"Critics claim grand plan for car-free roads and green corridors will allow private developers to wreck Spanish capital's heritage"

Link to The Guardian

"Madrid may soon be a city of grand boulevards, pedestrians and public transport, rather than one plagued by dwindling tourism and crippling public-sector strikes.

It is part of the vision laid out in Madrid's general urban plan, a blueprint designed by the city every 15 or so years to guide its next decade of development.

"This time around, the city wants big changes. Car lanes will be replaced by bicycle lanes, trees will be planted to line the streets, and green spaces across the city will be connected through a series of corridors.

"Paz González, the city councillor responsible for urban planning, said:

"It's a plan that will take the corset off the city. It's the 21st century – we can't have our city all tied up."