The Parc de les Rieres d'Horta in Barcelona is a linear park of about 4 hectares, inaugurated in the summer of 2013, and which this year has been the winner of the XXI Alhambra Prize during the Congress of the Spanish Association of Public Parks and Gardens, thanks to its innovation in design and sustainability.
Located on Avinguda de l'Estatut de Catalunya, between Plaça Botticelli and Plaça de l'Estatut, its construction allowed two neighborhoods that until now were separated by the road infrastructure to be connected.
Its name also derives from its location, as this was an area through which numerous streams passed that descended from the Collserola mountain range and further down formed the old rambla of Horta. In addition, the proximity to the Collserola Natural Park makes this place a biodiversity connector between the mountain range and the city's green areas.
This large green space has been built on top of a new stormwater regulation reservoir, along with other facilities that are also buried. The presence of this retention reservoir makes it possible to use rainwater and groundwater for other purposes, such as irrigating vegetation and supplying the water features located in the lower part of the park.
Although it is a park on a constructed deck, thanks to the design work, it has been possible to create a sufficient soil profile to plant both herbaceous and shrub species as well as tree species, which allow obtaining the vegetation density and complexity necessary to act as an ecological connector.
The accessible path that runs longitudinally through the park has vegetation, services and facilities on its sides, which adapt according to the topography and the large underground infrastructure.
The distribution of the tree mass is organized to create shaded areas in summer and sunny areas during winter in the spaces located in the central part of the park. The slopes of the lower side are formed by groupings of evergreen trees and shrubs, which evoke the natural flora of Collserola Park. While in the upper flower beds, near the Estatut avenue, the tree alignments are deciduous, accompanied by masses of perennial and herbaceous plants.
The whole creates a botanical route that includes more than twenty tree species and different Mediterranean shrubs and perennials adapted to climatic conditions and urban environments. They are characterized by their resistance to high temperatures, their low water requirements and their low maintenance. Many of these species have been produced by Sala Graupera, and among many others with these characteristics we can find them in the new catalog. Among these plants present in the park we highlight in this post _[Cistus x pulverulentus](http://www.salagraupera.com/es/cataleg/general/item/cistus-x-pulverulentus-2)_, **_Tulbaghia violacea_** , Pachysandra terminalis and Panicum virgatum, which create a continuous cover under the trees and carpet some of the slopes, or **_Ficus pumila_** which climbs the walls of the accesses to the buried facilities.