PLANNING OF THE SEAFRONT. MALAGA

For the section of the seafront covered by the tender, the plan proposes a development based on an articulated series of large units with complex uses that utilise the elements that provide the layout of the place’s geometry.

The role of the end of the avenue as a focal point which maintains the layout of the Arroyo del Cuarto neighbourhood, and which is also heavily subject to the landscape of the mouth of the river, calls for a public space. This must to some extent be open, take into account the tangency of the Guadalmedina river, with a perspective open to the sea and the tertiary and representative uses of the built seafront.

The different values of centrality given to the various areas in the current empty space, from the end of Arroyo del Cuarto to the peripheral nature of the opposite piece, highlight the multipolar nature of the proposal and the division of the complex into sections that adapt to the various positions. While the alternation of open spaces polarises and relates the elements, they are recognisable and different due to their functional specificity and their layout. The model is also appropriate for the management and fragmented development of the area.

The simple geometric matrix that contains the general directions that are recognised on the site facilitates both agreement with the consolidated perimeter and integration of the existing features in the empty space being developed, without forcing any distortions.

The recognition of the coastline and its continuity does not allow any cost-free morphological alterations on the scale of the planned new port. The proposal involves expanding the current port and defining an alternative, open and friendly treatment for the edge of the water from the mouth.

The layout of the open spaces on the seafront promenade creates substantial extensions of its section. The break in the coastal façade provides the road with a scope that ends the continuity of the built-up front. The proposed park is a complex counterpoint to the built areas. Its incorporation requires the layouts and directions present in the entire complex and aims to integrate it into the planned urban continuum.

The choice of the model applied, which is more similar to the idea of a radial and polycentric city than to the linear development of the strip near the sea, and its specific configuration on a smaller scale take into account the complexity of the programme to be promoted. The proposed grouping systems, which combine the alignment of the road and residents’ courtyards, are an alternative to the intensive city of high-density blocks.