Feed MRSS-S ana_botella_a, english.elpais.com en-us https://english.elpais.com Sat, 10 May 2025 04:00:00 GMT https://english.elpais.com/spain/2025-05-10/where-are-you-headed-madrid.html Sat, 10 May 2025 04:00:00 GMT https://english.elpais.com/spain/2025-05-10/where-are-you-headed-madrid.html xavi sancho The Spanish capital is experiencing a period of success and expansion. After years of trying to carve out a niche in the global city scene, it finally seems to have found a model and a brand to go with it. Is it all real or just a facade? And does it lead to an inclusive place to live or is it just for a select few? The Spanish capital is experiencing a period of success and expansion. After years of trying to carve out a niche in the global city scene, it finally seems to have found a model and a brand to go with it. Is it all real or just a facade? And does it lead to an inclusive place to live or is it just for a select few? Madrid Manuela Carmena Ana Botella Begoña Villacís Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón Pasqual Maragall José Luis Martínez Almeida Alberto García-Alix (EL PAÍS) 'From Madrid to Heaven' (2024) by Alberto García-Alix. Pictured are the skyscrapers of the Cuatro Torres Business District. 'From Madrid to Heaven' (2024) by Alberto García-Alix. Pictured are the skyscrapers of the Cuatro Torres Business District. <p>In 1892, coinciding with the 400th anniversary of <a href="https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2024-10-17/international-experts-slam-alleged-columbus-dna-findings-commenting-on-this-is-like-commenting-on-aliens.html" target="_self" rel="" title="https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2024-10-17/international-experts-slam-alleged-columbus-dna-findings-commenting-on-this-is-like-commenting-on-aliens.html">Columbus’s arrival in the Americas</a>, Madrid decided it wanted to be Paris. To this end, it planned the construction of a huge commemorative tower in the heart of Retiro Park. Designed by the architect and engineer Alberto de Palacio, the monument was conceived as an enormous globe, 200m (656ft) in diameter and 300m (984ft) tall, that promised to rival the Eiffel Tower, inaugurated just three years earlier, in terms of its visual majesty and iconic value. But the project was abandoned due to its high cost — around 31 million pesetas at the time, or €186,310 ($211,472).</p><p><a href="https://english.elpais.com/spain/2025-05-10/where-are-you-headed-madrid.html" target="_blank">Seguir leyendo</a></p><img src="https://images.english.elpais.com/resizer/v2/A2EZFZU4NJF2HBLCRWZRWG4JUQ.jpg?auth=414a2325108e6daf0a4c495e3879069a7b3ab7b6680830e228d2bcaaaabf09a4" width="2500" height="2500" alt="'Like a Bird' (2023) by Alberto García-Alix. Pictured is Gran Vía at the intersection with Calle de Alcalá."></img>