The space opened on 19 December

20,000 people have already visited the Madrid Nuevo Norte exhibition

The people of Madrid have welcomed enthusiastically the exhibition set up to raise awareness about the urban project that will transform the capital.

Overall, visitors have given Madrid Nuevo Norte top marks, including housing, green spaces and the new Chamartín train station.

Madrid, 11 February 2019. Less than two months after opening, some 20,000 people have already visited the Madrid Nuevo Norte (MNN) exhibition. This exhibition space opened on 19 December to raise awareness about the urban regeneration project that will
transform Madrid, placing it in the same league as other large European capitals.

During this period, the premises located at 120 Castellana Avenue had, on average, 465 visitors per day, with peaks of 900 persons on some Saturdays.

Most were citizens of Madrid, although the great interest generated by this project also attracts tourists, both Spanish and international.

For DCN, this high influx reflects the massive support of the citizens for the Madrid Nuevo Norte project that seeks to improve the neighbourhoods and quality of life. Indeed, this project has been many years in the making.

This exhibition is an unprecedented milestone in our country, as it marks a new way of engaging citizens in urban development. Never before in Spain have the details of such a project been publicly shared with the citizens, making this a unique exercise of transparency, consistent with the values of the project and the company.

Visitors to 120 Castellana Avenue have had the opportunity to provide feedback and evaluate the various aspects of the project such as dwellings, green spaces, crossconnections between neighbourhoods, Chamartín train station, public transportation, job creation and public facilities and services. Each of them got top marks, with encouraging comments about how important it is to implement Madrid Nuevo Norte quickly.

One of the most sought after elements by the visitors is the 20-m2 city scale model of the project that helps them visualise what the completed project would look like.

The VR glasses with 360º images also generated interest, as it offers an immersive experience into the future of Madrid. The headsets take the visitor to different places in Madrid Nuevo Norte, including the large Central Park, which will be built over the tracks at Chamartín train station, or the new dwellings at Fuencarral.

Most visitors leave their contact details to receive information and communications relating to the project, as well as DCN’s bi-monthly newsletter, La Voz. They can also choose to enter the sweepstakes to win three trips to London, Berlin and Paris to find out more about their respective urban transformation projects.

An oft-repeated comment and feedback in our suggestion box focused on the timeline of administrative procedures and construction start date. Information requests on execution deadlines of housing and purchase procedures were also prevalent.

Madrid Nuevo Norte, which was initially approved by the Madrid City Council last September, is awaiting the provisional approval at the Municipal plenary session in February or March. The Regional Government of Madrid will then have to give its final approval.