Vitoria-Gasteiz,
founded in 1181, is second in size (only to Bilbao) in the Basque Country, and
has some 240,000 people currently inhabiting this gem in northern Spain
Vitoria-Gasteiz
is the capital of the Álava province and of the Basque Country. The city will hold the title of European
Green Capital in 2012.
Vitoria-Gasteiz
is comprised of concentric circles, with the city itself at centre. The “Green
Belt”, a semi-natural green area partially reclaimed from degraded areas,
surrounds the centre and brings nature into the city. The third circle is
dominated by forestry and mountains.
The
city has a high proportion of green public areas, ensuring that the entire
population lives within 300m of an open green space. Numerous tangible measures
are in place to assist and increase biodiversity and ecosystems services.
Flora
and fauna are monitored, habitat fragmentation is reduced wherever possible,
and measures have been introduced to decrease light pollution. Besides being
recreational areas and natural habitats for plant and animal life, the green
areas also have an educational purpose: the community gardens, for example,
enable the population to study horticulture at close range.
Vitoria-Gasteiz
has an ambitious objective of reducing domestic water consumption to below 100
litres per capita per day. Already today, water consumption has decreased
steadily from 1999 to 2009. Water-related investments have been made within the
context of the Agenda 21 environmental action plan for improved water supply,
to reduce losses, work towards sustainable consumption and improve water
quality. A citizen’s information office on water consumption and efficiency has
also been set up.
Fuente: European Green Capital
Fuente: euronews