Valencia will be the European Green Capital in 2024. What does this mean? It means that it will be recognised by the European Union as one of the most sustainable and environmentally friendly cities on the planet. In this article we will look at why Valencia has been awarded this special distinction, European Green Capital 2024.

Valencia European Green Capital 2024: A recognition for sustainability

The city's strong commitment to sustainable urban development has made Valencia the European Green Capital 2024. Valencia has taken many actions to reach this point. Let's look at them one by one.

Creation of green spaces and environmental restoration projects

Let's start with the parks. In recent years, Valencia has taken care to create extensive green areas for people to walk and relax in. In addition, these parks absorb CO2 emissions, which benefits air quality and the environment. Among the 14 large parks and gardens in Valencia, let's take a look at the 3 most famous ones:

Turia Garden

The old Turia riverbed is undoubtedly one of the most emblematic spaces in the city. The Turia Garden is the longest urban park in Europe and is located in the old Turia riverbed, which was diverted to prevent flooding in the city. It was inaugurated as a park in 1986. Since then it has become an essential area for Valencians. This extensive natural park is more than 9 kilometres long and offers a wide variety of green areas and paths for walkers, cyclists and runners. It also has large areas for sports. Throughout its 136 hectares you will find more than 4,000 trees. It is the lungs of the city and a much-loved place for all the inhabitants of Valencia.

Jardines del Real

The Jardines del Real, also known as Jardines de Viveros, is a beautiful park located near the historic centre of Valencia. These gardens are famous for their rich history and beauty. They are home to a wide variety of plants, trees and fountains. Their careful design creates a very special atmosphere. The Jardines del Real often hosts cultural events and exhibitions. Thus, besides being one of the most beautiful parks, it is also an important cultural place in the city. 

Central Park

The Central Park is one of the most ambitious projects in the city. It is a former railway area that has been converted into a large public park of more than 230,000 square metres. In addition, it has also been very important in connecting different neighbourhoods that were previously separated by railway tracks. Because of the combination of gardens with typical railway station infrastructures, this park is one of the most original. The Central Park is one of the most outstanding public space recovery projects in the city.

Promotion of agriculture and urban community gardens

Valencia has one of the largest vegetable gardens in Spain. It is one of the largest exporters of vegetables and fruits in the country and throughout the world. In the last few decades there has been a lot of promotion of Valencian agriculture at the local level. This is beneficial for the city as it protects local farmers, reduces the ecological footprint and promotes a healthier lifestyle. Would you like to try the best products from the capital of the Turia? You'll find them in the main markets, such as the Central Market. In addition, the city also encourages people to rent urban community gardens. In this Spanish city there are plenty of plots for people interested in growing their own food.

Sustainable mobility: Promoting the use of bicycles and public transport

Valencia is European Green Capital also for its use of sustainable transport. An extensive network of cycle lanes and various public transport incentive programmes have been the main measures. 

Extensive network of bike lanes in the city

Valencia now has more than 160 kilometres of cycle lanes, making it one of the cities with the most cycle lanes in the world. This encourages many people to get around the city by bicycle or electric scooter. The city's flat terrain makes for pleasant and bearable bike rides. More and more people are choosing to use these lanes to commute to work, leaving behind the stress of driving a car. Valencia promotes the use of this green transport with a multitude of companies that rent out bicycles and scooters. The most famous is Valenbisi, which is public. Thanks to it, you will find hundreds of bicycles parked all over the city for you to use.

Reducing polluting emissions with public transport

In addition to the promotion of transport in non-polluting vehicles, there are other projects to reduce CO2 emissions. These projects focus on public transport. Valencia city has a good communication system of bus, metro and tram. The bus can take you practically anywhere within Valencia. There are also buses that go to surrounding towns for excursions.

With the 6 metro lines you can travel quickly to the busiest places in the city, such as the Estación del Norte, the Ciudad de las Ciencias, the Nuevo Centro shopping centre or the Manises airport. It is also possible to travel to nearby towns by metro. The intercity tram network has 4 lines and connects very well with all the universities and the Malvarrosa beach. And what are the initiatives to support public transport? Basically to lower prices. In addition, right now there is the project "Súbete al movimiento del ahorro con el transporte público" (Get on board the savings movement with public transport). With this programme, all persons under the age of 31 will be able to access any public transport... totally free!

Pedestrianisation of squares in the historic city centre

Valencia is the European Green City also because of the great work that has been done to pedestrianise the most important squares in the old town. The main ones are the Plaza del Ayuntamiento, Plaza de la Reina and Plaza del Mercado. Valencians can now take a pleasant stroll through these squares, have a coffee with a friend on the spacious terraces or take in the beautiful architecture of the buildings without worrying about traffic. These squares used to be busy and not so enjoyable. Now they have much more charm and feel much more spacious.

Circular economy and waste management

Another of the main pillars for Valencia to become European Green Capital is the implementation of a circular economy and good waste management. What is the circular economy? It is an economic and sustainable model that seeks to minimise the waste of resources and maximise their energy efficiency. The circular economy proposes a continuous cycle of reuse, recycling and regeneration of materials and resources. In recent years, Valencia has encouraged recycling and the reduction of single-use plastics. There are waste and recycling bins on almost every street.

Sustainable tourism in Valencia

Valencia is also a green city because it has developed a metric to assess the environmental impact of tourist activity. In fact, it was the first city in the world to verify and certify the carbon footprint of its tourism sector. Valencia receives a lot of tourism, and the aim is to reduce the negative impact on the environment that can be caused by the movement of tourists and the activities they carry out. Practices to reduce the carbon footprint, such as the use of efficient hotel facilities or non-polluting vehicles, are promoted. Valencia seeks that all tourism-related businesses and organisations demonstrate that they do not harm the environment within 10 years.

Benefits for citizens and visitors

Valencia is a sustainable city and, as you can imagine, living in such a place brings many benefits to its inhabitants. Here you can breathe fresher air, not as overloaded and polluted as in other big cities. If you go into the Turia Garden, you will notice how the air is even purer and you will be able to perceive the typical natural aroma of the forests. The green spaces also offer a healthier environment for tranquillity and spaciousness. Here you can play sports in the open air, sunbathe or read a book under the shade of a beautiful tree. The promotion of public transport and cycling makes commuting more pleasant and much less dangerous than in a private car or motorbike. In addition, the reduction of traffic and noise pollution can reduce stress and improve people's quality of life. In Valencia, the local economy is being greatly boosted by promoting the production and consumption of local products and services. This increases employment opportunities and economic prosperity in the city.

Urban sustainability commitments for the future

Valencia's ambition to be one of the most sustainable cities in the world goes further and it has even more challenges and commitments for the 2030 agenda. Some of these challenges are a greater commitment to renewable energies or using new technologies in favour of environmental policies. Another of the objectives for this ecological transition is to create the smart tourism that we have already talked about and for companies in the sector to commit to not polluting.

We hope that this article will encourage you to visit Valencia and that it has been of interest for you to get to know it better. Remember that if you want to learn Spanish, we are in Valencia. At Hispania, escuela de español we will welcome you with open arms.

A big hug!