CONCEPT OF EU BEST PRACTICE

Best Practices are promoted and used as a means of: Improving public policy based on what works,

Raising awareness of decision-makers at all levels and of the public of potential solutions to common social, economic and environmental problems,

Sharing and transferring knowledge, expertise and experience through networking and learning.

INTRODUCTION

Vitoria-Gasteiz, which is a capital of the Basque Country, in northern Spain

It is one of Europe’s cities with the largest proportion of green areas per inhabitant, approximately 45m2 per person. (Javier Maroto, Mayor of Vitoria-Gasteiz)

Vitoria-Gasteiz is a medium-sized city: the municipality comprises the urban area, with a population of 235 445, plus 64

small, rural hamlets in the surrounding countryside.

The city is surrounded by a large area of agricultural land and natural vegetation, with the mountains and forests.

The tradition of careful urban planning has made Vitoria-Gasteiz as a compact and well-organized city.

good cooperation from the residents is important in keeping Vitoria-Gasteiz green.

WHY IS VITORIA-GASTEIZ SPECIAL?

Vitoria-Gasteiz is one of Europe’s greenest cities, in more than one sense.

It has over 10 million m2 of parks and green spaces, and its flagship Green Belt project has attracted international recognition.

Vitoria-Gasteiz builds on the experience of over three decades of environmental planning.

Victoria-Gasteiz has been awarded the European Green Capital Award, 2012.

The aim of the award is to promote urban sustainability and the sharing of best practices between cities.

The city where green is capital> Strategic urban planning,> Strong citizen involvement,> Balanced management of the environment

Preserve the landscape and the heritage> Vitoria-Gasteiz’s network of gardens, walkways and Green Belt parks and the forthcoming declaration of the Vitoria Mountains as a natural park have become the city’s signature.

Conscious city folk >The Action Pelan, 2012 which involving all sorts of civic organisations (schools, community and professional associations, etc.), citizens and industry in the city’s environmental projects.> It is also a socially sustainable city, where the welfare of citizens and their quality of life are considered key issues.

SMART MOBILITY

Vitoria-Gasteiz, a pedestrian-scale compact

city, has a long track record in developing and

implementing policies for achieving a sustainable

City that offers a high quality of life for its citizens.

For many years the City has a strong commitment

towards environmentally-friendly (and healthy)

mobility through ongoing investment in pedestrian

areas and cycle lanes

PEDESTRIAN

PUBLIC

TRANSPORT

More effective transfers between lines, there are a range of supporting measures, including bus lanes, queue jumpers, traffic-light priorities and new platforms

This result passenger numbers have rocketed with a 45% increase in the number of trips per month.

The speed of the services has improved by 14.5% and fuel consumption has been reduced by 6% since the new bus network was launched

Current Public Transport Network uses, 17 vehicles E5, 22 E4, 22

E3, 20 E2 and 6 E1. The network is completed with 12 tram

convoys

Bicycle•Bicycle use is

increasing steadily

and has risen from

1.4% in 2001 to

3.3% in 2006, with

an average of

18,000 daily trips.

•There are nearly

97km of urban

bicycle

infrastructures and a

further 91km of

cycle and pedestrian

paths across the

Green Belt

Bicycle infrastructure (2010). Red lines are the bicycle network and orange ones correspond to

low-medium traffic streets. Red points show the bicycle parking infrastructure. Blue boxes locate

the Public-Bike stations

EDUCATIONAL

The city council has, for over a decade, been

implementing an annual programme of education

and

Awareness-raising activities for sustainable

development. They reach out to the entire

population,

Not just children, aiming to encourage action and

prepare citizens to change their behaviour

Green Belt in environmental education

The Green Belt has been the focus of numerous educational and awareness-raising initiatives.

Over 88 000 people took part in activities organized in and around the different parks and green area

Wetlands teach the importance

of biodiversity

• In July 2009, the city authorities opened

the Ataria Interpretation Centre in the

Salburua Wetlands, which provides a

recreational and educational focus point.

• The centre aims to increase

environmental awareness among visitors

Agenda 21 for Schools

The signing of the Ålborg

Charter in 1995 and of the Local

Agenda 21 in 1998 led to the

implementation of the Local

Agenda 21 for Schools

The schools an essential tool in

building awareness among

future generations

Training for green jobs

• The Environmental Studies

Centre was set up at the end

of the 1980s with the initial

task of providing postgraduate

training

for ‘environmental technicians’.

AIR QUALITY MANAGEMENT

For several years, Vitoria-Gasteiz City Council has

been working to achieve acceptable air quality

levels throughout Vitoria-Gasteiz, to minimize the

negative impacts of air pollution on health and the

environment

Then promote the reduction of greenhouse gases

and to support the council's climate change

protection programme.

Initiatives on mobility to improve the traffic flow and to avoid traffic jams

Controlling of industrial emissions

Installation of a network of ambient air

quality monitoring stations

Development of protocols to alert the public

about any abnormal increase in pollution levels

City Council Effort To Maintenance Of Air

Quality

Effective Air Quality

Management System

Air quality monitoring

Sources as transport

Fossil fuel use in industry

Emissions invent

Heating systems

Air Quality Management

Plan

Install solar panels to produce

domestic hot water (DHW)

Launch an emissions inventory data base of potentially air-polluting

industries

Establish the network of air

quality monitoring

stations

Develop and implement an

awareness raising

campaigns on the air quality

impact

Establish a bicycle loan

service

Implement efficient driving courses aimed

at administration staff and public

Bring on flexible fuel vehicles in municipal

fleets

Use Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)

Introduce cleaner fuels for transport

Change fuels for cleaner ones, such

as natural gas

INDUSTRIAL CITY

Grew prosperous on the aeronautics, energy and machine tool industries

Company occupy more than 9.5 million m2 of the municipality

Jundiz business park - one of the largest corporate estates in the north of the Iberian Peninsula.

Attracting a wide range of companies to its technology park and research centres.

EFFICIENT ECOSYSTEM

Made a real progress in recovering biodiversity

Restoring many of the city’s damaged ecological and landscape – The Green Belt Project, the creation of the Bosques de Europa Botanical Gardens and the opening of the Ecological Gardens

More than 12000 schoolchildren and hundreds of adults joined ‘Adopt a tree and grow with it’ campaign, planting over 40, 000 trees and bushes

ENERGY CONSUMPTION

WATER EFFICIENCY

Successfully coping with water scarcity

Steadily decreased its water consumption over the

last decade

Set up a citizen’s water information office

Two key aspects are the gradual separation and

return to the natural environment of clean water

that currently runs into sewers, and the reuse of

dirty water, especially for irrigation and cleaning

public spaces

VITORIA-GASTEIZ GREEN CAPITAL (VGGC

2012)

Themes:

1. Involving society

2. Showcasing the city and its initiatives

3. Reflecting on the city: space and opportunities

4. Disseminating the Green Capital idea and its values

TOP EVENTS

CONCLUSION