The Excitingly Mod Side of Seville

29/09/2015

Setas_Encarnación_Metropol_Paraol_SevillaThere are few cities in Spain – perhaps even in all of Europe – which have experienced such radical transformation in the last three decades as the capital of Andalusia. Furthermore, Seville has managed to achieve that progress and become a leader in many areas while maintaining a balance between tradition and modernity. 

It all essentially began with the Universal Exposition (aka World’s Fair) of 1992, commemorating the Christopher Columbus expeditions of discovery as well as the culmination of Spain’s Reconquest from its Muslim occupiers – a time when Seville was one of the capitals of the world. This was not only a smashing success in its own right, but also unleashed an urban renaissance unprecedented since at least the beginning of the 20th century.For example, it was a Madrid-to-Seville route that inaugurated AVE high-speed rail in Spain, which laid the groundwork for its expansion to the rest of the country (and the development all that spurred). In addition to a new train station, Santa Justa, a shiny new intercity bus complex, Plaza de Armas, was built, as was an extensive expansion of the San Pablo Airport; a bunch of new ring roads; and and another bunch of new theatres and cultural venues.Perhaps most significantly of all, Seville’s great Guadalquivir River was essentially rediscovered. For example, razing a wall along the very long Calle Torneo, as well as construction of new bridges such as Barqueta and Alamillo (below), the latter designed by starchitect Santiago Calatrava, in many ways brought the Gdualaquivir back onto centre stage in the life of the city. In addition, many Expo ’92 pavillions and structures were repurposed for a variety of other museums, theatres, and other uses which have transformed their location, Cartuja Island, into Seville’s busiest district after the historic old quarter.

Puente_Alamillo_Sevilla_Calatrava_Guadalquivir
Since the 1990s, even more cool innovations have landed in Seville. For starters, in the past several years, a modern street tram, Underground, and an impressive network of bicycle lanes has helped garner Seville one of Europe’s most progressive reputations in the area of public transport. The Metrocentro began operations in 2007 as a product of the pedestrianisation of the Avenida de la Constitución from the city hall past the cathedral, the Archive of the Indies, the Reales Alcázares, and various other historic landmarks to the Puerta de Jerez.Such juxtaposition results in, for example, a fabulous contrast between these high-tech trams and the magnificence of the cathedral.As with Avenida de la Constitución, several other major Seville streets have also been pedestrianised to the delight of locals and visitors alike. such as the already popular Calle San Jacinto, where it heads over the bridge to the Triana district, or Calle Asuncíon, the high street of the Los Remedios district.Also, Seville’s long dreamed of Metro was inaugurated in 2009 as Spain’s seventh urban Underground; for the time being it still has just one line, though its 22 stops cross a broad swath of the city; another three are in the works, which will all told provide extensive coverage throughout the metro area.

Even with all the above, however, one of Seville’s most outstanding transport innovations of recent years has to be the explosion of bike lanes and routes – nearly 200 kilometres (124 miles) worth at this stage. This has gone hand in hand with the municipal bicycle rental scheme Sevici, which puts more than 70,000 bums on its pool of 2,500 bikes every year. It all adds up to Seville being recognised year after year as one of Europe’s most bike-friendly cities.

There’s more! The renaissance has gone beyond infrastructure to include grand landmarks that have become icons of this new era. Perhaps the top example thus far is the Metropol Parasol (top), popularly dubbed “the mushrooms”, in the old town’s Plaza de la Encarnación. Designed by German Jürgen Mayer, and opened in 2011, inspired by the soaring vaults of the city’s great cathedral.  It holds the current record as the world’s largest wooden structure: 150 by 70 metres (492 x 230 feet) and a height of 26 m. (85 ft.), supported by a pair of concrete columns which also house elevators to the observation deck up top (the views up here are of course extraordinary). Visitors can also get an especially good sense here of the breadth of this city’s history and mix of cultures thanks to the discovery during construction of Seville’s most significant ancient Roman site, dating back to the 1st through 6th centuries AD; it can be visited in the Antiquarium museum below ground level.

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Another lofty star is the recently finished Torre Sevilla (above), at 43 storeys and 180 m. (590 ft.) the city’s first skyscraper (previously, the highest building was the cathedral’s famous Giralda Tower). Designed by another starchitect, César Pelli, its construction was not without controversy, though, as some citizens were concerned about its visual impact on the harmony of the UNESCO World Heritage old quarter, but on the other hand it boasts top platinum certification as a sustainable building from the U.S. Green Building Council thanks to features like water recycling, solar power, and a garden-covered roof which both provides thermal protection and unprecedentedly sweeping views out over a city which has both admirably preserved its past and made quite a splash in the present.


images | danilobiancalana, tangencial, LandahlautsGzzz

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