Sustainable Valencia
'Sustainability' is not just that word that is on everyone's lips, It is not a trend or fashion, it is a fundamental element to take into account if we want to take care of –and save– our planet.
How could it be otherwise, the travel industry has also jumped on the sustainability bandwagon.
Tourism will be sustainable or it will not be, and not only because of the demands of travelers but also because of the need for a response from the tourism sector to social and environmental challenges and priorities.
In this sense, Valencia gains more and more ground every day, working with a roadmap whose purpose is to place the city at the forefront of sustainable tourism.
The capital of the Turia, which has already achieved several international recognitions for some of its initiatives, has proposed to carry out a transformation of its tourist offer based on sustainable criteria.
How? Betting on traceability and valuing its urban and natural spaces, in balance with the environment and citizens. Thus, Valencia advocates the philosophy of "city of 15 minutes".
Valencia: 15-minute city
WHAT IS THE CITY OF 15 MINUTES?
'15 Minute City' or 'Quarter of an Hour City' is the name of the project Carlos Moreno , urban planner, scientific director and professor of Entrepreneurship, Territory and Innovation at the Sorbonne University in Paris.
The concept is simple, it is a city where we can find everything we need 15 minutes from our home: school, work, health center, shops, cultural centers and leisure spaces. The only condition is to move on foot or by bike.
In this way, many displacements would be reduced, which would be beneficial for the environment.
Valencia: a commitment to sustainable tourism
SUSTAINABLE VALENCIA
Valencia is doing a coordinated effort, destined to take advantage of this latent phase in the tourist activity, to prepare the city's offer by aligning it with a demand that will be increasingly demanding in this area.
The Valencia Sustainable Destination Strategy It has two fundamental pillars. On one side, the monitoring of the impacts of the activity and on the other, the management of proposals to improve the SDGs related to tourism.
These two pillars make it possible to plan the management of resources from a sustainable perspective, as well as demonstrate the commitment to turn tourism into "an activity integrated into the resources and dynamics of the city, for society and the local business sector in the collaborative governance model, and attract travelers who also want to be an active part of this vision of tourism", they point out from Visit Valencia.
The plan includes programs and measures to promote local consumption and the circular economy. It also contemplates initiatives to take advantage of the environment to develop projects that absorb more CO2 emissions.
Valencia has about 160 kilometers of bike lanes and 40 bike lanes
FROM ACTION TO COMMITMENT
Within the framework of its Sustainable Destination Strategy, Visit València is implementing two world-class initiatives to give visibility to its commitment, legitimize efforts in sustainability and explain to citizens and travelers their role in building a sustainable destination.
These initiatives are: the certification of its carbon footprint and the international evaluation and certification program.
In collaboration with Global Omnium and the Spanish Association for Standardization and Certification (AENOR), Visit València and the City Council have audited greenhouse gas emissions and their effect on the environment in different areas.
This has made it possible to design “a roadmap to make Valencia the first tourist destination in the world with zero environmental impact by 2025, within the framework of the UN Sustainable Development Goals assumed by the city in the areas of governance, socio-economic, heritage, resources, environment and climate”, they point out.
The initiative has been nominated as finalist of the Best Sustainable Tourism Project by the Tourism Innovation Summit jury, held last November in Seville.
Emiliano García, Councilor for Tourism of the Valencia City Council and President of Visit València, considers that said nomination is "essential to start a solid recovery, that we show our commitment to sustainability based on values such as quality, digitization and safety, that allow the arrival of tourists to the city to be recovered as soon as the health reality allows us to do so”.
In addition, Valencia is going to analyze its social and environmental performance as a destination through prestigious benchmarking programs, such as those designed by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council or the GDS-Index, which is part of the initiative Global Destination Sustainability Movement, a global platform made up of more than 60 destinations and regions, which monitors and measures sustainability in destinations based on SDG criteria.
Valencia, the best city in the world to live in 2020 according to expats
VALENCIA: THE BEST CITY TO LIVE
Four of the 10 best cities in the world to live in are Spanish. So says the Expat City Ranking , one of the largest studies in the world on living and working abroad, whose 2020 results place Valencia in first place, Alicante in second, Malaga in sixth and Madrid in ninth.
For foreign residents, quality of urban life, leisure and climate together with health and the environment These are the three aspects that are best weighted among the respondents.
But not only citizens and residents enjoy the benefits of the Levantine capital, but also travelers. All of them can go through its nearly 160 kilometers of bike lanes and 40 bike lanes, an achievement that is part of an urban design aimed at converting the capital of the Turia, in addition to being in a bike-friendly city, in a “city of 15 minutes”.
In addition, 75% of the city's streets have vehicle speed limits of 30 km/h.
Valencia is always a good idea!
GO FOR THE FOURTH OF AN HOUR!
Several factors facilitate the objective of becoming a fifteen-minute city, among them, the dimensions of the city, social uses and urban dynamics.
The aim is to make the most important services available to citizens within a radius of a quarter of an hour, which encourages the use of alternative transport (which has been reinforced) and the pedestrianization of urban areas.
It also reduces unnecessary travel and the overcrowding of spaces, promoting local economic activity in a uniform manner, always preserving its local flavor and idiosyncrasy.
In terms of green areas, Valencia also has two million square meters of gardens, among which are the Turia Garden, the great lung of the city, and the Viveros, the Botanical Garden.
To this we must add the almost 20 kilometers of beaches, all awarded the European Blue Flag. Thus, along with the diverse urban experience, Valencia offers a multitude of outdoor options, in open spaces connected to nature, also a quarter of an hour from anywhere in the city.
The sunset in the Albufera: a magical moment
Around, Albufera Natural Park , heart of the region's biodiversity, concentrates a fascinating mix of testimonies of culture, architecture and local traditions linked to rice, agriculture and fishing, in a unique natural environment.
In El Saler, the pines coexist with the dunes forming an oasis of tranquility where you can unwind: pedaling, strolling and contemplating the colors of the Valencian orchard and the legacy of the Levantine agricultural tradition, reflected in its barracks, farmhouses and fields.