The Future of Alicante: A New Cultural Axis from San Vicente to the Bullring

Alicante has been in upheaval since the Mayor of Alicante, Luis Barcala, announced the 'Alicante New Centre' project during the State of the City Debate. This initiative aims to expand the area dividing the Rambla de Méndez Núñez between the Town Hall and Gabriel Miró Square, extending beyond Alfonso el Sabio Avenue.

The project seeks to reclaim a part of the city from the intersection of Alfonso el Sabio with Ronda del Castillo to Plaza de España and Las Cigarreras, the former Tobacco Factory. This will begin with the pedestrianisation of San Vicente Street up to Plaza de España and the ADDA on one side, while also connecting with Santa Teresa Square behind the Quijano Pantheon.

The project, which lacks specific dates, will provide Alicante with a new pedestrian axis, complemented by cultural infrastructures that enhance attractions such as Santa Bárbara Castle, the Town Hall, MACA, and the Gravina Museum, all located along the coastal axis.

Much debate has arisen over the issues this initiative may cause, such as traffic diversion, especially for buses ascending from San Vicente Street, as well as goods delivery and its impact on neighbouring streets like Calderón de la Barca. However, it will also revitalise currently depressed areas, such as the San Antón neighbourhood and the rear of the Central Market.

TodoAlicante has used Artificial Intelligence to graphically imagine how the new axis will appear, allowing Alicante residents to visualise the pedestrianisation, pending the final project presentation by the Town Hall.

This cultural super-axis starting from San Vicente Street will culminate in Alicante's future cultural golden triangle, formed by the Bullring, the ADDA, and Las Cigarreras, which will house an international museum capable of hosting major international exhibitions "coveted by other cities and becoming a reference space throughout Spain," said the mayor during his presentation at the municipal plenary.

Plaza de España would be the final stretch of this axis, prioritising pedestrian traffic up to the Health building on Campoamor Promenade. The bullring will be transformed into a multi-purpose space for culture, leisure, and especially music. As TodoAlicante reported, the Town Hall has already explored the possibility of covering the venue to host concerts and recreational events year-round.

These two major cultural initiatives will be complemented by the ADDA, located along the same geographical axis, which has already significantly rehabilitated the surrounding area, including the neighbourhoods between the two castles. In this regard, Barcala announced, "We will promote the planned underground parking next to the ADDA to equip this new cultural axis with this necessary infrastructure."

The pedestrianisation of this axis will be accompanied by the opening of new vehicle-free transit spaces. The pedestrianisation project of the Town Hall Square "is irreversible," assured the mayor. The first phase, banning private vehicles from the Town Hall facade, will take place at the end of the year. In this location, the Giant Nativity Scene of Alicante is set up, attracting thousands of people and coinciding with the partial closure.

In the second phase, buses will cease to pass by the facade, necessitating a reroute of the many routes traversing the Rambla de Méndez Núñez.

The pedestrianisation of the Town Hall Square marks a new milestone in the renewal of Alicante's Traditional Centre, creating a walkable corridor from the Explanada de España, with the new cul-de-sac at the end of the Rambla, continuing through Bailén Street and Constitution Avenue, where a giant Christmas tree is set up, extending to the Central Market. In total, 25,000 square metres of walkable passage for pedestrians.

This area will be expanded upon the completion of the 'Alicante New Centre' works, including the pedestrianisation of San Vicente Street, as announced by the Alicante Town Hall, which Artificial Intelligence already envisions and will become a reality in the future.