Viewpoint at the Alcazaba of Vélez-Málaga

This project is drafted at the request of the City Council of Vélez-Málaga, with the aim of providing the necessary technical basis for the execution of the works called “Project for the implementation of a garden-viewpoint in the surroundings of the Alcazaba of Vélez-Málaga”.

The suitability of this project is based on the need to recover a green area located in the vicinity of the Alcazaba, which is currently degraded. Due to its orographic characteristics, it is a perfect place to observe the city of Vélez-Málaga and its relationship with the surrounding territory.

The redevelopment of the green area is linked to the management of rainwater that currently flows along the neighboring road, discharging into the general network. The objective of the project is to redirect this rainwater to a reservoir from which the irrigation network of the green area will be supplied.

Characteristics of the plot and relationship with the environment

The proposed action is situated in the urban core of the town of Vélez-Málaga, specifically in the neighborhood of La Villa, which is the origin of the city from the Arab medieval period. Specifically, it concerns the municipal equipment plot SLEV-VM.7 within the PEPRI-1 sector, between Calle Fortaleza and Calle Palafrenero.

The mentioned plot is located on the southwest side of the fortress of Vélez, on the hill that overlooks the entire Villa and all of Vélez. It is part of a larger plot, approximately 36,800 m2, according to cadastral documentation, which also includes the historical fortress itself and the tower. However, the open road that is currently Calle Fortaleza separates the plot on which this project is proposed from the rest. It is a green area that is currently out of place concerning the rest of the historical ensemble. It is precisely on this fraction of the plot, about 2,250 m2, where the action intended is planned.

The aim is to improve the pedestrian road system and enhance the adjacent green area, covering an extension of about 643 m2. The entire fortress complex, due to its historical and artistic value, currently serves as a focal point of tourist interest in the Axarquía region; both the remains of the wall and the tower, along with the new actions, generate significant interest among visitors to the area. The ultimate goal is for this ancient fortress and the surrounding exterior area to become a cultural reference point in the region and an important vestige of a culture and civilization that developed in the Axarquía during the medieval period.

To support this visiting activity to the fortress, it is deemed necessary to provide the environment with sufficient organized spaces that offer visitors new viewpoints of the city. Thus, the decision is made to act on this strategically located plot so that it serves as a viewpoint to various places in the city of Vélez-Málaga, from the fortress to the sea.

The orographic configuration of the plot, perched halfway up the hillside of the fortress with a steep slope and a high position, offers magnificent views of the entire old town, the Villa neighborhood, and the Vélez valley all the way to its exit to the sea. The orography of the plot is almost flat in the highest area but has a steep slope as one approaches it (over 35% in some cases), making it suitable for use as a viewpoint. As we enter the plot, after a small promontory in the central area, it begins to descend considerably, preventing any other use than that of a natural green area or walkway. The layout of the lower street, Calle Fortaleza, which is slightly lower than the minimum elevation of the plot, made it necessary to flank the entire perimeter bordering this street with a wall. This masonry wall, more or less recent, is in good condition from both an aesthetic and structural point of view, and since its integration with the environment is adequate, no actions are planned regarding it in this project.

The plot in question was underutilized and poorly connected for pedestrian access to the nearby streets of the neighborhood. This has led to its misuse, even resulting in irregular dumping of debris. The current vegetation present in the plot consisted of some units of Aleppo pine as well as shrubs and wild underbrush that have managed to take root in the area with varying degrees of success. None of the species are considered protected, and although the project adapts as much as possible to both the orography and the vegetation, it was considered to transplant some specimens within the plot itself, as well as to replace foreign shrub species with more representative native species. The vegetation cover, with fill and weathered rock, does not present any uniqueness nor does it host any protected species.

As indicated, the entire perimeter is bounded by two streets of the urban layout of the Villa neighborhood (Calle Fortaleza and Calle Palafrenero), so its accesses are completely urbanized. However, effectively, due to the presence of the aforementioned wall at the lower part of the plot, access can only be made from the upper part of the site, coinciding with the entire perimeter of Calle Fortaleza, making it currently impossible from the lower part.

In terms of urban services, there is a lighting line running along the perimeter that powers three classic municipal streetlights as well as halogen lighting points directed towards the fortress wall. There is no irrigation installation, nor any other water supply conduits, stormwater drainage, or any other infrastructure typical of urban settings, such as telecommunications, gas, etc.

Description of the works

The works consisted of the execution of the following improvement and recovery actions for the pedestrian road system, covering an area of approximately 550 m², and the enhancement of the adjacent green area:

1. Improvement of the connection between Calle Palafrenero and Calle Fortaleza, with the renovation of the existing staircase between both streets, ensuring safety and integration into the environment (Stairway of Palafrenero).

2. New sidewalk on Fortaleza Street, from the previously described staircase to the end of the plot, delineating the area of action and providing access to the proposed square as an ante-room to the existing green area on the hillside. To maintain continuity of the sidewalk, a pine tree specimen must be transplanted.

3. Paving of the flat part of the plot, as a continuation of the previously described sidewalk, creating a square that serves as an ante-room to the proposed viewpoints, with resting areas (Square of Fortaleza).

4. Creation of viewpoints for observing the city and its relationship with the territory. Three viewpoints are proposed with different orientations:

– Santa María viewpoint: where the “vega” of the Vélez River and the tower of the Church of Santa María can be seen.
– San Juan viewpoint: where the imposing bell tower of the Church of San Juan can be contemplated.
– Sea viewpoint: where the connection between Vélez-Málaga and Torre del Mar is clearly visible, with the Mediterranean in the background.

5. Landscape recovery of the existing hillside, respecting native species and installing a drip irrigation system.

6. Programmed drip irrigation system, using water from rainwater collected in a reservoir built under the sea viewpoint.