Last updated: March 2025
The old Altadis tobacco factory in the Los Remedios neighbourhood of Seville is being transformed into an area with offices, hotels and lots of green space. New green space will connect existing green areas next to the river, resulting in a total of 13 378 m2 of green areas within 3 ha of public space. The park will increase the number of trees in the area by 60 per cent, creating a lot more shaded areas, which are needed during the hot summers [Ref. 1-5]. Additionally, the trees will contribute to carbon sequestration, improve air quality and promote biodiversity [Ref. 5]. The park is meant to become a popular destination for recreation, new entrances and a bridge over the river will connect the surrounding neighbourhoods to the park [Ref. 1-3]. There will be areas for physical activity, dog walking and play for children [Ref. 1, 4]. The project is being carried out by real estate company KKH Property Investment, which owns the land and will invest 250 million EUR in the project as a whole, of which 5 million EUR is designated for green spaces. KKH has made an agreement with the City of Seville to ensure the project has benefits for the area and its citizens, and follows previous plans for the area, which have involved citizen participation [Ref. 3, 6, 9].
Illustration of benches in the shadow in the new park
https://www.abc.es/sevilla/ciudad/nuevo-parque-altadis-terminado-2025-sueno-barrio-20240301121447-nts.html
Overview
Nature-based solution
- Parks and urban forests
- Pocket parks/neighbourhood green spaces
Key challenges
- Climate action for adaptation, resilience and mitigation (SDG 13)
- Climate change adaptation
- Climate change mitigation
- Environmental quality
- Air quality improvement
- Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
- Green space creation and/or management
- Regeneration, land-use and urban development
- Conversion of former industrial areas
- Cultural heritage and cultural diversity
- Protection of historic and cultural landscape/infrastructure
- Health and well-being (SDG 3)
- Creation of opportunities for recreation
- Enabling opportunities for physical activity
- Economic development and employment (SDG 8)
- Real estate development
Principal problems in Functional Urban Area (FUA)
- Climate-Related Hazards
- Heat stress & Extreme temperatures
- Environmental Degradation
- Biodiversity loss
- Air pollution
- Land use and Socio-economic change
- Unequal availability and access to public green spaces
- Health, Well-being and Social cohesion
- Inadequate access to recreational opportunities
Key priorities
Climate action (adaptation and/or mitigation), Biodiversity (conservation and/or restoration)
Focus
Creation of new green areas, Creation of any other green urban spaces, Transformation of previously derelict areas, Post-industrial site regeneration
Project objectives
- Reduce effects of urban heat islands and increasing temperatures [1, 2]
- Increase connectivity between existing green spaces and access for pedestrians [1-3, 6 ].
- Contribute to carbon sequestration [Ref. 5]
- Promote biodiversity [Ref 5]
- Improve air quality [Ref. 5]
- Provide a green environment for relaxation and recreation [1, 7]
Implementation activities
1. In 2018, the city of Seville signed a protocol with Altadis, the former factory owner, regarding the long-term development of the factory area [Ref. 9].
2. In 2019, participation days were held to gather proposals and ideas from citizens.
3. In 2023, the new land owner and developer, KKH Property Investors, entered an agreement with the local government on how to develop public spaces around the old factory [Ref. 3, 6].
4. Physical barriers within the area will be removed, and new entrances will be created to allow people to pass through [Ref. 1, 2, 4].
5. 279 new trees will be planted.
6. Other green spaces, such as grass lawns and bushes, will be established [Ref. 2, 4, 5].
Climate-focused activities
Climate change adaptation:
- Increase urban vegetation cover to reduce urban heat island effect
Climate change mitigation:
- Increase the availability of green urban space for carbon storage (street tree cover)
Main beneficiaries
- Local government/Municipality
- Private sector/Corporate/Company
- Citizens or community groups
- Young people and children
Governance
Management set-up
- Led by non-government actors
Type of initiating organisation
- Private sector/corporate actor/company
Participatory approaches/ community involvement
- Co-planning (e.g. stakeholder workshops, focus groups, participatory mapping)
- Consultation (e.g. workshop, surveys, community meetings, town halls)
Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project
The project is led by KKH Property Investors, the owners of the former industrial complex, who will seemingly fund the project [Ref. 1, 5, 6]. Other companies, such as architecture and landscaping companies, are employed to implement the project. The City of Sevilla is involved in the planning stage, and has an agreement with KKH regarding the development of the public stages. The municipality is also in charge the necessary changes to the zoning plan [Ref. 1-3, 6].
Project implemented in response to ...
... an EU policy or strategy?
Unknown
... a national policy or strategy?
Unknown
... a local policy or strategy?
Yes
(The 2018 protocol on the development of the area. )
Type of enablers
Unknown
Financing
Total cost
More than €4,000,000
Source(s) of funding
- Corporate investment
Type of funding
- Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)
Non-financial contribution
Type of non-financial contribution
- Provision of land
Who provided the non-financial contribution?
- Private sector (businesses, financial institution)
Impacts and Monitoring
Environmental impacts
- Climate change
- Lowered local temperature
- Expected lowered local temperature
- Enhanced carbon sequestration
- Expected enhanced carbon sequestration
- Environmental quality
- Improved air quality
- Expected improved air quality
- Green space and habitat
- Increased green space area
- Expected increased green space area
- Increased number of species present
- Expected increased number of species present
Economic impacts
- Unknown
Socio-cultural impacts
- Social justice and cohesion
- Improved access to urban green space
- Expected improved access to urban green space
- Health and wellbeing
- Gain in activities for recreation and exercise
- Expected gain in activities for recreation and exercise
- Reduced risk of heatstroke and/or dehydration
- Expected reduced risk of heatstroke and/or dehydration
- Cultural heritage and sense of place
- Protection of historic and cultural landscape / infrastructure
- Expected protection of historic and cultural landscape / infrastructure
Type of reported impacts
Presence of formal monitoring system
Unknown
Presence of indicators used in reporting
No evidence in public records
Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports
No evidence in public records
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No evidence in public records
Potential risks of implementation and trade-offs
Unknown
References
1.
Aranda, R. (2024). El parque de Altadis: un 60% más de árboles en Los Remedios en 2025. El Correo de Andalucia, Accessed on September 23, 2024, [Source link];
2.
Arco, M. (2024). El nuevo parque de Los Remedios junto al río estará disponible en 2025: tendrá un 70% de sombra. El Español, Accessed on September 23, 2024, [Source link];
3.
Altadis (2021). El Ayuntamiento de Sevilla, Altadis y KKH presentan el proyecto de inversión para la antigua Fábrica de Tabacos de Los Remedios que incluye un gran parque, nuevas actividades económicas y equipamientos. Accessed on September 23, 2024, [Source link];
4.
Geniz, D. J. (2024). La sombra cubrirá más del 70% del nuevo parque de Altadis en Sevilla. Diario de Sevilla, Accessed on September 23, 2024, [Source link];
5.
Sevilla Actualidad (2024). El nuevo parque de Altadis estará cubierto por un 71% de sombra. Accessed on September 23, 2024, [Source link];
6.
City of Seville (2023). El Ayuntamiento aprueba el convenio por el que el promotor del hotel de la antigua fábrica de tabacos de Los Remedios destinará hasta 5 millones de euros en la reurbanización integral de la calle Juan Sebastián Elcano, la mejora de los Jardines Manuel Fer. Accessed on September 23, 2024, [Source link];
7.
Geniz, D. J. (2024). "Altadis será un nuevo polo de atracción en Sevilla, como las setas de la Encarnación". Diario de Sevilla, Accessed on September 23, 2024, [Source link];
8.
City of Seville (2022). Anuario Estadístico de la Ciudad de Sevilla, 2022. p. 462 [Source link];
9.
City of Seville (n.d.). Conoce el proyecto para los suelos de la Antigua Fábrica de Tabacos de Altadis. Accessed on September 23, 2024, [Source link];
Layout of the future park and buildings
https://www.abc.es/sevilla/ciudad/nuevo-parque-remedios-diseno-antivioladores-20240301142650-nts.html
Information about this nature-based solution was collected as part of the Naturescapes project funded by the European Union under Grant Agreement No 101084341.