Overview
- The city government this week approved the Protocolo Retiro 2026, which raises wind-speed thresholds that trigger orange and red alerts so parks stay open on more high-heat days.
- Under the new criteria orange alerts now start at 45–60 km/h and red alerts at over 60 km/h for El Retiro and several historic parks, while three younger parks will use a 75 km/h red threshold without full closures but with sensitive areas cordoned off.
- Named historic sites covered by the protocol include El Capricho, Fuente del Berro, Quinta de Torre Arias, Quinta de los Molinos and the Rosaleda del Parque del Oeste.
- Officials say the revision is based on a 2014–2025 technical review and SERVER data that found El Retiro was closed by red alert only a small share of the time but accounted for a large share of recorded tree and branch falls during that period.
- The change aims to preserve urban shade and cooling as heat episodes increase while keeping tree monitoring and targeted safety measures in place after earlier protocols were introduced following deadly tree‑fall incidents.