Index Anillo Verde de Vitoria-Gasteiz

The design of the Green Belt

The initial stage of the project consisted of establishing the main elements that would make up the Green Belt. The imposition of specific limits was considered inadvisable, as this space is subject to continuous modifications.

The generic planning criterion was to prevent the fragmentation of the natural spaces situated on the periphery of the city and to promote the physical and ecological connectivity between them and the extensive system of green areas in the city and other natural spaces in the municipality, at a second level.

After analysing the area in which the project was to be developed, it was considered essential to connect the ancient wetlands of Salburua and the meadows of Olarizu, located to the east, and the mountains of Zabalgana and forest of Armentia, to the west, with the river Zadorra to the north and the Mountains of Vitoria to the south. This would be done by means of adequately planned and restored corridors, that would connect the main natural spaces of the municipality.

The resulting layout was a Belt formed by five main parks interconnected by means of a series of connecting elements ranging from tree-lined hedges and stretches of fluvial river banks to seriously degraded areas such as rubbish tips, abandoned gravel pits and other marginal spaces whose definitive use had yet to be defined.

In 2007, the physical preparation of the Green Belt is at an advanced stage of execution. With several spaces already consolidated, some of which will are currently being expanded, there are still some degraded areas pending recovery, such as the Lasarte gravel pits, some stretches of the river Zadorra, the banks of the river Errekaleor and the parkk of Berrosteguieta. The Belt currently occupies a surface area of nearly 585ha, somewhat more than half the total planned surface area, which amounts to 1.010 ha.

Present parks

• ALEGRÍA: 11,5 ha and 1,5 km in lenght
• ARMENTIA: 172 ha
• SALBURUA: 224 ha
• ZABALGANA: 45 ha
• OLARIZU: 30 ha
• ZADORRA (GAMARRA, ATXA-LANDABERDE and GOBEO): 82 ha

Future extensions

• OLARIZU: 99 ha
• ZADORRA: 165 ha
• ERREKALEOR: 28 ha
• LASARTE: 42 ha
• BERROSTEGUIETA: 43 ha

Last update: 10/02/2007