In this Buenos Aires neighborhood with few green spaces, a public vacant lot flourished on its own, and with the support of local residents, it could become the first Urban Ecological Micro-Reserve in the heart of Buenos Aires.
Nature transformed a vacant lot in Almagro, and Buenos Aires could have its first Urban Micro Ecological Reserve
It was a vacant, abandoned lot in Almagro where nature did what it does best: proliferate, grow, and spread into every nook and cranny, transforming a gray space of twisted metal and concrete into something that neighbors now know could easily become an urban ecological micro-reserve.
That is why the neighbors are fighting to ensure that this urban miracle does not end up in private hands.
In the heart of Almagro, at Acuña de Figueroa 981, an abandoned public lot has become a green refuge. Without human intervention, without an architectural plan, without a budget. Nature simply took over, and the result was a small green space in one of Buenos Aires’ most densely populated neighborhoods—a neighborhood that historically has very little green space per resident.
Relieve: the collective that stood its ground
When the national government announced it was going to auction off the property, the neighborhood reacted. Residents, architects, biologists, activists, and curious onlookers organized under the name Relieve and put forward a proposal: to transform that land into a freely accessible urban micro-ecological reserve that would serve as a green lung and a gathering place for the neighborhood.
The initiative has already gathered thousands of signatures, was declared of community interest by the Community Board of Community 5, and the group began meeting with legislators from different blocs in the Legislature to build political support.
Three auctions, three failures: nature persists
The national government, through the Agency for the Administration of State Assets (AABE), appraised the property and put it up for auction. The first auction was in November 2025. Then there was a second. Then a third. All three went unsold.
For the Relieve collective, every failed auction is an opportunity for the solution proposed by the neighbors to gain ground—in every sense—before a buyer appears.
What the neighbors are asking for
The proposal is for the Government of the City of Buenos Aires to initiate negotiations with the national government to acquire the land, either by offsetting debts between jurisdictions or by purchasing it directly.
The site for this urban micro nature reserve in Almagro has been there for over 30 years, where nature has flourished, and there are now mature trees to which native species could be added, as the space is self-sustaining. Almagro has a shortage of green spaces. Will they be able to gain this one?
📍 Acuña de Figueroa 981, Almagro 📱 Follow the collective’s updates on IG @relieve.almagro
