Paseo del Prado and Buen Retiro, a landscape of Arts and Sciences

Brief synthesis The Paseo del Prado and Buen Retiro, a landscape of Arts and Sciences is located at the urban heart of Madrid. It includes the Paseo del Prado as the prototype of a Hispanic alameda (tree-lined avenue) from the 16th century and modified in the 18th century, a designed public space providing natural elements within the city for the enjoyment of its citizens. The property is an example of a new idea of urban green space and of an urban development model from the enlightened absolutist period of the 18th century. This model exercised influence in Latin America, illustrating the aspiration for a utopian society in Spanish overseas territory. Three major and adjacent parts, the Paseo del Prado, Jardines del Buen Retiro (Gardens of the Buen Retiro) and the Real Jardín Botánico (Royal Botanic Garden), combine culture and nature as a designed cultural landscape in an urban environment that has evolved over centuries. It was a new concept and a complex project with a clear social element that included the establishment of an innovative group of buildings and facilities dedicated to science and to educating the public, and which would also embellish the city. Buildings dedicated to the arts and sciences joined others devoted to industry, healthcare and research in a 200-hectare cultural landscape. Its special links to arts and sciences increased over time, resulting in an extraordinary area that is still dedicated to nature for the leisure of citizens, together with museums, cultural institutions, research and scientific centres. Criterion (ii): The Paseo del Prado is believed to be the first public green space designed within a European capital in the early modern period. It is a tree-lined avenue, originating in the 16th century though substantially modified in the 18th century, that had a strong influence in Spanish America as a model contributing to town development. It was the first and an important example of an alameda or paseo. Criterion (iv): The Paseo del Prado and Buen Retiro is an urban development model, featuring nature and culture, of the enlightened absolutist period, a prototype of a new idea of improvement of urban space with a strong social content guided by rational criteria to enhance ornamentation, hygiene and functionality. It is an important expression of enlightened ideals applied to town development projects with the distinctive addition of the sciences as an essential component, all with a view to making knowledge widely available to citizens. Its different parts are adjacent and linked by the idea of creating a great urban space featuring natural elements (composed of a tree-lined avenue, park and botanical garden) in different stages of history from the Renaissance to the Enlightenment. Criterion (vi): The Paseo del Prado and Buen Retiro represents a utopian society linked to the arts and the sciences, the paradigm of culture, within a framework of natural elements within the city. It also represents the idea of making knowledge available to citizens, providing access to the sciences and arts, in an area which is otherwise devoted to leisure. It was an idea to improve society that crossed the borders of Spain and extended to Latin America. The arts, sciences, healthcare, industry and research are all part of an exchange of human and scientific values that promote the dissemination of knowledge, and their public and social roles have been preserved with outstanding vitality. Integrity All attributes of Outstanding Universal Value are preserved within the property’s boundaries; they are in good condition, are adequately maintained and no significant neglect has been identified. The property retains its integrity as a planned series of urban developments. None the less, challenges to integrity include the ambitious enlargement of museums and historical buildings in the past, as well as the presence of a large sporting complex in the Gardens of the Buen Retiro. Additional issues relate to the vegetation and some urban fabric, such as pavements. Factors to be managed include short-term intense uses and overexploitation, adaptation to climate change, specifically in relation to the trees in the Paseo del Prado, Jardines del Buen Retiro and Real Jardín Botánico, as well as traffic and air pollution. Authenticity The attributes of the property have demonstrated authenticity which is supported by extensive original documents, plans, etc. in municipal archives such as the Archivo de Villa, and others such as the archives of the Real Jardín Botánico. The green areas, the Paseo del Prado, Jardines del Buen Retiro and Real Jardín Botánico mostly retain their historical use and function. Many of the buildings on the Hill of Sciences are still used as originally intended, and other buildings such as the Prado Museum and the Atocha railway station preserve their original use. However, authenticity has been diminished by changes to the historical interiors of some buildings. Protection and management requirements The three main green areas comprising most of the property are listed as Properties of Cultural Interest (Bien de Interés Cultural), the highest legal protection available, along with more than 30 other elements (fountains and monuments) and 40 major buildings included within the property. About 300 individual trees are protected through inclusion in municipal inventories and the Catálogo de Árboles Singulares de la Comunidad de Madrid. Three different institutional levels are involved in the legal protection of the property: national, providing the general framework with the Ley de Patrimonio Histórico Español (LPHE, Ley 16/1985), regional (Ley de Patrimonio Histórico de la Comunidad de Madrid, Ley 3/2013) and municipal, as the whole area is protected by the Madrid General Urban Development Plan (PGOUM). A buffer zone has not yet been established although consideration is being given to its creation based on the PGOUM. A new management system has been tested and implemented and takes account of existing public and private management initiatives. It is based on coordination between many parties, including public and private institutions, professional corporations and local associations. It is designed to function at different levels, promoting engagement with the property by citizens and stakeholders. This system coordinates different departments and agencies involved in the property, particularly the institutional agencies with legal responsibilities, and addresses implementation by different groups: a World Heritage Commission, composed of the three institutional levels (state, region and local), a Scientific Council, composed of independent experts, and an Advisory Civic and Social Council formed of the representatives of the three administrations, private institutions, professional corporations, neighbourhood and heritage associations, and cultural and scientific institutions and other stakeholders. The role and independence of the Civic and Social Board could be enhanced as a means of ensuring community involvement. The inventory of all the buildings needs to be finalized. Further development and implementation of an interpretation strategy for the overall property and the full monitoring system, with special care to achieve an integrated approach, needs to be addressed in the management system.