The Only Spanish Project Selected
Europe Puts La Pinada Eco-district on the Map of Sustainable Developments that Tackles Climate Change
- La Pinada has passed the first stage to form part of the limited group of European projects that comprise a growth model for climate change.
- The eco-district is put on the European map of sustainable urban developments, together with districts in Rotterdam, Utrecht, London, Paris, Gothenburg, Malmö, Berlin, Helsinki and Copenhagen.
La Pinada eco-district, located in Paterna at 12 km from the centre of Valencia, has stirred the interest of the European Union´s team focused on climate change as a growth model for cities. La Pinada was the only Spanish initiative to pass the first stage of the selection process to form part of one of their main programmes titled “Smart Sustainable District, SSD”, that makes up part of the most innovative and sustainable districts in Europe which are defining the new way of carrying out urban planning. The programme comprises part of Climate KIC, which is the EU’s main initiative on climate change that focuses on innovation to reduce and conform to climate change, promoted by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), a body of the European Union.
“We are proud that this innovative and environmentally-friendly initiative is carried out in Spain”, said José Luis Muñoz, Director of Climate KIC Spain. The programme advocates the search of examples where integrated, scalable and replicable solutions are developed to help cities act in a more sustainable, responsible and resilient way. The Founder of La Pinada, Iker Marcaide, pointed out that: “it is excellent news that our district has sparked the European Union’s curiosity. Since the beginning, we have made it our challenge for La Pinada to become an example and international source of inspiration when thinking how we grow our cities”. Marcaide added that “La Pinada aims to be an affordable, equitable, resilient, collaborative, healthy, safe and inclusive district, and wants to turn itself into an example of an eco-district with integrated solutions to favour environmental, social and economic benefits for the residents and neighbours.” It is due to all this that La Pinada has set some very ambitious objectives in the reduction of energy consumption, water, waste generation and in its carbon footprint. The programme allows the creation of a consortium of districts that work together to speed up knowledge development and the implementation of better practices necessary for the transition of cities to become free of carbon emissions. The selected projects are characterised by low-carbon mobility solutions, intelligent networks, zero-energy buildings, efficient water management and public green areas that generate vitality and community; all this based on sensitive technologies that optimise resources, as well as promote well-being and sustainable, healthy lifestyles.
The project was presented with the support several Climate KIC partners as the Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV); the Department of Rural & Agri-food Engineering (DIRA) with vast experience in the management of water and circular economy; the University Institute for Research in Robotics and Information and Communication Technologies (IRTIC-LISITT) at the University of Valencia with experience in the study and development of intelligent transport systems, covering technical and strategic aspects, in addition to the Energy Technological Institute (ITE), specialised in intelligent networks, energy automation, renewable energies, improvement of energy efficiency, energy storage and new materials, sustainable low-carbon mobility and circular economical solutions. All of these are highly specialised in some of the matters in which the eco-district is intended to be an example.
The project will be located in Paterna, a municipality that has its own Smart & Sustainable Urban Development Plan (ACTUA) to transform it into a smart, inclusive and sustainable city. Furthermore it has championed the United Nation’s objective 11 on “Sustainable Cities and Communities” and forms part of the Cities Alliance in Sustainable Development together with the Valencian Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FVMP). It also adhered to the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan of Valencia.
During the month of May, La Pinada started a series of Urban Innovation Sessions in Las Naves with experts on seven subjects (energy, water, social innovation, biodiversity and landscaping, waste, business and sustainable mobility), which also covered circular economy, social inclusion and innovation in all of these subjects. At the same time, the district’s future residents who registered online are joining co-creation sessions for their future district,.
About La Pinada
La Pinada, located in Paterna, Valencia, will be the first eco-district in Spain that is co-designed by its future residents and created as an extension of the Imagine Montessori School. The project will be situated at 10 minutes from the centre of Valencia and includes 25 hectares among pine trees where approximately 1,000 families will settle in their continual stages of growth. The first stage is expected to be complete in 2021. The new eco-district will create an attractive area for families where they can live, work and enjoy nature in an exciting, dynamic, healthy and socially integrating environment. La Pinada is a project by Zubi Labs, which seeks to create social and environmental value through its business initiatives.
Further information on La Pinada: www.barriolapinada.es/en; Climate KIC: http://www.climate-kic.org/, and SSD: http://www.climate-kic.org/programmes/smart-sustainable-districts/
Communication Office:
Amparo Cervantes
Tel. 607 67 31 85