Denia

The calle Campos in Denia
Calle Campos: 500 m of central retail

Calle Campos: 500 m of central retail

Traffic management in central retail cores is not always easy. In Madrid it seems clear that the retailers in the Sol- Callao- Montera area have understood that despite the limita-tions to traffic and parking the zone works, mainly as the hub of a pow-erful public transportation system; but in smaller cities, or in other areas of Madrid, this can be contro-versial.
Some solutions try to please as well retailers asking for on-street parking as those asking for more pedestrian space. The city of Denia (Alicante) plays a certain centrality role for a set of neighboring municipalities, and this is clear in calle Campos. It is not in fact a high place for architecture (rather your average 1960s or later building, with all that this means in Spain), but its urban location and its retailers, as well as the presence of choice retailers in neighboring streets seems (at least during a short stay) to make it the place to be.
How to make both concepts work together? With a watch and a cal-endar. The street is pedestrian in certain moments, and it takes traffic the rest of the time (the most often, in fact). I am not sure this would be the best option in general, but it is an alternative that seems to work here (again, I have been a short time) in a city where most of the historic core is pedestrian.

The post says it all: on holydays and holyday eves the street becomes a pedestrian area, while parking is regulated the rest of the time

The post says it all: on holydays and holyday eves the street becomes a pedestrian area, while parking is regulated the rest of the time

A sidewalk cafe in the morning of a working day, with cars in the street


A sidewalk cafe in the morning of a working day, with cars in the street

A view across the street in the car-mode

A view across the street in the car-mode

Cars in the morning

Cars in the morning

A no-cars evening

A no-cars evening

The view from the sidewalk in a no-car evening

The view from the sidewalk in a no-car evening

Spanish Mediterranean (3)

Denia still shows the races of a territorial role organizing a hinterland by trade and services before the arrival of mass tourism; combined with a harbor role (it is a point to access the Balearic islands through fast ships). While all the municipalities in the area have an old city, in Denia it is clear that its evolution has been gradual, with a more classical centrality in terms of retail and services.

In contrast with Benidorm there has been no rush to build towers. The center, with tourist functions that have colonized partially a harbor seafront of small buildings with restaurants, has grown to the west around the beach with a tourist zone in which there are still clear signs of it informal origin covering previous orchard areas. To the east growth has colonized a low lying rock cliffs coast with small beaches, under a big mountain, with a detached house on large lot pattern with a much higher socioeconomic level. Hotels and rental apartments coexist with ownership apartments and houses.

The old city is especially well maintained, with a good level of vitality for retail and restaurants.

44.726 registered residents in 2011, of which:

  • 30% non- Spanish
  • 18% citizens of other states of the European Union