(Zaragoza. Thursday, May 19, 2022). Last Wednesday, May 18, the municipal groups held a meeting with researchers from the University of Zaragoza and the San Jorge University to continue outlining the pros and cons of the two construction possibilities for the new Romareda stadium that are proposed in this moment: build the soccer field in the current location or do it in the North Actur Parking. Among these researchers were Rafael de Miguel González, professor at the University of Zaragoza and member of the ARGOS research group; and Ángel Pueyo Campos, Vice Chancellor for Planning, Sustainability and Infrastructure and principal investigator of the GEOT group, both members of the Environmental Sciences Research Institute (IUCA).
This meeting is part of the meetings that the councilors are holding with different social, economic and neighborhood agents to find out their opinions on the future of the stadium and make the final decision taking into account the different variables. The experts agreed on several key aspects, among which the need for the new stadium to be multipurpose and not only to host Real Zaragoza football matches, but also to be open to other disciplines and cultural and social activities, since it will require undertake a significant investment.
As reported by Heraldo de Aragón, the professor at the University of Zaragoza and member of the ARGOS research group, Rafael de Miguel, launched a series of questions. “Where do we want to build a city and attract investment? Do we want to continue building inwards or outwards? In this regard, he explained that currently around 40% of Zaragoza’s urban area falls within the Third Belt (compared to 80% in the 1990s), but it still houses 70% of the total population, «which not the young one”, which mostly occupies neighborhoods such as Parque Venecia or Valdespartera.
For his part, the vice-rector for Planning, Sustainability and Infrastructure of the University of Zaragoza and researcher of the GEOT group, Ángel Pueyo, offered a detailed analysis of the aspects that work for and against each location, in which La Romareda wins points than the location in the Actur, among others because the average distance that Zaragozans currently have to the stadium is 2.99 kilometers, compared to the 4.55 that they would have to the North Parking. The current location, as Pueyo explained, is much better in terms of accessibility from within the city, since it has the tram and several bus lines, as well as good connections on foot, by bike or scooter. However, it must also be taken into account that numerous people will arrive from outside, for whom it will be easier to get to Actur, where there will also be more parking capacity. Ángel Pueyo highlighted the importance that people who travel to attend events hosted by the new state have “the capacity to be able to carry out their activities within the city”, that is, that they consume in Zaragoza’s shops and hotels or stay in their hotels and, in short, “generate economy”. In this case, La Romareda would also be favored because it has more establishments and services around it.
