Benidorm invests 520,503 euros to transform a section of Emilio Romero with shade and vegetation to mitigate the effects of the heat

The Local Governing Board of Benidorm City Council has approved the contract for the construction project of ‘Shade Facilities and Climate Shelter on Avenida del Periodista Emilio Romero’, a project that will transform the section between Avenida de Alcoy and Avenida del Mediterráneo, the closest to Levante Beach, creating a pedestrian-priority urban space that improves the connection between the seafront and the inland urban area. Furthermore, the project will include infrastructure to mitigate the effects of the heat, as explained by the councillors for European Funds, Aida García Mayor, and for Parks and Gardens, José Ramón González de Zárate.

The proposal, which includes a study of sunlight and shade taking into account the recommendations of the Benidorm Heat Island Effect Study, is being put out to tender with a budget of €520,503.50, including VAT, and is financed with European Next Generation EU funds, within the framework of the 2022 Destination Tourism Sustainability Plan ‘Benidorm Vision 360’. Specifically, it is included as action 1B of such a plan, ‘Refugio Climático y Sombra’, whose objective is to improve the thermal comfort of urban public spaces, promote the renaturalization of the city, and strengthen resilience to climate change through the creation of shaded areas and the incorporation of urban vegetation.

José Ramón González de Zárate explained that the planned improvements to the Emilio Romero section include planting trees and vegetation, installing shaded pergolas, creating seating areas, installing urban cooling systems using misting, adding street furniture, providing hydration stations, and providing an accessible restroom with an inclusive changing area. The project also includes the redevelopment of the area using a single-level surface and incorporating pedestrian mobility and universal accessibility principles. Furthermore, the renovation of the municipal water, wastewater, stormwater, irrigation, and street lighting networks is also planned, adapting them to the new street configuration.

According to the councillor, all of this is intended to “contribute to improving environmental sustainability, adapting to climate change, renaturalizing the urban space, and enhancing the quality of public space—objectives aligned with the municipal policies we are promoting at Benidorm City Council for urban transformation and with the principles of the Recovery, Transformation, and Resilience Plan.”

The head of Parks and Gardens highlighted that this action will also allow "improving climate comfort and the habitability of the public space, reinforcing the pedestrian character of the entire environment and generating a space for rest and connection between Avenida del Mediterráneo and Paseo de Levante, an area of ​​high intensity of use and pedestrian traffic and which will be completely transformed for the use and enjoyment of our citizens and tourists."

For her part, the Councillor for European Funds recalled that Benidorm City Council applied to the extraordinary call for proposals for the 2022 Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, financed by the European Union with Next Generation EU funds, with the Destination Tourism Sustainability Plan ‘Benidorm Vision 360’, which received €6,103,783 in funding. “This plan includes 16 actions, grouped around four strategic pillars,” stated Aida García Mayor, who noted that these four strategic pillars are: Green and Sustainable Transition; Improved Energy Efficiency; Digital Transition; and Competitiveness. The cooling centre project on Emilio Romero Avenue falls under the first of these pillars.