On October 31, an abandoned building collapsed on rue Goya, in Queen’s Garden. The incident, although spectacular, fortunately caused no casualties. From there, the Vial Huerta de la Reina neighborhood association made numerous demands for an area that has long experienced many problems, from empty properties or land in poor condition to delinquency and squatting, through the loss of traditional goods. trade or the progressive aging of the population.
ABC Córdoba questioned the opinions of neighbors and traders in a neighborhood born with the arrival of railspent decades isolated and overnight became an almost central place thanks to what we call the works of Renfe map. Once again, the train makes an appearance in his story.
Today this area limited by the Huerta de San Rafael, Moreras, Llanos del Pretorio and the avenue of libertyis a place full of contrasts between the Brilliant and the Great Captain. Nothing remains of its industrial and railway past, the area struggling between the promise of new housing developments and the poor condition of old buildings and houses.
The president of the Vial Huerta de la Reina neighborhood association, José María Vázquez, states that the entity he leads is currently pursuing a series of complaints channeled around three fundamental axes: security, private spaces and hygiene. All of them are, in one way or another, interdependent.
Safety is also a constant perceived concern in the neighborhood. “We want a greater police presence, because there has been an increase in home burglariespremises, garages and vehicles,” recognizes Vázquez, who calls for the neighborhood police to be put back into service, although better organized. “There have even been situations of violence in the street,” he warns.
To this must be added constant fires in containers, even trash cans. vandalism recurring, like the broken windows of a multitude of cars, sometimes in a row, since the hooligan in question destroyed them one by one in a certain street.
As for private empty spaces, ABC tours the neighborhood with Vázquez. The first thing that catches your eye are the lots, many of which are full of garbage canto which must be added colonies of cats or, when there are none, of rats. The association is currently carrying out a census and has found 19 of these plots.
To this must be added a dozen buildings, some of which with squatters and the new list of empty commercial premises that the entity is carrying out: “We have been in this direction for a quarter of a district and there are already fifteen empty premises.” The whole neighborhood is full of them, from the old stores which maintain their brands to the banks or tobacconists. The district manager requests tax exemptions from the Town Hall so that new traders can arrive.
The end point, for Vázquez, is the dirt and lack of maintenance of the streets and gardens, which add to everything above and add to the lack of investmentwhere some have failed, such as the work on Colombia Street (which has serious consequences) deficiencies on the sidewalk) and others were paralyzed, like the one on Luis Ponce de León Street, now taken over.
Right in front of the collapsed building on Goya Street is the La New Riviera cafeteria, run for three years by Paqui López, a resident of the neighborhood for decades. López explains that the building collapse was actually in two parts, the first on the 31st and a few days later the window. The site is cordoned off and cars cannot pass through.
Theft and vandalism
“There are also entire ‘squatted’ buildings, some of which are new,” he explains before asking for more security. Three friends pass by the cafeteria on their way to or from shopping, judging by the carts. They are Mari Ángeles, Ana and Ana too. “We cannot allow the buildings to collapse here, the Huerta de la Reina is very old and they are falling into ruin,” they say. “The neighborhood is very abandoned, including the Star Gardenswhere there is a lack of hygiene and where it is scary to walk there because it is full of passers-by,” they lament.
Antonio Muñoz is the person in charge of Talleres Muñoz, and precisely thanks to his profession he can even specify certain types of theft or acts of vandalism that occur with regard to the cars, since they end up in his workshop.
For example, he says, catalysts are stolen. In addition, he himself, with other neighbors, managed to prevent a squat in an old house located on the same street where he has his business, Marquis of Gualdalcázar.
This mechanical expert also echoes both the insecurity and another recurring dispute in the neighborhood: the lack of lighting. And he does it with humor: “That, from seven thirty in the afternoon or eight o’clock, can be Harlem, and go through the Gardens of the Stars from eleven o’clock…
Rafael Portabella has been present in the neighborhood for almost 25 years with his company Piensos la Reina. And he sums up the situation perfectly: “We need more light and security, but also support for trade, there are fewer and fewer of us.” Portabella also suffered vandalismas painted, recently, and also talks about broken windows in vehicles.
Many security claims are then repeatedly completed when the recorder is turned off. In the Estrella gardens, this is due to homeless immigrantsor to people wandering from the neighboring Proyecto Hombre. And on the other hand, the inhabitants of Moreras, a neighboring locality, which is constant in the latter case.
Finally, a great connoisseur of this area of the city to own one of the rare radios in Cordoba district‘Radio Huerta de la Reina’, Fernando González adds a problem common to other localities in the capital: the aging of the population.
Rejuvenate the neighborhood
In this sense, he believes that new blood should arrive in the region and thus promote its rejuvenation. He also launched a call for contributions staff in the neighborhoodthrough a Town Hall application which serves to notify observed defects: “citizens are used to having everything done to them, since – even if it is their neighborhood – they do not have it for themselves , but who better than someone who lives on the street to know what the problem is? González asks that the residents of Huerta de la Reina not delegate their responsibilities in order to improve this neighborhood day after day.
