High - speed rail reshaping urban areas : Valencia Parque Central

High-speed became a fundamental political issue in Valencia, but also a major factor in regional planning and economic attractiveness and reactivated Valencia Parque Central project, which aim is to transform disused railways into a park and to build a station and its tracks underground. This new centrality should become the focal point of the whole urban and regional transport network. The new railway station is an old project, but it is made possible, even necessary, with the arrival of the AVE. This project relies on an ambitious underground infrastructure, above which an urban park of 23ha and a business district should be created. As a new multi-modal transport hub, it also aims to link all the urban, regional and national transport networks, which interconnection is incomplete. Political aspects are significant, because Spanish cities attach great importance to be well served by the AVE, which seems to be an element of metropolitan prestige. Nonetheless, Parque Central concrete project is limited to the development of a business district in a section of the city, and remedial measures to improve the interconnection of networks. But it does not take into account the changes of user needs in terms of mobility, especially at the metropolitan level. Since October 2010, Valencia has been connected to Madrid by the third radial high-speed rail axis. The city now intends to reach a nodal position within the network, thanks to its selected situation on the "Mediterranean corridor" project. High-speed becomes a fundamental political issue in Valencia, but also a major factor in regional planning and economic policies (Tomás Carpi, 2010). The implementation of the AVE (Spanish high-speed rail) reactivated Valencia Parque Central project, which aim is to transform disused railways into a park and to build a station and its tracks underground. This new centrality should become the focal point of the whole urban and regional transport network (Boira, 2011). The political speech focuses on the idea of urban renewal and of an integrated project which would lead to a new centrality in the city, thanks to the implementation of the AVE. It aims to create a large urban park, together with a " CBD " (Central Business District) of two business towers, some habitation buildings and a few cultural places. Underground should be implemented a multimodal station connecting AVE, conventional railways, suburban and urban networks. But this project seems to be difficult to realise because of the …