València: European Green Capital 2024

València wants to be a climate-neutral and intelligent city by 2030. Its commitment to sustainability has now earned the city the prestigious title of “European Green Capital”. It has thus taken over from the French city of Grenoble. In second place this time is the Italian city of Cagliari. Find out here what initiatives València is undertaking as part of its 2030 urban strategy.

The European Commission awards the “European Green Capital 2024” prize to cities with over 100,000 inhabitants that demonstrate a strong commitment to sustainability and quality of life and take innovative steps to reduce their ecological footprint. The award is endowed with 600,000 euros. To win, a city must perform excellently on these twelve indicators: Air, noise, waste, water, nature and biodiversity, land use, eco-innovation, climate change mitigation, climate change adaptation, mobility, energy efficiency and governance.

However, “European Green Capital 2024” is not the only title that València can hold. The city was also named “European Capital of Smart Tourism 2022” and “Capital of Sustainable Food 2017”. It was also awarded the “Wetland City” prize by the Ramsar Convention. Furthermore, the Spanish city is considered a pioneer in measuring and offsetting its_carbon and water footprint in the tourism sector. It is also one of a hundred cities selected by the European Union for the “Cities Mission” project to achieve climate neutrality by 2030.

València plans to plant 500,000 new urban trees by 2030. The city already has over 600 hectares of parks and gardens. To this end, the city is protecting and renaturalizing existing ecosystems and creating new green spaces at the same time. One special example is the Jardín del Turia. This green space in an old riverbed covers more than 120 hectares and is twelve kilometers long – making it the longest city park in Europe. In addition to numerous green spaces in the city center, there are also two nature parks on the outskirts: L’Albufera and Túria. L’Albufera, for example, contains one of the most important wetlands in Europe. It is therefore subject to extensive protection measures. As a result, 90 percent of the population lives within 300 meters of a green space. As a result, citizens fall ill less often and lead a better lifestyle. The abundance of greenery improves the city air. Nature recovers as a result of renaturation. And people in turn benefit from the improved ecosystem services.

València is decarbonizing its mobility in favour of sustainability. This means that pedestrians and cyclists now have priority over car traffic. The Spanish city is also focusing on pluricentricity as part of a “15-minute city model”. Safe, inclusive and autonomous mobility for all age groups is important here.

Firstly, the city is making its areas increasingly pedestrian-friendly. València now has over 90 kilometers of pedestrian zones. Secondly, there are more and more city squares, such as the Plaza de la Reina or the Plaza Mercado-Brujas. The third measure is the reactivation of existing public spaces, such as the town hall square. Fourthly, València is promoting transportation by bicycle. The network of cycle paths is now over 160 kilometers long. Fifthly, more and more streets are being made traffic-calmed or completely car-free. In return, plants and street furniture are being added. This makes the city less noisy, slower and less polluting. To make private vehicles superfluous, València is successfully expanding its public transport system with buses, streetcars and metro lines. All these measures contribute significantly to reducing emissions. València will soon be one of the first carbon-neutral cities in Europe.

València relies heavily on renewable and self-generated energy. To this end, it makes use of its Mediterranean location by the sea. The power supply is therefore mainly provided by solar panels, wind turbines and wave energy systems. The city is also constantly looking for ways to be more energy-efficient. To this end, the city replaced its street lighting, for example. In general, València has set itself the goal of generating all of its electricity from renewable sources by 2025 – and it is well on the way to achieving this.

València is boosting its local economy. It also follows a circular model. To this end, the city can draw on another green space of transcendental importance: the huerta. These are areas for growing fruit and vegetables. They extend around 120 kilometers around the city. The huerta not only supplies the city’s restaurants and markets, but also exports food to other countries. This means that you can enjoy local and seasonal products with a low ecological footprint in València. This is often referred to as “zero-kilometer gastronomy”. These measures therefore ensure access to sustainable and healthy food.

València is improving its waste management. The city will soon have intelligent brown garbage cans. These will reduce the amount of improper waste and can collect organic waste separately. The city is also placing organic waste composters at schools and green spaces, for example. This facilitates waste treatment on site and avoids car journeys.

València is installing more and more fountains in the city’s districts. Here, citizens and tourists can fill their own bottles with filtered and chilled water. The city is also improving the water quality of its beaches.

València may have the longest city park, but it is not the only one: In Mannheim, the Luisenpark received an upgrade for the BUGA 2023. Read more about the park’s eventful and not always positive history here: Luisenpark Mannheim