The Ciudad Jardín neighborhood in Cordoba has experienced deterioration and aging in recent years, with an older population and outdated housing. This has led many owners to move away and rent their homes, and the neighborhood now struggles with a lack of young families and infrastructure issues. Businesses have also declined due to competition from large stores and changing consumer habits. Revitalization efforts are focused on improving accessibility, attracting new residents, and boosting commerce through initiatives like a planned blue parking zone.

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http://www.eldiadecordoba.es/cordoba/impulso-necesario-Ciudad-Jardin_0_862714308.html
In recentyearsthe CiudadJardínneighborhoodhassufferedadeteriorationandanagingthat has led
the City of Cordoba to request its acceptance of the State Housing Plan, which consists of improving
buildingsandaccessibilityof the area.Inthisneighborhood,emergedinthenineteenthcenturybythe
expansion of the city, settled much of the working class of Cordoba and many young couples with
children. But the picture has changed a lot.
The populationof CiudadJardín is veryoldand the housesare veryold. Thishas meant that many of
itsownershave gone tootherareasof the cityand have chosentoput themforrent.The presidentof
the South Poniente District, FranciscoMontemayor,explainsthat"inthese olderflatsthere are older
people livingwhoneedthe installationof anelevatortobe able togouptotheirhomes".Onthe other
hand,the rentsare lower,sotheyare more economicallyaccessibleforthe immigrantpopulationand
the students, who have colonized the neighborhood in recent years.
The presidentof the NeighborhoodAssociationNuevaCiudadJardin,AuroraDomínguez,agreesthat
the neighborhood"isdeterioratingalotandgettingolder,"because "thepopulationthatwas 40 or 50
years ago is almost non-existent". In that sense, "before it was a nice neighborhood,I live", but now
"there are fewer young people, the floors are old, there are no parking lots and especially a lot of
floating population, especially foreigners".
The agingof the populationhasalsoledto overcrowdedschools,sothatthe Junta de Andalucía does
not rule outevenclosinga centerinthe future."The school that givesusthe most trouble isSalvador
Vinuesa", which is in a new school zone, after the Administration changed the educational map.
Amongthe shortcomingsof the Montemayorneighborhood,itispointedoutthatsome streetsare in
"verybad conditions"and"itis struggling"tofix the steels.The DistrictCouncil hasaskedthat thisbe
introducedintothe 50 municipal planworks50 neighborhoods.There isalsoalack of a centerforthe
elderlybecause,accordingtothe presidentof the DistrictCouncil,the civiccenterandthe day center
are in the new zone, so retirees have to travel there crossing the avenue of Gran Vía Parque.
Preciselythisroadisoneof thelimitsof the neighborhoodandalsooneof itsbusiestareas.Thisavenue
has caused more than a headache to the neighbors since it has been the headquarters of the street
market -which later went to Vista Alegre and now it is in Noreña- and also of botellón. "A lot has
happened there," says Montemayor. "The worst was the traffic, you could not pass one there," in
additionto "the damage"that was done in the planters.At the time it started withfew positionsbut
"that became sowidespreadthatitwasno longerlogical tohave a marketinthat place,"he remarks.
On the other hand, the bottle problem "we suffered a lot", the developments of the new part -the
other side of Gran Vía Parque- even had to surround their environment because the young people
were there their needs and destruction occurred. "Fortunately, whoever lives there does not even
remember what happened," he says.
In fact, this area has been for many years the center of nightlife, whichalso lives its low hours. "The
move is like the migratorybirds,it goesfromone place to another,and now we have restedbecause
in the 90s and 2000 here you could not live,"arguesthe presidentof the New Garden City.Such was
the situation that the neighbors had to request their protection as an Acoustically Saturated Zone.
If the wealthandsplendorof aneighborhoodisdueinparttoitsshops,inCiudadJardintheyhavealso
"fallenquite abit due to the strengthof the large areas,"according to Montemayor.The Association
of Merchantsof CiudadJardínisfightingtokeepthe neighborhoodtrade,acomplicatedtask"because
youcan not keepthe pace or the pricesof large stores."The presidentof the DistrictCouncil indicates

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that there isnothingmore thantakinga walkaroundthe neighborhoodtosee the shuttersthrownor
posters sold and rented: "In the end you will have to create a different way of attracting customers
than the big ones. surfaces. " "It's a neighborhood that is running out of life, and the merchants are
the ones who notice it the most," adds Aurora Dominguez.
Ciudad Jardín -which despite its name did not have a park in conditions until the end of the 20th
century, with the openingof the Juan Carlos I Gardens- does have a variety of sports facilitiesin its
surrounding neighborhoods, such as the indoor pool Teresa Alcántara, the Open Arena complex,
which will be inaugurated shortly at the facilities of El Cordobés; or the Vista Alegre pavilion.
One of the neighborhoodcomplaintsisgivenbythe latestrestructuringof the Aucorsalines,forwhich
number7 changedits route. Theyhave askedthe CityCouncil to returnthe previousitinerarybutfor
the moment they have not received a positive response from the Mobility Delegation.
The spokesmanof the Associationof MerchantsCityGarden,JenaroVázquez,pointsoutthatthisis a
"big problem". His demand is for the bus to pass through Medina Azahara, Gran Vía Parque and
Guerrita Avenue instead of Antonio Maura and Manolete Avenue, where it passes again before
headingtothe center."Thisaffectspotential customerswhocome fromotherareas,"he stresses.For
this reason, neighbors and businessmen are going to start an informationcampaign and, if there are
no changes by Aucorsa, they will carry out mobilizations.
For the trade,the car parksare "anotherbattlefield".Beingthe blocksof oldflatsdonothave garages,
so the neighbors find a great difficulty to park, as well as potential customers.
The merchantsand residentsare waitingfor a plan of the Delegationof MobilityandAccessibilityon
the implementation of a blue zone. "We have takena long time to reach a minimum consensus and
we are waiting for it to be carried out," he clarifies. The blue zone will involve some squares of the
neighborhood and also the parking lot of the Plaza de Toros.
In this neighborhood there is the peculiarity that "there is a lot of trade in a very large area" but in
recentyearsithas suffered"afairlylarge deterioration".Thatis,"there isadecrease inthe numberof
open places, although there is always a continuous high and low because many unemployed see an
exit to open a business." However, "this is not to raise a blind, you have to have a certain
professionalism".Sometimesthe lackof thisbusinessknowledgemeansthatmanyof these storesare
doomed to failure.
Butthere are othercausesthatpushthe badtrade situation,suchas"the deteriorationof 75% of steel,
whichis from the 50s." Vazquezstatesthat "the onlything that is done is patchingthe slabsthat are
deteriorating"whenthereisnootherchoice,therefore "thereare noattractive streets"forthe client.
On the other hand, the traditional businesses have left the Chinese competition, "which has been
extended to cover the food sector." Specifically, in Gran Vía Parque they have opened two
greengrocersand,"unfortunately,because of how the economyis,there are those whobuy the type
of fruit that they sell". "Logically," he says, "they are causing damage to previously established
establishments,whichwill have tojoinatthe time of purchase toachieve agreatermarginof profitin
the sale to the public."However,there are also"some veryconsolidatedshops,of the onesof all the
life, that have been renewed and have enough weight in the zone".