Urban renaturalization planning
Introduction
The parks and public gardens of Pontevedra constitute the green spaces of the Spanish city of Pontevedra, which were configured as such since the century for the beautification of the city and the recreation of the people of Pontevedra.
Pontevedra stands out as a green city, occupying second place in Galicia in terms of square meters of green space per inhabitant, with 19.86.
Typology
Depending on their characteristics, the parks and gardens of Pontevedra are divided into several typologies:[4] "historical", those created before 1930, such as the Alameda park or the Palmeras park; "botanical", such as the Lourizán botanical garden; "natural", such as the Sculpture Island or the Xunqueira de Alba park; «linear», such as the Gafos park;[5] «urban», the most common located in the heart of the city such as the Plaza de Galicia "Plaza de Galicia (Pontevedra)") or the Plaza de Barcelos; and "forests", large green spaces located in the bordering areas of the city, such as A Tomba Park or A Fracha Park.
Historical evolution
From monastic gardens to 19th-century public gardens
In Pontevedra, the first antecedents of the current urban gardens are found in the orchards and orchards of the convents belonging to the mendicant orders that were established in the city in the century: Dominicans, Franciscans and Poor Clares.
In the 20th century, the Industrial Revolution led to the creation of the first public parks in cities to counteract the negative effects of industrialization. The authorities began to finance large urban gardens and parks, establishing a "public gardening" that differed from previous private projects and introduced landscape architecture.[6] In Pontevedra, the confiscation of Mendizábal in 1836 allowed the conversion of the land belonging to the orchards of the mendicant orders into municipal public spaces, transforming the orchards of the convents of Santo Domingo and San Francisco "Convento de San Francisco (Pontevedra)") in green areas accessible to citizens. Thus, the old field of Santo Domingo became the current Alameda, while in front of the convent of San Francisco, the Casto Sampedro Gardens arose in the historic center, a work begun in 1845[7] and promoted by the civil governor José María de Michelena.[8] On the other hand, the orchard of the Convent of Santa Clara "Convento de Santa Clara (Pontevedra)"), which had been closed to the public and in exclusive use of the Clarisas, was acquired by the Pontevedra city council in 2021, which allowed its opening to the residents of Pontevedra and the planning of its future conditioning as a park.[9][10].