Next stop: a friendlier and greener Valencia
Air pollution is the largest environmental health risk in Europe, according to European Environment Agency (EEA). It is linked to illnesses such as cardiovascular disease and lung cancer, all leading to premature death. The impact of pollution is particularly strong in cities where 75% of EU residents live. Local governments are therefore best placed to tackle pollution and drastically reduce harmful emissions, ensuring a better living environment.
With transport accounting for a quarter of Europe’s greenhouse gas emissions, Valencia is undergoing a green and sustainable transport overhaul.
A friendlier city
"Our approach is to make mobility more sustainable and more focused on people, on the fight against climate change and on making the city more friendly," says Joan Ribó, Mayor of Valencia. Over the past decade, the city turned car lanes into pedestrian and cycling paths, strengthened the role of public transport and increased green infrastructure.
The Valencia City Hall Square, before (2020) and after (2021) the interventions by the City Council
“People have always been at the centre of our policies, allowing us to transform the city and turn it in a benchmark in sustainable mobility”, remarks Giuseppe Grezzi, Valencia’s City Councillor for Sustainable Mobility and Public Spaces.
To achieve both innovation and sustainability, Valencia has been implementing a number of strategies in recent years. The local government is fostering behavioural change by focusing on green mobility. In 2013, the city council approved a Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (SUMP) that encourages walking, cycling and public transport. Since then, new services have been added to help residents and visitors plan their journeys and move around more efficiently and sustainably.
In 2020, the city also launched the Valencia 2030 Climate Mission, with the aim of turning València into a climate neutral city, as part of the EU Mission: 100 Climate-neutral and smart cities by 2030.
A new mindset among citizens
Shifting to smarter modes of transport is a multifaceted transition requiring a new vision, political will and a change of mindset at the local level. Many people rely on private cars and may be reluctant to embrace mobility alternatives such as walking cycling, or using public transport. “We know that behavioural change is not easy “, acknowledges Ribó, “but we also know that in the end people realise that change is positive and end up adopting it.”
For Grezzi, "initial reluctance is perfectly normal”. “The most important thing is that, at this stage, all the measures we have taken are very well supported by the citizens”, he adds. Proof of this is that it is more and more common to see people cycling around the city.
The Plaza Reina, in Valencia, that has been recently pedestrianised
The public transport revolution
Public transport is the backbone of the journey towards sustainable mobility. It keeps cities moving, it is essential for reducing congestion and air pollution, and the cleaner air resulting from increased use of public transport benefits society as a whole, not just those who use it.
Public transport also provides equal opportunities for all inhabitants, regardless of gender or social status; it ensures access to the city's most essential services, and improves the use of public space. In addition, using public transport costs residents one-sixteenth of owning a private car.
The EU project UPPER (Unleashing the potential of public transport), of which Valencia is a partner, aims to strengthen the role of public transport as a flagship for sustainability and mobility innovation in cities.
As part of UPPER, Valencia is planning to remodel the Avenida de Blasco Ibáñez, to improve public transport connections and other sustainable modes of transport to Poblats Marítims to become a climate-neutral city by 2030. According to the Mayor, “rethinking the Avenue and giving priority to the bus network will greatly benefit public transport, increasing rides and reducing travel time.”
Nine other cities are participating in UPPER, alongside Valencia, leading the transformation of public transport: Rome, Ile de France, Oslo and Mannheim and in their twinning sites of Lisbon, Leuven, Hannover, Budapest and Thessaloniki. The project will place public transport at the heart of the mobility ecosystem and will implement a combination of 84 push and pull, acting on five axes that condition citizens choice of public transport versus individual motorised vehicles: mindset and culture, urban mobility planning, mobility services ecosystem, road network management and democratic governance.
This article was initially published on the Eurocities website
