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The heat of Madrid goes through neighborhoods

2021-08-02T13:41:59.442Z


In the capital, being able to cope with high temperatures is synonymous with wealth, since humble areas have fewer green areas, homes are worse isolated and do not have air conditioning or they cannot turn it on.


It is seven thirty in the morning on July 19 in a warehouse in Vallecas and the heat is still bearable, even when a light breeze blows.

Jesús García (40 years old) works for the delivery company Seur, he has been working as a delivery man for “15 years” and is clear that the worst time of the year to work is June, July and August.

Jesus prefers rainy days because, when it rains, the only danger is to get a little wet, while in the middle of July the heat becomes unbearable.

At four in the afternoon, his van shows a temperature of 41º.

To beat the heat during the harshest hours, Jesús carries two ice cold two-liter bottles of water, and tries to park his van in the shade whenever he can.

Jobs that, like yours, involve working outdoors during the summer are considered high risk by the World Health Organization.

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In the city of Madrid, not all districts are affected in a similar way by high temperatures, there are neighborhoods much warmer than others. These thermal differences began to be accentuated at the beginning of the 20th century, “during the time of developmentalism”, explains Darío Redolat, geographer and researcher in meteorology and climatology at the FIC (Foundation for Climate Research). The economic growth of those years not only brought about the flourishing of the industry of the city of Madrid, but also meant a transformation at an architectural level. Faced with population growth and increasing jobs, the city found itself with the need to house the thousands of workers who worked in the industries and factories that were expanding in the south of the capital.The obligation to build quickly and cheaply also led to an increase in urban disorder. “The order of the richest neighborhoods contrasts with the lack of urban planning in the poorest neighborhoods,” Redolat emphasizes.

Despite the fact that these structural inequalities were forged almost 100 years ago, in the city of Madrid these differences continue to be perpetuated. Due to their architectural and geographical characteristics —because they are nestled in the valley that the Manzanares River burrows—, the districts of Usera and Puente de Vallecas are two of those that suffer the most from the phenomenon known as heat island: within the city there is a higher temperature than the one in the natural environment. "Within the same urban nucleus there are differences between some areas and others, which are called micro islands", details Javier Neila González, Ph.D. architect, professor and head of the ABIO research group (Bioclimatic Architecture in a sustainable environment).

The lowest temperature areas are those near green areas and in the highest areas, so that, in the case of Madrid, the coolest neighborhoods are the neighborhoods to the northwest, well ventilated and close to green spaces such as the mount of El Pardo or the Casa de Campo. The district of Moncloa-Aravaca is one of those that least suffers from this phenomenon of the heat island, since it is close to areas with a lot of trees.

The thermal maps indicate that, due to the scarcity of green areas and the high level of urbanization, the central area is one of the areas that suffers the most.

There, on Calle Mayor, is the La Santiaguesa oven.

Rajaa Harrouda, one of the confectioners, comes in at seven in the morning and leaves at three in the afternoon.

“Work in summer costs more than in winter.

In August everything is very warm, but we drink a lot of water, ”he says.

Rajaa is in charge of making the appetizers and the salty pastries.

"We have six ovens and in that corner, the fryer and the stove."


Jesús García, SEUR delivery man in his delivery van, in Madrid.

Santi Burgos

There, in the corner, is Miguel Ángel Navarro making donuts in a large oil pan. He says that the heat affects him a lot, he cannot stand the summer, but the worst thing is that the negative effects of high temperatures also end up taking home. "The heat makes you sleepy and flattens you, when you go home you feel more tired and if you read before, now you fall asleep." Miguel complains that, although air is running - they have open windows and an air conditioning system - the heat given off by the ovens and stoves can reach temperatures of over 40º in the kitchen.

The appearance of the extensions in Madrid forced urban planners to make the most of each square meter of land, eliminating green areas and small forests that were on the periphery in favor of brick and asphalt. The accelerated construction also brought with it climatic inequality, so the gestation of these neighborhoods generated new differences between the richest and poorest enclaves. "The richest neighborhoods are built with green spaces and wide avenues," adds Dario Redolat, as well as with larger blocks and interior courtyards. The Modifica project, in which Javier Neila participated, aimed to identify the thermal differences between some neighborhoods and others during the summer months. "In the case of Madrid, we measured differences of up to 10 degrees, 25 degrees in one area and 35 degrees in another."The heat island is fundamentally caused by the disappearance of the vegetal surface: if solar energy reaches a forest, a milder heating occurs due to the presence of vegetation, says Neila. "In the city, as there is little vegetation, the temperature rises." If that is added to the anthropogenic heat - the heat of human origin caused by activities such as the use of cars, electrical appliances, heating, etc. - some areas get hotter than others.If that is added to the anthropogenic heat - the heat of human origin caused by activities such as the use of cars, electrical appliances, heating, etc. - some areas get hotter than others.If that is added to the anthropogenic heat - the heat of human origin caused by activities such as the use of cars, electrical appliances, heating, etc. - some areas get hotter than others.

The lack of trees and large spaces that contribute to ventilation and cooling of the city is a characteristic of less affluent neighborhoods, which is why they suffer more from high temperatures and "we find ourselves with an uneven city at a thermal level", according to Redolat. Even so, something very particular happens in Madrid; In the Salamanca district, one of the richest in the capital, there are also extremely high temperatures.

Most of its buildings were built before the 1979 law came into force, which requires that buildings be insulated more efficiently and thus prevent the entry of heat and cold. However, despite having higher temperatures than in areas with a lower per capita income, heat is suffered less thanks to air conditioning systems, which residents of poorer neighborhoods cannot always afford. When the conditions of a home are below comfort, it is what is known as energy poverty.

Among the neighborhoods of Madrid, the type of construction varies.

According to Javier Neila, in addition to the ubiquitous air conditioning systems, one of the reasons why in the Salamanca district the heat is tolerated a little better is that the buildings have thicker walls, which allows a greater separation with the exterior despite having an old insulation system - known as the air chamber - which consists of leaving a space of a few centimeters between a first exterior wall and the main internal wall of the house.

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Source: elparis

All news articles on 2021-08-02

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