Madrid to 10 Million: Plan Dividing City
A Spanish urban plan proposes expanding Madrid to 10 million residents with skyscrapers and highways. Critics warn of an unlivable hell.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Madrid to 10 Million: Plan Dividing City
An urban planning proposal aims to transform Madrid into a megalopolis of 10 million inhabitants, antiestéticaturing second Castellanas, housing over highways, and skyscrapers in the outskirts. The project, based on a doctoral thesis developed in Berlin, has the backing of Mayor Almeida and has been dubbed the "Almeidmann plan" by its critics. The discussion goes beyond urbanism: it is a debate about national model, immigration, and sustainability.
Project Details: More Concrete, More Height
The proposal from the so-called "liberalizing liberator" includes building a second Castellana, constructing over the buried M-40 highway, and erecting towers of more than 20 stories in the outskirts. According to circulated plans, satellite cities like "Sagra York" or "Madghai" are envisioned, with their own metro systems and airports. The goal: reach 10 million residents, a figure the metropolitan area already approaches (6.5 million), but which would imply doubling current density.
Criticism: An Unlivable Monster
Opponents argue that such a megacity, lacking London's or New York's economic base, would become a hell of traffic jams, pollution, and crime. They point out that growth would be fueled by mass immigration — using derogatory terms for immigrants — and the expulsion of population from inland Spain. The cost of living is already skyrocketing: while in Madrid an apartment requires around €30,000 annual average salary, housing is accessible and the pace of life more humane in cities of Castilla y León.
Defenders: Competitiveness or Irrelevance
On the other hand, supporters claim Spain needs a megalopolis to compete with Tokyo or London to attract investment and talent. They argue that 80% of the world population will live in cities and that Madrid must prepare. Some even propose dismantling subsidized "small villages" to concentrate resources. The debate reflects a deep ideological fracture: centralism versus dispersion, pogre versus tradition.
The Water and Land Paradox
One point nobody disputes is the physical viability of the project. With a semi-arid climate and an overexploited Tagus basin, doubling the population would require massive water transfers or desalination plants. Furthermore, the dispersed city model depicted — with airports in each satellite — clashes with the reality of a country losing inhabitants in 90% of its municipalities.
The plan is not a whim: it is written, has sponsors, and has been presented in international forums. But the lingering question is whether Madrileños want to live in a shabby version of Mexico City, or prefer something closer to what they have. Time, and the upcoming municipal elections, will tell.
Related Forum Discussions
An urban planning proposal aims to transform Madrid into a megalopolis of 10 million inhabitants, antiestéticaturing second Castellanas, housing over highways, and skyscrapers in the outskirts. The project, based on a doctoral thesis developed in Berlin, has the backing of Mayor Almeida and has been dubbed the "Almeidmann plan" by its critics. The discussion goes beyond urbanism: it is a debate about national model, immigration, and sustainability.
Project Details: More Concrete, More Height
The proposal from the so-called "liberalizing liberator" includes building a second Castellana, constructing over the buried M-40 highway, and erecting towers of more than 20 stories in the outskirts. According to circulated plans, satellite cities like "Sagra York" or "Madghai" are envisioned, with their own metro systems and airports. The goal: reach 10 million residents, a figure the metropolitan area already approaches (6.5 million), but which would imply doubling current density.
Criticism: An Unlivable Monster
Opponents argue that such a megacity, lacking London's or New York's economic base, would become a hell of traffic jams, pollution, and crime. They point out that growth would be fueled by mass immigration — using derogatory terms for immigrants — and the expulsion of population from inland Spain. The cost of living is already skyrocketing: while in Madrid an apartment requires around €30,000 annual average salary, housing is accessible and the pace of life more humane in cities of Castilla y León.
Defenders: Competitiveness or Irrelevance
On the other hand, supporters claim Spain needs a megalopolis to compete with Tokyo or London to attract investment and talent. They argue that 80% of the world population will live in cities and that Madrid must prepare. Some even propose dismantling subsidized "small villages" to concentrate resources. The debate reflects a deep ideological fracture: centralism versus dispersion, pogre versus tradition.
The Water and Land Paradox
One point nobody disputes is the physical viability of the project. With a semi-arid climate and an overexploited Tagus basin, doubling the population would require massive water transfers or desalination plants. Furthermore, the dispersed city model depicted — with airports in each satellite — clashes with the reality of a country losing inhabitants in 90% of its municipalities.
The plan is not a whim: it is written, has sponsors, and has been presented in international forums. But the lingering question is whether Madrileños want to live in a shabby version of Mexico City, or prefer something closer to what they have. Time, and the upcoming municipal elections, will tell.
Related Forum Discussions
- Today we leave. To Ferraz. · 20 replies
- The one who sang La Traviata / Tosca seems to have been LEIRE · 50 replies
- Spanish women in their late 30s/40s consider men their age old, ugly, and "worn out" · 19 replies
- I'm at my limit at work, is resignation or dismissal for "low productivity" better? · 12 replies
Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (199 replies).
More summaries
-
Almeida: the IOC needs Madrid for an Olympic Games
Almeida says the IOC “needs a city like Madrid” after the first F1 GP at Madring. The capital has accumulated three failed Olympic bids
-
Ayuso compares Ceuta crisis to 2.5 million migrants in Madrid
Ayuso suggests imagining 2.5 million illegal entrants in Madrid to grasp the Ceuta crisis, highlighting silent demographic shifts.
-
Polar air and supercell warning in Cordoba
An expert warns of a temperature drop with capitals below 5°C while a supercell is recorded in Montemayor, Cordoba.
-
Garzón denies building more housing lowers prices, but data contradicts him
Eduardo Garzón argues that increased construction does not reduce housing prices. However, supply and demand data in Spain suggest otherwise.
-
Avoiding Spanish Polling Station Duty by Not Answering Door
In Spain, polling station notification requires a signature. Without it, there is no summons. The lottery runs from October 31 to November 4.
-
Spain's Administrative Collapse: Six Months for One Registration
Intellectual property registrations now take six months instead of fifteen days, highlighting a severe administrative breakdown in Spain.