Parc Central, Urban park in Valencia, Spain.
Parc Central is a park built on the former railway tracks south of Valencia's Estació del Nord, beside Russafa. Its first phase, 110,826 m² of the planned 230,000 m², opened on 17 December 2018. Landscape architect Kathryn Gustafson organised it around light, water and greenery, with a network of paths crossing north-south and east-west. Four former railway sheds by Demetrio Ribes stand on Plaça de les Arts.
The project was first discussed in 1988 and included in Valencia's general urban plan at residents' request. In 2003 the Ministry of Development, the Generalitat, the city council, Adif and Renfe signed an agreement, and the company Valencia Parque Central Alta Velocidad was created that April. The first phase opened on 17 December 2018, 30 years after the project began.
The park's design is named after Ausiàs March's poem 'Aigua plena de seny'. Four former railway warehouses at Plaça de les Arts are being converted: one for the Fundació Esportiva Municipal, one for the Universitat Popular, one for cultural uses and one for municipal social uses. Empty loading docks remain, their future use still debated.
The first phase, next to Russafa and Malilla, covers 110,826 m², about 40% of the planned park. It holds a children's garden, a dog area near the Giorgeta bridge and a 4.5-metre climbing wall. The four railway sheds by the Plaça de les Arts are being converted for municipal sports, the Universitat Popular, cultural and social uses.
The park's design draws inspiration from the poem 'Aigua plena de seny' by local poet Ausias March, which influenced the layout. Water channels run through the space and link different areas together, creating connections that visitors discover while walking.
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