Two out of three residents of Palma do not have access to green areas
In the lower-income neighborhoods, the surface of nature per inhabitant is smaller than in the higher-income areas due to higher residential density
Palma285,000 people living in Palma – two out of three, if we take the 430,000 inhabitants of 2023 as a reference – do not have access to green areas of more than one hectare, according to the report How to guarantee the right to nature?, which compares the green areas of cities according to the population's income and which was made public this Wednesday by Friends of the Earth. Income determines food, education, housing, opportunities, and also something as seemingly simple as living near a park. The entity's analysis is based on the recommendation of the World Health Organization, the 3-30-300 rule: being able to see 3 trees from the window, 30% vegetation cover in the neighborhood, and a park of at least one hectare no more than 300 meters away.Palma has large parks, but proximity vegetation is scarce in neighborhoods with higher population density, which are also those with lower incomes. "In the lower-income neighborhoods, the area of green space per inhabitant is lower than in higher-income areas due to population density," says the report, which notes that "the situation is especially worrying mainly for vulnerable people, who are the ones with less green space and fewer options to adapt to climate change," explains the head of Participation and Projects at Amics de la Terra Mallorca, Lucía Ami. These are people who do not have their "right to nature" guaranteed.
The study compares the variables of access to green areas and income level and has found large areas with difficulties in adapting to heat waves, areas it calls of "priority action". Friends of the Earth points out that it is urgent to renaturalize these spaces from an ecological point of view and as a tool for well-being and adaptation to high temperatures for people with lower incomes. In Palma there are two main areas to intervene: Pere Garau and Son Canals, which correspond to an expansion fabric, and Son Cladera, with a mixed morphology that combines open block with single-family housing and other non-residential uses.
The entity demands that comprehensive planning be carried out, so that the proposals "are not limited to occupying urban voids", but rather "configure a connected and functional ecological system". Furthermore, it demands "fair housing policies that prevent the greening of cities from leading to the expulsion of people from their homes due to speculation" and that "community climate shelters be built so that neighbors can decide on their neighborhoods and that green spaces also be a place to build dignified and full lives".The report also points out that the indicator of green areas per person in Palma is 8.33 m2 per inhabitant, far below the average of the cities analyzed by Amics de la Terra, which is 13.4 m2 per inhabitant (the cities in the study are Madrid, Valencia, Zaragoza, Seville, Palma, Valladolid, Badajoz, Ourense, Santiago de Compostela, and Ibiza). "The wealthiest neighborhoods [of Palma] are located in the center, in the areas to the west close to the surroundings of greater environmental and landscape value, and along the coast," the document points out. "At the other extreme, the neighborhoods with lower income levels are concentrated in the east, in the areas crossed by the Gros and d'en Barberà torrents, with a greater risk of flooding," it adds. In this way, the population with the highest income is the one that has "better provision of public parks".
The areas with low incomes and lack of vegetation encompass diverse situations. "The presence of expansion fabric, public block developments from the 60s, later developments, and some areas from previous rural nuclei stands out," explains the study, which warns that there are areas that will stop being low-income in a while due to gentrification, as is happening in Pere Garau.
Priority action areas
Regarding the areas where it is a priority to improve vegetation, in addition to Pere Garau, Son Canals and Son Cladera (those that Amics de la Terra points out as main ones), Soledat, Rafal Vell, Son Fortesa and Camp Redó are also included. "These are areas where a lack of green spaces and a low income level converge," remarks Amics de la Terra.