Resident María del Carmen Lapuente, a member of the San Miguel Square Affected Residents’ Platform, said they wanted a “small” fountain like the ones in Diego Velázquez Square or San Juan de los Panetes. “They can put that pergola on the Huerva and we will all be happy. Here, we asked for a tiny fountain and they told us it was impossible because fountains have to be cleaned,” she said.
They also questioned whether the new square could serve as a climate refuge, one of the issues of greatest concern to residents. Lapuente said the temperature has risen and that the newly planted trees will take years to provide enough shade. “This is not a climate refuge,” Lapuente insisted, arguing that the space will not be pleasant for walking, resting or carrying out commercial activities, especially during the summer months.
Criticism has also focused on the lack of public participation during the project’s development. Lapuente regretted that many of the proposals put forward by affected residents were not addressed and accused Zaragoza City Council of hearing their complaints without genuinely taking them into account. “They hear us, but they do not listen to us,” she said.
For his part, platform spokesman Josean Salvador recalled the months of protests that accompanied the renovation. Although he acknowledged that some improvements had been achieved, he said many of the problems had been visible since the project was presented and could have been resolved earlier. “It has been many months of strain and continuous campaigning,” he said, denouncing the personal effort required of residents to ensure that certain shortcomings were corrected.
The affected residents have been particularly emphatic in their rejection of the pergola, which, they explained, had already faced opposition during neighborhood meetings held before construction began. Despite this, the structure was eventually installed. For residents, the decision reflects the failure to heed the requests of those who live and work in the square, who believe the renovation should have shown greater respect for the historic character of this area in central Zaragoza.
