The recovery of natural heritage and green open spaces is an essential key of La Rinconada’s urban planning. As a result, some of the most distinguished environmental facilities in our municipality’s environmental heritage are: the expansion of the Majuelo Riverside Park to 210,000 square metres; the creation of a 25-kilometre pedestrian walkway green belt; the recovery of the Cerro Macareno Archaeological Site as a 120,000 square metre environmental and cultural space; and the creation of the Graveras Park, which has a 150,000 square metres leisure area for adventure sports.

From the river, a network of paths has emerged, providing citizens with a pedestrian walkway of nearly 25 kilometres that connects the main green spaces. This route is known as the “Eje del Agua” Walkway. The walkway starts in La Unión zone, continues to the Paseo del Almonazar Boulevard, crosses the Cañamo III Industrial Estate, and ends in the Graveras Park. Moreover, this route connects with the Hacienda Santa Cruz Municipal Library, where the Centro de Interpretación del Agua (Water Research Centre) is located.

La Rinconada’s main objective is to go a step further, moving from solely environmental policies to those focusing on a broader concept: sustainable development. The challenge, therefore, is to contribute from municipalities to the global sphere, working to increase rather than destroy the natural resources passed on to future generations.

Majuelo Park

The Junta de Andalucía (Regional Government of Andalusia) decided to include this supramunicipal project in the province’s catalogue of nature reserves. This decision came due to their interest in its location and services, as well as the opportunity to obtain resources to support the global project for the recovery of the Guadalquivir River bank, which is under the jurisdiction of the municipality of La Rinconada. The Majuelo Park was already used by the citizens for leisure purposes, and since then it has also begun to attract investment.

Since the park’s opening, numerous improvements have been made to its facilities to show the municipality’s commitment to the environment.

In order to cater to the constant increase in visitors that this facility has been experiencing, and as part of the policies developed by La Rinconada Town Hall to encourage more sustainable mobility and the use of non-polluting transport means, the park began to expand. This required, on the one hand, improving the services provided to visitors, showing the municipal commitment to the environment, and, on the other hand, introducing transversal policies in all municipal areas, whose aim is to stimulate the economy and create employment.

All of this has resulted in the enlargement of the facilities on the contiguous lands. The first enlargement was 59,000 square metres, of which 14,000 were allocated for the creation of parking zones. Within this space, 350 spaces for bicycles, motorcycles, disabled people, and minibuses were included. In addition, the first phase of the cycle path and pedestrian walkway was completed. The municipal company, Soderinsa, carried out this construction project under a management agreement within the AEPSA program. The total project amount was around one million EUR.

In the next phase, the construction of the main walkways was carried out over the remaining 45,000 square kilometres. This entailed the enlargement of the cycle path and the pedestrian walkway from the car park southward, running in the river direction. In addition, in this new phase, both LED street lights to save on energy consumption and part of the street furniture were installed. The potable water supply system was also installed for all the drinking fountains, and two wooden huts with public toilets available for use were placed. La Rinconada Town Hall allocated 366,440 EUR from the Garantía de Rentas (Income Guarantee) AEPSA programme to carry out this second phase.

The third phase consisted of the creation of a pedestrian walkway and a cycle path, which would link the pre-existing routes. This allows for a walk or a ride route throughout the open-air venue. Afterwards, thanks to the Garantía de Rentas 2013-2014 (2013-2014 Income Guarantee) AEPSA programme, the latest details, such as the installation of the irrigation system, the gardening works, and the playground areas, were placed.

The latest refurbishment carried out was subsidised by the Plan Supera (Enhancement Project) of the Diputación de Sevilla (Council of Seville) with an allocation of over 25,000 EUR. Primarily, it has focused on gardening works, including lawn seeding, the installation of a drainage channel to improve the irrigation system, and the repair of one of the park’s huts.

Graveras Park

With a budget of just over 2 million EUR funded by FEDER Integraverde (the ERDE Greener Cities project) and La Rinconada Town Hall, this ancient gravel pit was turned into a town’s huge green area. Moreover, this entailed the addition of more than 600,000 square metres to the total municipality’s green spaces. Within this area, there is an artificial lake for sports activities related to water sports, such as fishing. For the green open spaces, almost six hectares were allocated, including an outdoor gym, play areas, multifunctional spaces, tree-covered resting places, picnic benches, walkways, playground areas, an astronomical observatory, viewpoints, etc. A botanical garden and an open-air space for celebrating all types of events are also taken into account within this area. This will help to improve the park’s facilities, turning this new green space into a family-friendly fun place. Lastly, 580 square metres were allocated and distributed for the construction of two pavilions. One housing a sports centre, from which you can reach the pier and the jetty, which are key locations on the riverfront. The other building serves as a café and a bar for park visitors, with the aim of minimising disruption to the surroundings.

The Graveras park thus becomes a new key location in the municipality’s green spaces, being the largest at 15.4 hectares.

At the opening ceremony of this venue in December 2014, numerous residents attended and enjoyed numerous planned activities such as a triathlon, fishing, concerts, children’s workshops, kayaking, flyboarding, trials, environmental awareness activities, parades, an astronomical observatory, and sport talks, among others. The mayor, Javier Fernández, along with his entire cabinet, highlighted the management effort made for the park’s tune-up. “When we proposed this project, there were doubts about our ability to create a park on land formerly used for quarrying, but the support of La Rinconada Town Hall and the positive assessments from other municipal administrations helped the project to move on”. After “thanking” the numerous groups of people who had worked on the construction of the facilities, the mayor addressed the diverse group of citizens waiting to explore the new venue: “Enjoy it and look after it because this park offers a multitude of possibilities, and it’s yours.”

Finally, the mayor referred to the new facilities as a catalyst for employment opportunities. “It has created many job opportunities during its construction, mostly for local companies and municipal workers, but it will also continue to do so through the maintenance of the facilities and the services required by the Graveras Park”.

In addition to the construction of the park itself, the project includes improvements in access, both to the A-8001 road connecting San José area with La Jarilla rural area and to the car park and the cycle path route, which will be linked with the rest of the municipality. Access to the future Southern Access dual carriageway is also planned. For the safety of citizens, access to the park has been regulated with a traffic light and a pedestrian crossing.

Eje del Agua Walkway

The Graveras park is one end—the other one is the Majuelo park—of the Eje del Agua Walkway. The town’s links with the Guadalquivir River are strong, and they are part of the citizens’ daily lives. Therefore, the Eje del Agua Walkway begins by the river, more precisely in one of the newly enlarged areas of the Majuelo Park, providing visitors with a new leisure space and opportunities for sports activities. This walkway continues for over two kilometres along a path that crosses the La Unión zone, near the Cerro Macareno Prehistoric Archaeological Site. Here, a cultural public space will be created to showcase the archaeological remains. Continuing with the route, the walkway crosses the Paseo del Almonazar Boulevard and the Cañamo III Industrial Estate—a new industrial area that will drive new companies to our municipality, including leisure areas such as the Skate Park Plaza in La Rinconada—until reaching its last stop, the Graveras Park. This completes a pedestrian walkway and a cycle path, totalling of over 20 kilometres.

More green spaces and municipal parks

8 de Marzo Park

This venue, alongside the Seville-Brenes road, is, as its name suggests, a tribute to the efforts carried out by men and women to achieve gender equality. The green spaces and gardens include playground areas, parking zones, and an outdoor sports centre equipped with multipurpose court and two tennis courts.

Quintero, León y Quiroga Park

This trapezoidal-shaped place is divided into four spaces by two streets, which define the whole area. Within, various trees and bushes species can be distinguished, including cypress and palm trees. The main area features playground areas constructed with wooden elements. In the remaining areas, lawn, tress, bushes, and ground cover plants are emphasised, particularly along the outer edges. This is one of the most visited parks in the municipality.

Dehesa Boyal Park

This is the main green area of San José area. The park, with a surface area of 40,000 m², is located within the Cánamo area. Half of the surface is covered with lawn and vegetation, and the remaining area includes incredible walkway paths and open-air spaces for celebrating concerts, cultural activities, or all types of events.

El Malecón Area

Located at the entrance of the San José area along the Seville-Brenes road, there is a long traffic adjacent to the right hard shoulder between 6-8 metres wide and 500 metres long with vegetation. Over half of this space is placed on a slope covered by flowering plants, including lantanas, pampas grass, cotoneaster, rosemary plants, and vincas. The upper part consists of trees, bushes, and ground cover plants of various sizes, shapes, and leaves’ and flowers’ colour.

Health Care Centre Area

An L-shaped garden is placed on the side and rear of the Carteros Health Care Centre. This garden is divided into three distinguished areas, connected by granite walkway paths framed by palms and with different groups of plants on either side. In the main square, orange trees and plum trees are planted in pits. The smallest square feels more cosy because the trees, lantanas, and bougainvillaea give shade.

Los Inventores Square

This place has rectangular flower beds along the pedestrian walkway, framed by two lines of blocks and three smaller side flower beds. The main flower beds are covered by lawns and grama grass, interspersed with medium-sized trees and assorted bushes. In the smaller flower beds, there are mainly small trees and bushes.

Valle Inclán Park

This park is located in the San José area, close to the Mirador neighbourhood and to the area of the street Calle Madrid. It is one of the most crowded parks in the municipality, and within it are different plant species, playground areas, resting places, and walkway paths.

Los Pintores Park

This park is located in the heart of the San José area, on the street Calle Córdoba. Its size and strategic location make it the perfect setting for outdoor activities. It is known for its incredibly central square.

Félix Rodríguez de la Fuente Park

This park is located in La Paz neighbourhood, within the San José area, near both the school and to the Pablo Picasso Day Centre for elderly people. This open-air venue boats a wide and diverse array of vegetation. It is the perfect space for walking and for leisure activities.

Comunidad Económica Europea (European Economic Community) Park

This is a green space located in La Rinconada old town, close to the Día 20 de Julio Day Centre for elderly people. It is an ideal space for walking and leisure thanks to the trees that give shade and to its design. This park is, as its name suggests, a tribute to the treaty that allows the establishment of a supranational organ in Europe.

Primero de Mayo Park

This park ranks second in terms of its size, behind the Dehesa Boyal Park. Close to the walkway paths and leisure spaces, there is a round quartz court for people who start rollerblading.

Miguel de Mañara Park

In July 2009, in the centre of the street Calle Cultura, Miguel de Mañara Park was inaugurated. With an investment of 396,000 EUR from the programme PER 2008, we transformed a 6,600 m2 plot of land into gardens, playground areas, sports courts, and vegetation. During school hours, the park serves as the students’ playground. However, it is open to everyone for the remainder of the day.

Parque Central de La Unión

This urban park covers an area of around 30,000 m2 and it is an ideal spot for sports, relaxation and connecting directly with nature. Pedestrian walkways, cycle paths and resting places are some of the options available in this park. The main part of the park is the small central lake, where a colony of ducks captures the attention of both children and adults. Climbing up and down its hills, strolling along the pedestrian walkway paths that surround it, or simply sitting at the peak’s highest point to enjoy a sunset are common practices among the users of this green space.