Over 180 hectares of the land on which Madrid Nuevo Norte will be built are for public uses, i.e. 76.56% of the total area of the project.

This includes future streets and parks, as well as schools, housing, health, cultural and sports centres.

Madrid Nuevo Norte, the most noteworthy urban regeneration project in Spain, and one of the most outstanding internationally, will put public uses at the core. Following the completion of the urbanisation works, 76.56% of the land in Madrid Nuevo Norte will be publicly owned, including all streets, parks, infrastructures and public facilities.

The administrative document in which the land is declared a public property is known in urban development terminology as “acceptance of urbanisation works”. The title to land will be transferred after the City Council has certified the correct execution of the urbanisation works.

For what purposes will the public land in Madrid Nuevo Norte be used?

Most of this public land, namely one-third of the project’s total area, will be used for road infrastructure. The most emblematic street in Madrid Nuevo Norte will be the extension to Agustín de Foxá, which will run north of the M-30 ring road for 1.6 kilometres. It will serve as the backbone of most urban activity in the area, thus becoming the new commercial hub in the north of Madrid.

Parks and green spaces will occupy the second-largest amount of public land in Madrid Nuevo Norte after road infrastructure, equal to 18.86% or over 44 hectares. The 13-hectare Central Park will be this project’s iconic green space, due to not only its size but also the unique landscaping and location, next to the Business District and the renovated Chamartín train station.

13.3% of the land will be used for public facilities, including educational, sports, health, social and cultural uses, which have been designed not only to meet the needs of new residents but also to address existing shortcomings in the neighbourhoods adjacent to the project.

The rest of the public land will be used for railway infrastructures associated with Chamartín train station, the station itself and other transport services.

Private uses

The remaining one-fourth (23.44%) of the land will be used for for-profit purposes, primarily housing (10.81%) and tertiary uses (12.6%), in addition to a small percentage for privately provided services (0.03%).

Additionally, 20% of all dwellings in Madrid Nuevo Norte will be social housing, double the amount required by law for new urban developments. This translates into some 2,100 affordable dwellings in both modalities (VPPL and VPPB).

Tertiary use will consist of office spaces primarily located in the southern section of the project where the Business District will be built. Local shops and businesses will also be an essential component throughout Madrid Nuevo Norte, as no large shopping centre will be built. By contrast, the project has opted for street-level retail and corner shops to encourage street life.