In recent years, the main city of the Spanish Basque Country has stepped up initiatives aimed at improving both the quality of life of its citizens and sustainable urban development.
As its mayor Juan Mari Aburto recently declared, “in Bilbao, we are working on an ever better model of society, with higher levels of well-being, and in which social cohesion, resilience, digital transition, energy, social responsibility and inclusion are fundamental pillars.” Here are some laudable initiatives of the city…
Bilbao, city of values: an innovative project whose main driver of sustainable development are social, environmental and economic values shared by all those involved in the management of the city.
Since 2016, Bilbao has also developed non-polluting urban mobility (the whole city is in zone 30), low-emission zones, the installation of sensors to measure the quality of air and noise, the improvement of air quality, sustainable energy production… Another example is the Urban Klima 2050 initiative, a climate action project that started from the Basque Country and has now been approved by the European Union. It involves 40 specific actions that can be implemented in other European regions, essentially “nature-based solutions”: the rehabilitation of marshes, reintroduction of certain extinct plants, greening of unused land, rehabilitation of small streams often removed by urban development, urban vegetable gardens, plant facades…
Juan Mari Aburto, de burgemeester van Bilbao.
The city also plans to extend the green belt and forest parks and improve their connection with the city or reduce the consumption of space used for construction.
Finally, the town hall strives to listen to the demands of citizens, to promote a relationship of transparency, participation, proximity and commitment, by promoting a feeling of citizenship, belonging and commitment to the environment.
The city’s slogan? “Bilbao, a sustainable, resilient and healthy city”. Duly noted.
Tags: Basque Country, Bilbao, citizen participation, climate change, Juan Mari Aburto, sustainable energy, Urban Klima 2050.
