"I wish to see one day a greener and more sustainable Arrecife, which generates well-being and health for its residents," said the deputy for the islands of Lanzarote and La Graciosa of Nueva Canarias (NC) and island president of the formation, Yoné Caraballo, in the Regional Chamber.
In connection with a Non-Law Proposal to increase and develop green areas in the municipalities of the Canary Islands as a strategy to combat and adapt to climate change, Caraballo pointed out that “in the large capitals of the Canary Islands, the work in adaptation and mitigation to climate change is remarkable; but as far as Arrecife is concerned, with 70,000 inhabitants, these policies are practically non-existent due to the lack of vision that political leaders have maintained, more focused on pitch and cement than on the well-being and health of the residents.”
The Canarian deputy wanted to mention the "utopian vision" that the former mayor of Arrecife, the socialist José María Espino, had, as he was a leader who in the 1980s opted for green areas, especially the Rambla Medular, which today has become the only green artery of the capital of Lanzarote. “In 2024 there is no other more pedestrian and green space in the city of Arrecife than the Rambla Medular, and that is thanks to the courage of politicians like José María Espino who indicated the path that the capital should take to put pedestrians as the protagonists of the city and face the increasingly evident climate change,” Yoné Caraballo maintained.
This recognition of the courage of José María Espino was contrasted with the "criticism of the current municipal leaders such as the mayor of Arrecife, the conservative Yonathan de León, and the deputy mayor Echedey Eugenio", who in Caraballo's words “it is regrettable that their policies are to presume day after day on top of the pitch with a yellow vest”, an image, continues the deputy, “that shows that political youth is not linked to new city models, but in this case, to more of the same.”
In the same way, he has once again cited the "lack of vision in the urban planning of the Arrecife neighborhoods" as an example, specifically the Argana Alta neighborhood, which in the remodeling of Tenderete street has lacked a sustainable and friendly road transformation, with bike lanes and trees.
All in all, NC proposed the "implementation" in the Canary Islands cities of the so-called "vertical gardens", which improve the "appearance of urban architecture and reduces the impact of being faced with a sea of cement." According to Yoné Caraballo, “dedicating a part of the construction of a building to the creation of a vertical ecosystem allows us to send a message of responsibility to the environment. In the case of residential buildings, it also allows owners to connect with nature and breathe in a healthier environment.”
“There are many benefits of these vertical gardens, such as the decrease in the interior temperature of buildings in summer; it reduces the risk of flooding (the plants retain rainwater); they lower dust levels in the environment, especially here in the Canary Islands, where we suffer numerous episodes of haze; it increases oxygen levels and air quality; and also isolates noise pollution,” argued Caraballo, who considers it necessary to “go to cities with increasingly green neighborhoods, which guarantee citizens the right to a more resilient urban environment that promotes their personal and economic development, and improves their health and well-being.”
