Las Barranquillas

Las Barranquillas was a large informal settlement on the southeastern edge of Madrid, near the Valdemingómez landfill. For decades, it was characterized by self-built housing, social exclusion, and later by intense police presence linked to drug trafficking and forced evictions. The settlement was dismantled in 2007 due to urban development interests, but planned construction was halted by the 2008 real estate crisis, leaving the land empty for years. On December 2025, the area is mostly open ground. The soundscape is dominated by constant highway noise, with occasional birds and wind moving through the fields. At times, the engines of motocross bikes can be heard using the today open land. Urbanization has recently begun, and new housing developments are planned, which will soon transform what is still perceived as countryside and exteriority.