Pamplona Riverside Park

Pamplona is located at the foot of the Pyrenees mountains, where they meet the Basque Mountains. Despite being a Mediterranean watershed, the proximity of relatively low, Atlantic watershed ridges means that the entire area is one of climatic and biogeographical transition, which is perhaps its chief characteristic The original urban nucleus is located on a high river terrace in between the alluvial plains of the River Arga, to the north, and the Rivers Sadar and Elorz, to the south.

The limited surface area of the municipal district and its growing population has meant that since the 60’s, the city has developed onto the alluvial plains of the Arga and the lower slopes of the hills bordering the Sadar and the Elorz, occupying areas previously given over to agriculture.

Although the current Plan only affects the municipal district, the fact is that Pamplona cannot be understood as an isolated municipality, but rather as part of the Basin, alongside other towns and villages which have developed together with it. This group really works as a metropolitan area, given that 51.1% of the 523,000-strong population of Navarre live in Pamplona and District. Pamplona has a population of 181,000, while the other councils in the Metropolitan Area contribute a further 64,300 inhabitants.

Source: NUC

This has obvious socioeconomic consequences and is important when considering rivers, water and water quality, the integration of an environment which should be understood as natural within a human environment, etc.