MWCC has been present at the inauguration of 6.3 hectares of the “Metropolitan Forest” project, held on the International Day of Forests.

The event was attended by the Deputy Mayor of the city of Madrid, the Delegate of the Urban Development Area, together with the councilors of the rest of the political groups of the Madrid City Council.

The inaugurated plot is located on Avenida del Talgo, in the district of Moncloa-Aravaca, which is part of the Metropolitan Forest, the largest green infrastructure being built in Europe.

This plot, together with the Campo de las Naciones area, where the Lost Embraces Forest is located in memory of the victims of COVID-19, will allow citizens to have 16.1 new hectares of forest, in which they will grow more than 6,600 trees and more than 39,600 shrubby specimens.

At present, in the district of Villaverde, phase III of the works of the Metropolitan Forest is being developed, which includes the construction of an innovative athletics track, approved by the federation and that will have eight lanes inside that will cover the entire the longitudinal layout of the same, as well as with a special area for the practice of the 100 and 110 meter dash and with a total width of the track of 9.76 meters.

In addition, to facilitate the evacuation of rainwater on the track, it will be sloped 1% inwards, so that these waters are discharged into a green gutter designed for this purpose.

This green infrastructure is a forest and also an urban space that allows the people of Madrid not to have to travel from the city to meet nature while practicing sports. It is also a commitment to territorial rebalancing, generating a new green node in Villaverde, which will join the Julio Alguacil Gómez forest park.

The Metropolitan Forest, a reality

The Metropolitan Forest is a 75-kilometre forest ring that will border the city, establishing a connection with existing green spaces and ecologically restoring degraded areas through the planting of native forest species. It is a long-term city project in which more than a million trees will be planted and which will have the potential to absorb 170,000 tons of CO2.

The advantages of this forest are its ability to improve air quality, mitigate the heat island effect, prepare the city so that it is better adapted to climate change, conserve biodiversity and offer healthy leisure alternatives, among others.