Turia Gardens — Valencia's Flood-Diverted Riverbed Turned into a 9-km Linear Park

After the catastrophic Turia flood of 1957 (official toll at least 81 deaths, unofficial estimates up to ~300), the river was diverted into a new 12-km channel up to 175 m wide south of Valencia (Plan Sur, completed by 1969). A highway was planned for the abandoned riverbed, but a citizen movement under the slogan 'The river is ours and we want it green' won it as public parkland, developed from the 1980s (Ricardo Bofill designed the final section).
The Jardín del Turia now runs about 9–10 km through the city on roughly 110–130 ha (sources differ), listing around 40 tree species and 70 bird varieties; the park is owned by Valencia City Council with national-government land transfer, and maintained by municipal gardeners plus private contractors. An extension (Parc de Desembocadura, +100,000 m²) is under way.
During the 29–30 October 2024 DANA storm, nearly a year's rain fell in about eight hours; the diversion channel reached near capacity and the historic centre did not flood. Important caveat: the worst-hit areas were suburbs south of the city, beyond the diversion's protection, so the flood benefit is local, and it comes from the engineered channel rather than the park itself. No published carbon, biodiversity or cooling metrics were found, so those dimensions are scored low.

Read the full analysis: https://www.interregeurope.eu/good-practices/turia-garden