has begun to address the remaining ones.

The geospatial data analysis and visualisation tool used by the Madrid City Council is noted. This software displays various layers of geo-referenced information, such as demographic indicators, socio-economic indicators, and mobility indicators, which are foreseen to be expanded over time. While this type of information is relevant to the management of this urban area, an effective monitoring programme for the property needs to focus on gathering information on the state of conservation of the attributes conveying the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) of the property, to detect changes over time. It is therefore recommended that the State Party continue its efforts to develop a monitoring programme based on a specific set of indicators linked to the property’s OUV, which support integrated management and can alert when actions are required.

The new boundary map for the property shows that for the most part, the entire plots at the edge of the property have been included. The submitted map of the buffer zone shows that it coincides with the area of the Historic Centre, as defined in the General Urban Development Plan of Madrid. Accordingly, a minor boundary modification request has been submitted for consideration by the Committee.

Information on the project to improve the public space of the Paseo del Prado, including the quality of the pavements and street furniture, and to reduce road traffic is very brief, without indicating a project timeframe. Similarly, the information on the studies related to the impact of the intensive use of the property, environmental sustainability and the impact of climate change is not detailed enough to judge their appropriateness. The State Party should be invited to share more details in this regard with the World Heritage Centre.

The annexed report on the legal regime and the listing of buildings implies an extensive and complex process. The State Party should be requested to continue its efforts to address the legal difficulties identified to finalise the listing of the remaining buildings.

The report does not provide adequate level of information to understand how the reported initiatives and activities relate to a comprehensive interpretation strategy. It is also noted that the State Party is using a different title for the property for its promotion (i.e., the Landscape of Light). which is not related either to its official title or to the values that supported its inscription on the World Heritage List.

The efforts to transform the Civic and Social Board, established originally as a body under the City Council, into an independent association could be noted and the State Party is to be encouraged to continue finalising this process and ensuring that this body functions in an efficient manner for community engagement.

Concerning the project at the Niño Jesús University Children’s Hospital, ICOMOS considered in its Technical Review that the proposal, in its current design is likely to have negative effects on the property, considering its architectural design and the additional traffic caused by the increase in available parking spaces. The Committee should therefore request the State Party to reconsider the urban and architectural design of the new building and to drastically reduce the number of parking spaces.