The problems of Heritage towns They are partly common, although they are in different locations, so the solutions they implement can also be shared and replicated. Cordoba is not far: towards Granada, which is starting to take measures to avoid touristification and fix the population at Albaicinyour protected neighborhood.
Francisco Maldonadodirector of the municipal public body Albaicín, participates in the World Congress of Heritage Cities in Córdoba and talks about his experience. This indicates that it is a neighborhood that is still inhabited, but also one that population has lost in Granada as well as in the northern zone over the last twenty years.
“This loss of resident population has led to use for tourist residences,” he says. Like everywhere, of course. Grenada has established a moratorium on no longer granting licenses until a clear decision is made. density compared to normal houses.
Measures are also being put in place to attract neighbors, what Congress calls a requalification of housing. “Building permits can be encouraged so that they have residential use, and also help historic neighborhoods have the services needed to live there,” he says.
Adequate public transportation or local commerce is necessary. And although a municipal council cannot open a store grocery stores, we can talk with businesses or try to make neighborhoods lose their authenticity. “You can recommend certain types of business, not those that negatively impact the vision of the neighborhood“, he summarizes.
Another point in common with Cordoba: the solar panels. They are also prohibited in the Albaicín and in the historic center, but they offer alternatives that, in Córdoba, can be used by those who take advantage of them. population who never stop asking for them.
These are the energy communitieswhich allow individuals to group together to place solar panels a certain distance from their homes. “The maximum is three kilometers and there are public spaces that can be allocated for this use. The Town Hall looked for land,” explains Francisco Maldonado.
Homeowners have started going private to install their solar panels, which reduces costs, and the city council has been mediating with energy companies to help them achieve this goal. This could be an example for Córdoba, with a Very large historic centerbut also surrounded by areas and plots that can be used.
Ideas
These are the ideas that Granada is beginning to apply, with problems similar to those of Cordoba, and which it must fight against neighbors walk. In the background, pedestrianization and the departure of children, which in turn lead to the closure of schools.
All this despite the fact that Granada claims not to have a serious problem with the growth of tourism. Its visitors are numerous, but the percentage of tourist residences it does not exceed 15 percent. Analysis after the moratorium will determine how to act.
