An image of the plaza’s inauguration taken by
Alberto de Pedro
Earlier this December, a group of people from areas such as architecture, art, design, biology, and the environment, with a shared interest in reusing abandoned public spaces, met at the
Urbanacción 2
urban intervention workshop organized by
La Casa Encendida
and led by the
Esterni
collective. From that meeting came the idea of recovering an abandoned space, and the Municipal District Board offered the possibility of doing so on an abandoned lot located at Doctor Fourquet 24 street, in the Lavapiés neighborhood, Madrid.
After preliminary work exploring the neighborhood to identify preferences and needs, a garden, a sports area (soccer field, petanque, and badminton), a market (barter and time bank), and an open-air theater were set up in collaboration with the residents themselves, in addition to the paths, green areas, and rest areas that every park worthy of the name should have. What happened after the crowded and successful opening party of the plaza, on December 5, is that a few days later, some workers showed up, identifying themselves as “employees of the Arts Delegation (sic) of the Madrid City Council“, to close the plaza.
You can read more complete information about the approach to the action, as well as its development and the situation it currently faces on the blog of Esta es una plaza, where you can also sign the petition for reopening.