Vitoria Gasteiz
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KH-30-11-346-EN-C VITORIAGASTEIZ European Green Capital 2012 European Commission Vitoria-Gasteiz — European Green Capital 2012 Luxembourg: Publications Offi ce of the European Union 2012 — 56 pp. — 21 x 21 cm ISBN 978-92-79-22139-2 doi:10.2779/86055 Europe Direct is a service to help you find answers to your questions about the European Union Freephone number (*) : 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 (*) Certain mobile telephone operators do not allow access to 00 800 numbers or these calls may be billed. More information on the European Union is available on the Internet (http://europa.eu). Cataloguing data can be found at the end of this publication. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2012 ISBN 978-92-79-22139-2 To order the publication, which is available free of charge while stocks last: doi:10.2779/86055 For a single copy: via the EU Bookshop – the on-line access to European Union publications: © European Union, 2012 http:// bookshop.europa.eu Reproduction is authorised provided the source is acknowledged. For several copies: Printed in Belgium via the nearest national Europe Direct information centre: http://europa.eu/europedirect/meet_us/index_en.htm PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER THAT HAS BEEN AWARDED THE EU ECO-LABEL FOR GRAPHIC PAPER (www.ecolabel.eu) VITORIAGASTEIZ European Green Capital 2012 Photos: All the pictures are the property of Vitoria-Gasteiz City Council. Most of the photos are from QUINTAS FOTOGRAFOS (including the cover) and SINESTESIA (pages 38 and 46). Table of contents Foreword 5 By Janez Potočnik, Commissioner for the Environment 5 Message from Javier Maroto, Mayor of Vitoria-Gasteiz 7 Vitoria-Gasteiz is European Green Capital 2012 9 Vitoria-Gasteiz at a glance 15 Why is Vitoria-Gasteiz special? 23 A green urban system 27 The educational city 37 What impressed the experts 41 Vitoria-Gasteiz: a model for Europe 45 Vitoria-Gasteiz – beyond the Green Capital 51 VITORIAGASTEIZ | European Green Capital 2012 5 A greener future for our cities The European Green Capital Award has been very successful in attracting a wide range of interest throughout Europe. Since the Award was launched in 2010, 46 diff erent cities in 22 European countries have competed for the title. Over the past three years, city authorities have been sharing their experience in developing sustainable environments for their inhabitants, and have set valuable examples that can help other cities fi nd new solutions to the many complex challenges they face. Today, three out of four citizens in Europe live in cities, and this proportion continues to increase. But, as urban areas expand, so does demand for housing, transport, waste disposal, energy, clean air, water and other limited resources. We need to fi nd more environmentally friendly ways to meet these demands, to address the growing health problems caused by urban pollution and to use our limited natural resources more effi ciently. In other words, we need to move towards greener cities and a greener future. At the European Commission, we believe that the best answers can only come from within the cities. The European Green Capital Award is one way to inspire and support European cities as they evolve towards that greener future. I am delighted that the 2012 title is going to Vitoria-Gasteiz in Spain. Although the city is a lot smaller than the previous winners – Stockholm and Hamburg – it has outstanding environmental experience. This proves that when it comes to green living, all cities, large and small, have an important role to play. Vitoria-Gasteiz can inspire similar medium-sized cities throughout Europe. In the course of the year, we will be enjoying the programme of activities it has prepared to celebrate its success in securing the Green Capital Award. It will certainly give its citizens a year to remember, underlining the city’s quest to become a pleasant, healthy and sustainable metropolis that off ers an exceptional quality of life to all its residents. In 2013, the title will pass to the next award winner: the city of Nantes in France. But before that, we have a great deal to look forward to – and learn – in Vitoria-Gasteiz. Janez Potočnik European Commissioner for the Environment VITORIAGASTEIZ | European Green Capital 2012 7 Message from Javier Maroto, Mayor of Vitoria-Gasteiz Vitoria-Gasteiz, capital of the Basque Country, in northern Spain, is one of Europe’s cities with the largest proportion of green areas per inhabitant, approximately 45m2 per person. A quiet and accessible city, but also one that is active, dynamic, vibrant, modern; a city that prides itself on over 10 million m2 of parks and green areas that are available for walking, cycling, observing deer or birdwatching. Such is Vitoria-Gasteiz, the European city with the highest commitment to the environment at present. We have not reached this point by chance. The European Green Capital 2012 Award is the result of over 30 years of commitment to sustainability in our city. It is thanks to the environmental policies implemented during these years and thanks to the commitment of our citizens and their good practices in relation to recycling, mobility or water consumption, that Vitoria-Gasteiz has become an example for Europe. In Vitoria-Gasteiz, our understanding of and respect for the environment has always been part of our identity. Our city has a 613 hectare Green Belt that will soon cover 960 hectares, a successful Sustainable Mobility Plan, a new bus network, a tram system, over 90 km of bike lanes and an extensive network of parks and city walks, a sustainable water-management system, and established recycling habits and policies. Today, we are an environmental benchmark. Three-quarters of Europeans live in cities. Our experience serves as a benchmark because most cities are a similar size to ours. Being the European Green Capital 2012 is an exciting challenge. It is a unique and historic opportunity for Vitoria-Gasteiz to boost and develop the future of our city. The environment is the future, it is quality of life, it is sustainability and it is about doing more with less. We shall do a good job, all together, and we shall enjoy it. Javier Maroto Mayor of Vitoria-Gasteiz VITORIAGASTEIZ | European Green Capital 2012 9 Vitoria-Gasteiz is European Green Capital 2012 Vitoria-Gasteiz, capital of the Basque Country in northern Spain, is the third European city to gain the prestigious title of European Green Capital since the scheme was launched in 2010, following in the footsteps of Stockholm and Hamburg. It was selected from the six outstanding fi nalists in a fi eld of 17 candidates. The award evaluators found Four out of fi ve that: “The city shows much enthusiasm and dedication to the EGCA project and portrays itself as committed Europeans will live in to sustainable urban development and keen to act as a role model.” urban areas by 2050 Towards environmentally friendly urban living The European Green Capital Award grew out of an initiative launched jointly in May 2006 by 15 European cities and the Association of Estonian cities. The brainchild of Jüri Ratas, then Mayor of Tallinn, Estonia, and currently Vice-President of the Estonian Parliament, the Tallinn Memorandum called on the European Commission to establish a special scheme to reward cities that are leading the way towards healthier and more sustainable ways of living. Vitoria-Gasteiz is a compact city and from its medieval quarter you can see much of the surrounding Green Belt. 10 VITORIAGASTEIZ | European Green Capital 2012 The award goes to a city that: Green cities – fi t for life ❙ Has a consistent record of achieving high With three out of four Europeans already living in towns or environmental standards cities, the European Commission launched the European ❙ Is committed to ongoing and ambitious Green Capital Award to promote good practice in sustainable goals for further environmental management through the example of groundbreaking role improvement and sustainable models. The overarching message is that Europeans have a right development to live in healthy urban areas, and cities should therefore ensure that environmental protection, economic growth and quality ❙ Acts as a role model to inspire other of life are developed in harmony. Hence, the award’s slogan: European cities ‘Green cities – fi t for life’. The honours list Since 2010, one European city has been selected each year as the European Green Capital. A total of 52 cities from across Europe have already taken up the challenge of competing for the title. Of these, 14 have been selected as fi nalists and four have been awarded the European Green Capital title for 2010, 2011, Deer in the Salburua Wetlands, less than 3 km from the city centre. VITORIAGASTEIZ | European Green Capital 2012 11 Plaza del Machete, a public space that links the old town to the 19th century expansion. Winners of the award are expected to share their experience 2012 and 2013. A further selection round is currently under way. The city of Stockholm was the fi rst to receive the award in 2010, followed by Hamburg in 2011. Vitoria-Gasteiz, European Green Capital 2012, will be followed by Nantes in 2013. The green city challenge Urban areas are a microcosm of many of the environmental challenges facing our society, but they also bring together the commitment and capacity for innovation that make it possible to meet them. With more and more of us living in an urban environment, improving living and working conditions in cities is an issue that directly aff ects large numbers of people. 12 VITORIAGASTEIZ | European Green Capital 2012 Finalists for 2010 and 2011 A process of selection ❙ Amsterdam The 2012 competition was open to cities of over 200 000 ❙ Bristol inhabitants from any of the EU Member States, candidate ❙ Copenhagen countries (Turkey, Macedonia, Croatia, Iceland) and European ❙ Freiburg Economic Area countries.