The city of Burgos has the opportunity to better integrate its urban fabric—its activities and its citizens—with the Arlanzón River—its landscapes and its ecology. In line with successful precedents in other European cities, the re-naturalization of riverbeds and the improvement of water quality and fluvial landscapes help underscore the importance of the Arlanzón River within the invaluable heritage of Burgos. Its inhabitants already enjoy the riverbanks, a varied and beautiful space, though inconsistent in its state of conservation and accessibility. It is necessary to project its enormous landscape and social potential into the future, enriching the relationship between the city and its natural surroundings, between the people and their river.

The project is structured through two distinct urban interventions. On one hand, the transformation of the streets and avenues bordering the river within the city center—Avenida del Arlanzón to the north, and Calle de Valladolid and Avenidas de Palencia and José María Villacián Rebollo to the south—into more pedestrian-friendly spaces. Currently, these streets anachronistically follow the route of the N-120 national highway. Our proposed intervention also allows for the calming of traffic in Plaza del Mío Cid and on the San Pablo and Gasset bridges.

The second urban intervention involves the design and more natural re-adaptation of the river with the Paseo de La Quinta, Cauce Molinar, and San Juan Bautista parks. Together, linked by the riverbed and combined with existing well-preserved areas, they will form a sort of "emerald necklace." Both actions—the creation of a true urban public space along the riverbanks and the sequence of green spaces—feed into each other. They can be developed in phases, whether divided into geographical fragments or layers of intervention. In short, linking the river to the city, or the city to the river, means above all improving the streets that border it and the green spaces along its banks.

In cities like Burgos, the hybrid character of fluvial spaces is clearly manifested. We also propose a set of interventions to improve the natural conditions of the river itself, ensuring it is more vibrant, healthier, and in harmony with the ecological natural environment.