This is what Andalucía’s first park designed for children with special educational needs will look like

Almuñécar on Granada province’s Costa Tropical has an ambitious dream: to become the first place in Andalucía to create a large playground designed specifically with children who process the world differently from most or learn in other ways in mind. These are children with special educational needs such as autism, ADHD or dyslexia.

“Today we are taking a historic step towards inclusion and equal opportunities,” said the mayor of Almuñécar, Juanjo Ruiz Joya, after confirming that the town hall has put the draft project out to tender.

Although other municipalities – including Mijas on the Costa del Sol -have similar initiatives, Almuñécar town hall claims that its park will be designed for children with a wider range of developmental disorders.

The new park has been designed for the municipal site occupied by the former Auditórium cinema on Avenida Europa. According to the technical specifications, the future space will be a benchmark in accessibility, sensory inclusion and adapted design and will incorporate play areas with specific colours and flooring, sensory elements, quiet spaces, motor stimulation circuits, adapted signage, non-invasive ambient lighting and safe and controlled environments to facilitate interaction, concentration and fun for children with neurodiversity and their families.

“This park is much more than an urban project. It is a commitment to families and to the children who need it most. Thanks to the work and requests of associations such as Aloha and Asinal, today we are beginning to make a fair and necessary demand a reality,” said Ruiz Joya.

Ruiz Joya added that the town hall will provide “all the necessary resources to make the park a reality as soon as possible.” The tender, which was published on Tuesday 14 October, includes the drafting of the construction project, the health and safety study, the project management and the health and safety coordination, with a completion period of ten weeks from the date of award.

“The new park will become a symbol of the municipality’s commitment to inclusion, accessibility and social innovation, improving the quality of life of children and their families and reinforcing Almuñécar-La Herradura’s leadership in public policies that put people at the centre,” the mayor concluded.