The 2008 financial crisis mobilized Madrid’s social unrest into a movement. Through this movement, called 15M, citizens called out the corruption and capitalism that led to the economic collapse and housing crisis. Activists made demands for transparency in their government and truly participatory and democratic processes. Groups of individuals reclaimed vacant lots across the city and transformed them into community spaces, asserting their right to the city. Communities created huertos urbanos on dozens of these sites, building inclusive spaces for youth and adults, immigrants and lifelong Madrileños, where community members could come together to learn, create, and build the urban landscape they envisioned. Here, we explore the huertos urbanos, seeds of an ecosystem of urban agriculture in Madrid.
Over three dozen huertos urbanos dot the urban landscape in Madrid, not counting institutional gardens. 10 years ago, there were none. Learn how these individual sites are embedded in the urban social movement in the Network, see where they're located on the Map, read more about a few select huertos in Featured Sites, dig deeper into what the emergence of huertos urbanos means in Essays, and find out what's behind this site in About.