European Green Capital Award 2012-2013

Vitoria-Gasteiz

Name of municipality: Vitoria-Gasteiz Country: Spain Size of municipality (km2): 276 km² Name of mayor: Patxi Lazkoz Baigorri Number of inhabitants in municipality: 239.361 citizens Address of mayor's office: Plaza de España 1, 01001 Vitoria-Gasteiz, Alava (Spain) Contact person: Xabier Marrero Mugica. Environment and Sustainability Department. Address: Calle San Prudencio 30, 4ª Planta. 01005 Vitoria-Gasteiz, Alava (Spain) Telephone: +34 945161033 Fax: +34 945161846 E-mail: xmarrero@vitoria-gasteiz.org

CONTENTS 1. LOCAL CONTRIBUTION TO GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE ......... 4 2. LOCAL TRANSPORT................................................................... 14 3. GREEN URBAN AREA ................................................................ 33 4. SUSTAINABLE LAND USE.......................................................... 48 5. NATURE AND BIODIVERSITY .................................................... 60 6. QUALITY OF LOCAL AMBIENT AIR............................................ 72 7. NOISE POLLUTION ..................................................................... 79 8. WASTE PRODUCTION AND MANAGEMENT ............................ 86 9. WATER CONSUMPTION............................................................. 95 10. WASTE WATER TREATMENT.................................................. 104 11. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT OF THE MUNICIPALITY.. 112 12. DISSEMINATION PROGRAMME .............................................. 121

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1. LOCAL CONTRIBUTION TO GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE

1.1 Describe the present situation and developments over the last five to ten years regarding (max. 1,000 words):

1 Total CO2 equivalent per capita, including emissions resulting from use of electricity;

2 CO2 per capita resulting from use of natural gas; 3 CO2 per capita resulting from transport; 4 Gram of CO2 per kWh used.

The City Council of Vitoria-Gasteiz actively promotes the protection of the environment by developing specific policies and programs and working with other Government departments, provinces, territories and international partners in the fight against climate change. Given that over half of greenhouse gas emissions are created in and by cities, local authorities have a key role in mitigating climate change. This sense, Mayors often have more control than national governments over issues that directly have an impact on climate change. In 2006 the City Council approved the “Vitoria-Gasteiz’s Climate Change Prevention Strategy 2006-2012”. The strategy quantifies the amount of CO2 emitted as a result of energy consumption in the territory. It allows the identification the principal sources of CO2 emissions and their respective reduction potentials. In Vitoria-Gasteiz, over 65% of total municipal greenhouse gas emissions are associated with the energy consumption of the industrial and transport sectors, and the remaining amount, with household, retail and service sectors (the so-called diffuse sectors). So, as first step, preparations are in place to achieve the challenging target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions (calculated as carbon dioxide equivalent or CO2e) by 16% by 2012. Subsequently, in 2009 Vitoria-Gasteiz signed the “Covenant of Mayors”, committing the City to go beyond the European target of curbing their CO2 emissions by at least 20% by 2020, through enhanced energy efficiency and cleaner energy production and use. The commitment has to be translated into concrete measures and projects and signatory cities accept to reporting and being monitored on their implementation of their Sustainable Energy Action Plans. INDICATORS Emissions Counting Methodology The greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Vitoria-Gasteiz are measured on the basis of the energy consumption by fuel type, using EEA and BUWAL 250 emission factors. For electricity has been used the Spanish’s electricity mix emission factor. GHG emissions are calculated as carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e), including therefore, carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O).

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Table 1.1 Emissions Counting Methodology

Information about 1990 per capita emissions Per capita emissions in 1990 were 3.39 t CO2, without taking industrial emissions into consideration, and 5.57 t CO2 when these are taken into consideration. Information about 2000-2008 per capita emissions The analysis of CO2 equivalent per capita emission data indicates that levels are slightly increasing, from 6.66 in 2000, to 7.26 in 2006. Table 1.2 presents the per capita equivalent CO2 emissions (including emissions from electricity use) with and without the industrial emissions, and considering the energy consumption due to the general mobility of citizens.

2000 2002 2004 2006 2008

Total emissions (t CO2e/ capita) 6,69 6,65 7,06 7,26 -

Diffuse sectors emissions (t CO2e/capita)* 4,44 4,32 4,75 5,39 4,95

Table 1.2. Per capita equivalent CO2 emissions in Vitoria-Gasteiz

* industrial emissions not included The 2010-2020 Sustainable Energy Action Plan takes 2006 as baseline emissions inventory (BEI) and calculates emissions considering only the energy consumption due to the internal mobility of the public (table 1.3).

2006 2007 2008

Emissions t CO2e/capita* 3,65 3,82 3,60

Table 1.3 Per capita equivalent CO2 emissions in Vitoria-Gasteiz SEAP-(2010-2020) * industrial emissions not included; internal mobility

CO2 per capita resulting from use of natural gas Natural Gas is becoming more widely used for household heating and in Industry, substituting fossil fuels as a source of energy. This substitution has lead to an increase

Variable Range of variation GHG measured CO2, CH4, N2O Global warming potential values 2nd IPCC AR - 4th IPCC AR Setting organizational boundaries

All activities of the city (without industrial activity since 2006)

Sector definitions

Residential, services, transport, agriculture and livestock farming, hydrological cycle, waste management and operations controlled by the public authority

Quantifying emissions Regional emission factors (Spanish electric mix)

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of CO2 emissions for natural gas use from 1.58 tonnes CO2e in 2000 to the 2.2 tonnes CO2e in 2006. However, it is expected that the levels of CO2 indicator will decrease in near future, due to the entry into force in 2006 of the National Technical Code for Building. CO2 emission from all transport in the city (t CO2/capita) Emissions due to mobility can be calculated in two ways:

• General mobility of the public: per capita emissions varied from 2.25 t CO2 in 2000 to 2.81 t CO2 in 2006. To reverse this tendency, the city is implementing a “Sustainable Mobility and Public Space Plan 2008-2012”.

• Internal mobility (at a municipal level): per capita emissions did not vary during the period 2006-2008, and amount to 1.06 t CO2 (2006 being the first year in which internal mobility was calculated).

Carbon intensity of energy consumption in the city (kg CO2/kWh) The indicator of the carbon intensity per kWh (kg of CO2 per kWh used) has improved from 0.275 in 2000, to 0.257 kg CO2 per kWh in 2006, due to an improvement in the energy generation mix. Carbon intensity of total electricity consumption in the city (kg CO2/kWh) The trend in the carbon intensity of the electricity consumed in the city has varied over recent years from 0.432 kg CO2/kWh in 2004 to 0.380 kg CO2/kWh in 2008, in line with the trends in the Spanish electrical mix.

o 2004: 0.432 kg CO2/kWh

o 2005: 0.481 kg CO2/kWh

o 2006: 0.444 kg CO2/kWh

o 2007: 0.452 kg CO2/kWh

o 2008: 0.380 kg CO2/kWh

Percentage of electricity consumption in the city from renewables sources The percentage of renewable energies in the Spanish electrical generation mix is as follows:

o 2005: 9.29%

o 2006: 10.31%

o 2007: 11.24%

o 2008: 12.19%

Percentage of citizens connected to district heating There is no district heating system in the city combining the production of heat and electricity (CHPDH), although there are centralised block systems with the production of heat for heating and sanitary hot water (SHW). Moreover, a large percentage of residential buildings have centralised heating and hot water, installed mainly in newly-developed areas.

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1b. Describe the measures implemented over the past five to ten years to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including resources allocated to implementing these measures. In 2006 the City Council approved the “Climate Change Prevention Strategy 2006-2012”, setting medium and long-term targets for reducing GHG emissions. This strategy was complemented by several plans, among which are the following:

• “Air Quality management Plan 2003-2010”: • “Local Energy Plan 2007-2012”: • “Municipal Waste Management Plan 2000-2006” • “Municipal Waste Management Plan 2008-2016” • “Integrated Water Saving Action Plan 2004-2008” • “Sustainable Mobility and Public Space Plan 2008-2012”:

Some of the measures adopted in recent years in the framework of different plans, sorted by sector, are listed below: Energy supply, (measures related to renewables)

o Production of renewable electrical power from the biogas obtained in the management of urban waste and waste water (2009: 11,000 MWh).

o Production of photovoltaic solar power on the roofs of public and private buildings (power installed 2009: 2.679 MWp).

o Production of solar thermal energy on the roofs of houses, commercial buildings and public buildings. (power installed 2009: 16.885 m2, 11.820 kWt)

o Production of low-temperature geothermal energy for air conditioning and SHW in public buildings. (power 2009: 410 kW (18,400 m of drilling)

o Co-generation units (NG) with installed power of 57.8 MW (production 2008: 380,479 MWhe and 271,235 MWht).

o Production of wind energy: Placed outside the municipal boundary there are three wind farms with an installed power of 106.2 MW.

Transport, (measures related to public transport, urban planning, cycling, vehicle efficiency, alternative fuels)

o Improvement of the public transport network:

• Introduction of two tram lines. • Restructuring of the network of public transport buses in 2009 (17 new buses,

reduction of lines, changes in the location of bus stops, possibility for transferring between lines, etc.), with an increase in frequencies of up to 10 minutes on all lines and an increase in the speed of PT.

• Construction and installation of infrastructures to give priority to public buses: bus lanes, queue jumpers, traffic light priority at a crossroads

o More cycle lanes.

o Free bicycle loan service

o Pedestrianising streets and measures to limit traffic in the City Centre.

o Mechanical access to the medieval centre

o Introduction of flexible fuel vehicles in municipal fleets.

o Use of biofuels in municipal fleet and urban transport (2007: 2,000,000 litres).

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o Improvement of the efficiency of public lighting (reduction in installed power, installation of header flow reducers, etc.).

o All incandescent or halogen traffic lights, around 9,000, have been replaced by LEDs.

o Improvement of the water supply network in order to prevent leaking.

Building (measures related to district heating, efficiency improvement in new and existing building, respectively)

o Bioclimatic design of buildings in the new areas of expansion of the city.

o Implementation of the new Technical Building Code to new buildings (improvements in insulations, renewable energy installations- thermal and photovoltaic solar) and the Energy Certification scheme.

o Obligatory energy certification in all public housing in Vitoria since 2000 (B class minimum)

o Installation of solar panels to produce Domestic Hot Water (DHW) for housing and municipal facilities.

o Installation of photovoltaic panels in municipal buildings and municipally-sponsored housing.

o Geothermal use of public buildings (University, social-cultural centre).

o Energy refurbishment projects (improvement in insulations – cladding, windows) in housing (REVITASUD project is part of INTERREG III program) and public buildings.

o Switching fossil fuels for cleaner sources, such as natural gas. There is no coal usage and diesel DHW and heating systems are gradually being replaced.

o Promotion of "energy services companies (ESCOs)” among neighbourhood communities and the retail sector

o Municipal buildings require energy providers to guarantee energy saving in heating, air conditioning and hot water under contract (“performance contracting”), - since 1999.

o Installation of immotic systems for the management of interior lighting of public buildings, car parks

o Improvements in the interior lighting of municipal buildings

o Installation of electricity and heat co-generation systems in the public hospitals of the city.

Industry (measures related to efficiency improvement, low carbon electricity and fuels)

o Installation of co-generation systems with natural gas in industries.

o Performance of energy audits financed publicly in the city’s micro-companies (< 10 workers) and the instigation of energy saving and efficiency measures.

Agriculture, forestry and land-use change

o Enlarging urban green areas.

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o Irrigation of gardens and parks with non-drinking water.

o Developing the city’s Green Belt.

o Protection and conservation of the forestry areas (9000 ha) of the municipality.

o Recovery for forestry use of land given over to agriculture.

o Ecological improvement actions in degraded areas (> 3 million m2 since 2002).

o "Municipal market garden” programme for the local production of foods. Waste management

o Introduction of cleaner fuels for transport and use of CNG throughout the fleet of waste collection trucks.

o Fostering of selective separation at source both in sidewalk containers and door-to-door

o Construction of “clean points”.

o Promotion of own composting.

o Construction and start-up of a chemical-biological treatment plant (MBT).

o Construction and start-up of a construction and demolition waste treatment plant.

o Progressive degasifying (reduction of fugitive methane emissions) of the landfill to take advantage of the biogas for the production of electricity.

o Definitive sealing of 4 ha of the municipal landfill.

Educations, information o Activities to raise-awareness on mobility and the sustainable use of transport, as

the “European Car Free Day” (since 2000).

o Delivery of efficient driving courses.

o Activities to raise awareness on the efficient use of energy, such as the “European Sustainable Energy Week” (since 2008).

o Awareness campaigns on water saving.

o Information campaigns on energy saving in the residential sector.

o Free distribution to citizens of low consumption lightbulbs (6600 units).

o Training courses on climate change designed for management and political personnel of the Town Hall (2007).

o Organisation of technical seminars on building construction (e.g., Passivhaus building standard).

o Organisation of public talks on energy-saving matters, renewable energy and climate change.

o Organisation of seminars and conferences on Climate Change (with the Spanish Network of Cities for Climate, with the Basque Government, etc.).

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1c. Describe the short and long term objectives for reduction of GHG emissions, including measures adopted, but not yet implemented, and budgets for future measures already adopted. The long term vision for Vitoria-Gasteiz set out in its “Climate Change Prevention Strategy 2006-2012” is to become a carbon neutral emission zone. The nearer-term goals are to achieve at least a 50% reduction in emissions in the first half of the 21st century, taking 1990 levels as the base year.

The total estimated budget is 47,072,500 euros for the 2006-2012 period. The Strategy, which contains both preventative and remedial measures, reflects the commitment of the City to achieve the following targets:

• To reduce energy consumption in buildings, estimated budget for the action 7,600,000 euros.

• To reduce greenhouse emissions produced by the transport, estimated budget for the action 26,975,000 euros.

• To reduce greenhouse emissions produced by the waste management, estimated budget for the action 1,275,000 euros

• To reduce greenhouse emissions produced by the local authority activity, 9,930,000 euros

• To introduce measures for carbon sequestration, estimated budget for the action 1,292,500 euros

In more qualitative terms, the Strategy aims to:

• Increase public awareness on the potential impact of climate change • Regularly establish accurate data on the City’s greenhouse gas emissions • Propose measures to avoid the root causes for climate change in order to reduce

the City’s CO2 emissions • Propose measures to adapt to the consequences of climate change • Reach agreements with other stakeholders to deliver the action plan set out in the

Strategy Some of the measures that will be adopted in the framework of different plans include:

• The Local Energy Plan has an estimated allocated budget of 76 million euros to implement the measures and actions it contains. From this total, the Vitoria-Gasteiz Council will invest 10.5 million euros, equivalent to 14% of the total, with the rest being made up by cofinaning by other organisation and public bodies. The Plan sets out the following targets to achieve savings of 37,000 tonnes of CO2:

o Installation of 25,000 m2 of thermal solar collectors to meet a demand equivalent to 1,505 tep.

o Installation of 2MW of photovoltaic solar panels to meet demand of 170 tep. o Substitution of 9,850 tep of oil based energy for biofuels, a figure that is

equivalent to 5.75% of the fuel consumed in 2004. o Increase the use of biogas for electricity by 1,860 tep.

• Over the coming years, it is intended to concentrate on the development of the power sustainable eco-district concept in Vitoria. In this sense, participation of the Town Hall in the European PIME’s project, financed by the CONCERTO programme, will allow it to increase its knowledge of eco-buildings, storage of thermal solar power, geothermal usage, co-generation, as well as intelligent power management and the new models of energy service companies.

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• The aim of Sustainable Mobility and Public Space Plan is to provide a holistic solution to urban planning needs, traffic planning and other citizens’ needs and deals with issues relating to the availability and quality of transport, emissions and quality of air, the use of public spaces, noise pollution and energy consumption. There is a financial provision in the Council budget for the first phase of this Plan (2008-2011) of 30 million of euros. Many of the measures to be implemented are included in MODERN, a CIVITAS+ granted Project.

• The promotion of electrical vehicles in our city has been defined as a strategic factor. The presence of international vehicle, tyre, battery manufacturers, etc., represents a great opportunity for the development of EVs in line with European strategies on clean and energy efficient vehicles, COM(2010)186 final. The existence on the Alava Technology Park of a business project to construct an electrical car called HIRIKO, is of special relevance.

• The new Municipal Waste Management Plan proposes the manufacture of a solid fuel recovered (SRF) – capable of being used in the nearby cement industry, with the consequent saving of primary fossil fuels and a reduction in GEI emissions.

• Currently, the City Council is elaborating a new “Plan to Fight Against Climate Change 2010-2020”, as a result of the city’s accession to the Covenant of Mayors. The main objectives of the plan will be:

o Reducing the CO2e per capita emissions in 2020 by 25% compared to 2006 o Reducing the CO2e emissions associated with the activity of the City Council in

2020 by 46% The budget foreseen is of 650 million euros, with public and private investments.

• Finally, the City Council has signed an agreement (May 2010) with the Basque Government and the Labein Technology Centre for the preparation of Vitoria-Gasteiz’s Climate Change Adaptation Plan. The main activities at a early stage will be:

o Elaboration of a thermal map of the city and its immediate surroundings. o Definition of future climate scenarios in terms of temperature and rainfall at the

local level. o Identification of potential sectors involved. o Identification of potential impacts associated with each sector. o Obtaining the vulnerability degree for each sector from the effects of climate

change. o Definition of priority adaptation actions for its integration in the Urban Master

Plan.

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1d. Describe how the above issues can be documented should your city be shortlisted for participation in the second phase of the evaluation.

List of plans/measures and political adoptions and decisions :

1) Climate Change Prevention Strategy 2006-2012 Legal adoption. English versión (Abstract): Climate Change Prevention Strategy 2006

2) Fight Against Climate Change Plan 2010-2020 (Draft)

3) Fight Against Climate Change Plan 2010-2020 . Annex (Draft)

4) Covenant of Mayors. Legal declaration.

5) Local Energy Plan 2007-2012 Legal adoption. English versión (Abstract): Local Energy Plan 2007-2012

6) Air Quality Management Plan 2003-2010 Legal adoption. English versión (Abstract): Air Quality Management Plan

7) “Climate Change Adaptation Plan” : Agreement for elaboration.

8) Sustainable Mobility and Public Space Plan 2008-2012. Agreement for elaboration.

9) Municipal Waste Management Plan 2000-2006.

10) Municipal Waste Management Framework Plan 2008-2016 (Draft) Legal adoption.

11) Environmental Impact Evaluation of the Municipal Waste Management Framework Plan 2008-2016 (Draft) Legal adoption.

12) Integrated Water Saving Plan 2004-2008 Legal agreement and budget.

13) Environmental Action Plan 2002-2007 of the Local Agenda 21 Legal adoption.

English versión (Abstract): Agenda 21(English version)

14) Technical Evaluation of the Environmental Action Plan 2002-2007 of the Local Agenda 21

15) Agenda 21 Bulletins (2008-2009)

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16) Action Plan 2010-2014 of the Local Agenda 21 (Draft)

17) Environmental documentation catalogue

18) STOP CO2 Initiative: Participation Agreement.

19) Spanish Network of Cities for Climate Change. Participation Agreement. and Legal Adoption.

20) CONCERTO European Programme

1e. List any disadvantages resulting from historical and/or geographical factors which may have influenced this indicator area negatively. Between 2000 and the year 2008, Vitoria-Gasteiz’s population has grown by 7%. Consequently, the urban area has also grown: the territory covered by the City of Vitoria-Gasteiz has experienced an increase from approximately 2.021 ha in year 2000, to the figure of 2,846.99 ha currently covered. This growth has had an impact on the City’s ability to curb greenhouse gas emissions and can be seen in the rising demand for energy for residential and commercial purposes.

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2. LOCAL TRANSPORT 2a. Describe the present situation and developments over the past five to ten years regarding:

1. Length of designated cycle lanes in relation to total number of inhabitants in the city;

2. Share of population living within 300 metres from a hourly (or more frequent) public transport service;

3. Proportion of all journeys under 5 km by private car; 4. Proportion of public transport classed/classified as low emission.

Vitoria-Gasteiz, a pedestrian-scale compact city, has a long track record in developing and implementing policies for achieving a sustainable City that offers a high quality of life for its citizens. For many years the City has had a strong commitment towards environmentally-friendly (and healthy) mobility through ongoing investment in pedestrian areas and cycle lanes.

Vitoria-Gasteiz, in relation with the other institutional levels, the Álava Province and the Basque Autonomous Region.

Population growth (2001-2009)

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In Vitoria-Gasteiz (27,580 ha), over 80% of the City’s inhabitants are employed within the municipal boundaries and walking is the most popular means of travel. There is ongoing investment in the provision and maintenance of sidewalks, boulevards and cycle zones. Over 25% of the public space is reserved for pedestrian access only and there are 33 km of pedestrian pathways inside the urban area and 91km across the Green Belt.

Last mobility survey (2006) says 49,9% of journeys within the City are on foot, 19% by car drivers, 7% as car passengers, 8% in public transport and approximately 4% on bicycles.

With a total population of 239,361 inhabitants (January, 2010), the average number of daily journeys during a working day is 2.43, of which 0.89 are made by car (36.6%). The proportion of journeys of less than 5km by private car was 36% in 2006.

Modal split evolution.

Reason for the journeys (2006)

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Sustainable Mobility and Public Space Plan (SM&PSP) seeks to reverse the upward trend in the use of the private car and to establish a new public space and mobility scheme to minimise the dysfunctions caused by the high use of motorised modes, especially the private car, and to improve sustainable mobility modes. Public transport must be a reasonable alternative to the use of private cars and the main achievement up to now in this area is the start-up of a tram line and a new bus network, with a new design of routes and stops that allow for a 10-minute frequency and a higher commercial speed. Allowing for more effective transfers between lines, there are a range of supporting measures, including bus lanes, queue jumpers, traffic-light priorities and new platforms. In order to dissuade the use of cars, a new parking surface regulation with increased fares and designed park and ride car parks have been established. The result is that passenger numbers have rocketed with a 45% increase in the number of trips per month. This translates into 508,580 more users since the first tramway line came into operation in January 2009. The speed of the services has improved by 14.5% and fuel consumption has been reduced by 6% since the new bus network was launched and 95.8% of the population lives within 300m of an hourly (or more frequent) public transport service. Current Public Transport Network uses, 17 vehicles E5, 22 E4, 22 E3, 20 E2 and 6 E1. The network is completed with 12 tram convoys.

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Trends in the number of journeys made on public transport. Bus users are shown in grey. Tram

users are shown in green. The tram service has been conceived as a key part of the City’s intermodal transport policy. The routes are complementary to those offered by the public bus services, which have been recently restructured to optimise journey flows, times and frequencies. Currently, the average number of travellers who take the tram daily stands at 20,000, although this number is expected to increase in the future with the new extensions now at the planning stage. Bicycle use is increasing steadily and has risen from 1.4% in 2001 to 3.3% in 2006, with an average of 18,000 daily trips. There are nearly 97km of urban bicycle infrastructures and a further 91km of cycle and pedestrian paths across the Green Belt. The length of designated cycle lanes in relation to the total number of inhabitants in the city has increased from 0.05 m/inhabitant in 2002 to 0.41 m/inhabitant in 2010, although the Bicycle Mobility Master Plan proposes the creation of another 60km of main tracks and to reduce the traffic in most of the streets in the city in order to ensure a safe coexistence with motor traffic.

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Bicycle infrastructure (2010). Red lines are the bicycle network and orange ones correspond to low-medium traffic streets. Red points show the bicycle parking infrastructure. Blue boxes locate

the Public-Bike stations.

Virtually half the population resides in areas with an average access time by bicycle to the rest of the city of less than 10 minutes and virtually the whole of the population at less than 15 minutes. Even the recent urban developments are within cyclable distance from the centre of town. Moreover, in the current network, a third of the city’s installations are located at less than one minute from the cycling network, 50% between 1 and 3 minutes and 17% between 3 and 5 minutes.

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Bicycle infrastructure (May, 2010)

The available bicycle infrastructure currently includes 457 bicycle parks with almost 5000 parking places.

Vitoria-Gasteiz is actively promoting the use of bicycles and is currently engaged in passing the Bicycle Master Plan to improve the use of bicycles in the city. This Plan, a development of the Sustainable Mobility and Public Space Plan (SM&PSP), plays a leading role improving bicycle-related policies.

In order to increase the use of bicycles, 7 years ago, the City Council implemented a public-bike system. Today, this scheme has 17 pick-up points throughout the City in strategic locations such as civic centres, leisure centres and shopping malls, offering a total of 350 bicycles free of charge. The service also focuses on the provision of transport for people with disabilities, such as tandems for the sight impaired or tricycles for people with reduced mobility. Registered users of this service amounted to more than 54,000 in 2009, and there were more than 154,000 loans in 2009, instead of the 85,239 registered in 2006.

Vitoria-Gasteiz belongs to the CIVITAS Forum and CIVINET networks and has recently incorporated to the Brussels Charter .

2b. Describe the measures implemented over the past five to ten years aimed at reducing the total transport volume and encouraging a shift away from transport by car.

Prior to the launching of the SM&PSP, urban mobility in Vitoria-Gasteiz had two major dysfunctions: the modal split (37% for private vehicle vs. 8% for public transport) and the distribution of public road space (64% for private vehicle vs. 36 % for pedestrian).

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The proportion of journeys of less than 5 km by private car has been increasing over recent years, from 31% in 2002 to 36% in 2006. In order to reverse such a negative trend, the SM&PSP, based on a process of intense public participation (see Citizens’ Pact for Sustainable Mobility), aims to minimise the dysfunctions caused by the high use of private cars. The SM&PSP seeks to transform the public space to enable non-motorised transport modes to recover a leading role.

SM&PSP priorities, supported by the CIVITAS+ Programme, have been: • To reverse the upward trend in the use of the private car and to promote cycling,

walking and public transport.

• To enable the maximum possible recovery of public space as a social space for the public.

• The application of the superblocks model to provide a comprehensive solution to the organisation of mobility networks and to improve the quality of public space.

• The incorporation of public participation

• To reach a consensus among both the technical areas involved and the political parties.

The City Council has introduced two important measures to improve its public transport network. Firstly, the introduction of the tram in 2008; secondly by replacing in 2009 the former bus network (17 bus lines with 20-30 minute frequencies), with a new one with 9 lines, 10 minute frequencies, straighter routes and fuller coverage of the newly-built neighbourhoods. This change was supported by a broad set of measures, including new bus lanes, queue jumpers, traffic-light priorities, new platforms and a new parking surface regulation with increased fares. Figures have rocketed with a 45% increase in the number of trips per month during the last year.

100% of the fleet has been adapted to meet the needs of people with disabilities.

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New Public transport network

The new public transport network was supported by an information campaign that included an initiative in which 101 volunteers informed users about the new lines and stations. Together with the launching of the new tram service, an integrated fare and payment card for the entire public transport was implemented.

Work has also progressed in building the cycling and pedestrian networks, with about 13Km of new bicycle lanes as well as new urban trails, with 22,319m2 made available during 2009. During 2009, two new public-bike stations were created and two new stations in 2010.

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With an investment of nearly 22 million Euros, the Bicycle Mobility Master Plan aims to develop a new strategy to promote bicycle and, according to the Charter of Brussels signed by Vitoria-Gasteiz on May 2010, seeks to reach 15% of the modal split in 2020. Other measures recently implemented are a leaflet with information aimed at bicycle users, especially University students, the bicycle route planner, the bicycle registration system and a pilot public-bike-bus modal exchange scheme in one of the main industrial estates. Reorganise mobility networks from a new urban cell (superblock) is a key element of the SM&PSP. This strategy classifies the roads in a core network for road traffic (perimeter of the superblock) and pedestrian-priority streets (inside the superblock). This scheme dissuades private car traffic by limiting access and on-street parking inside the specified home-zones. This improves public transport and promotes short-distance modes such as cycling or walking through a safe and functional approach. The initiative aims to make Vitoria-Gasteiz a livable and vibrant city through a new shared space scheme.

Inner streets become a preferential environment for pedestrians, cyclists and service, emergency and residents’ vehicles, being transformed into unique sections with roadways and sidewalks at the same level and set out as low-speed zones. On-street parking is gradually being reduced and freight distribution is subjected to a new form of

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management. This scheme is being applied to the whole city, starting with the city centre and the medieval district, as well in each urban district undergoing redevelopment.

Superblocks map.

The Sancho el Sabio Superblock is the first one implemented as a pilot test prior to extending the model to the entire city, transforming Sancho el Sabio, Gorbea, Ricardo Buesa and Prado streets into an Inner Secondary Streets. Bilbao square, Fermín Lasuen and several inner streets belonging to the medieval town are to be also redesigned this year (21,610m2). A new parking policy has been introduced in order to dissuade using private cars, increasing the regulated area and for on-street parking prices (involves multiplying by three the old prices). Residents have to pay for parking in the city centre (until now it was free).

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Since February 2006, Vitoria-Gasteiz offers a car pool service.

Vitoria-Gasteiz has invested around 5.5 million euros to install mechanical ramps to facilitate access to the Medieval Town.

Vitoria-Gasteiz celebrates the “European Car Free Day” since 2000 within “European Mobility Week” with the focus on raising public awareness on sustainable mobility. In 2009, more than 16,500 people took part.

During the two last school years, schools have incorporated mobility into their curriculum. Over 20,000 students from 29 centres take part in identifying the mobility related challenges surrounding the school, taking account of family needs and the available infrastructure.

Besides the economic contribution of City Council funds, the contributions of financial resources from the Government of Spain (€26 million between 2009-10), the Basque Government (€208,000 between 2007-2009) and CIVITAS+ (€2.2 million between 2009-2012), have also allowed a number of additional actions to be undertaken.

For the materialisation and implementation of the SM&PSP the City Council has been supported by civic and social groups. Noteworthy in this regard is the social nature of the Plan, including over thirty briefings and participative workshops, as well as the unselfish collaboration of over a hundred volunteers. 2c. Describe planned long and short term measures in relation to:

1. Reduction of overall demand for transport; 2. Reduction of individual motorised transport; 3. Promotion of less environmentally damaging modes of transport.

The short term measures should include description of measures adopted, but not yet implemented, and budgets for future measures already adopted. With regard to long term measures, the description should include planned measures yet to be sanctioned politically.

SM&PSP Phase 1 was adopted in 2008. Its general objectives are in line with the Action Plan on Urban Mobility adopted by the EC in September 2009, offering a variety of tools and support to local, regional and national authorities in order to address the challenge of sustainable urban mobility.

SM&PSP brings together different initiatives from all areas of policy affecting mobility; one of the most important characteristics of the Plan is its transversal nature, with a wide range of stakeholders participating in its design. An interdepartmental technical committee was set up to oversee the work developed and a “Citizens Forum for Sustainable Mobility” was created. The Plan aims to provide a holistic solution to urban planning requirements, traffic planning and other citizens’ needs and deals with issues relating to the availability and quality of transport, emissions and quality of air, the use of public spaces, noise pollution and energy consumption.

The financial provision for this Phase is 38.74 million euros, and many of the measures are included in MODERN, a CIVITAS+ Project.

A Pedestrian Mobility Master Plan is currently under development. The aim is to ensure that all the communications nodes, installations and public spaces come within

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the reach of citizens who travel on foot. This way, a satisfactory level of accessibility to services and day-to-day activities is guaranteed. Consequently, the dependence of the population on motor-driven mobility is reduced. Work is currently underway to define in greater detail a number of actions to be undertaken within the central superblock with the financing from the URBAN programme (16.6 million € for the period 2007-2013).

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The Bicycle Master Plan proposes:

• The creation during the period 2010-2011 of about 16km of cycle paths and another 30.7km by 2015. This year, 3.5km of new cycle paths will be built.

• The creation of 1,105 new parking places for 8,588 bicycles, for which the fitting of 1,000 new clamps has been approved (2010). The total offer will reach a figure of 13,565 places. In other words, the current offer of bicycle parks will increase by 142.

• To invest until 2015, about 900,000€ in bike promotion, 125.000€ in 2010 has already been undertaken.

• To develop the current public-bike system of 17 stations towards a fourth generation system, fully integrated with the public transport network, and to increase the number of lending points to a total of 35, placing these at no more than 5 minutes walking from anywhere in the city. The investment in 2010 amounts to 500,000€.

• A draft Bicycle Mobility Bylaw, expected to be approved this year.

Bicycle network (Red: existing, Dark green: stage 1, Light green: stage 2, Yellow: pending the Project to place the railway line underground)

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Bicycle parks (Yellow: existing, Red: proposed)

Planned public-bike stations with respect to the new public transport network (scale of greens indicates the population density).

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With regard to public transport, new measures for 2010 include the construction of four new bus lanes, 20 bus platforms, increased tram schedules, 6 “Park&Ride” parking lots for more than 5,500 new places and the development of new promotion campaigns for public transport. The Basque Government is also working on a definition of the future extensions of the tram service as well as an improvement in frequencies of service.

“Park&Ride” sites in relation to the public transport network.

Following the new parking policies envisaged in the Car Parks Master Plan, it is expected to extend parking regulations to a large part of the city, as well as the materialisation of new residents car parks.

Once the networks proposed in the SM&PSP have been completed, long-term actions relate basically to implementing new public-space organisation.

This new urban-planning model aims to reduce the number of vehicles in circulation and is based on “superblocks” where the urban area is to be subdivided in basic streets that cover several blocks (superblocks). Each of the 68 proposed superblocks Interior streets will cut off to through-traffic and will have a speed limit of 10km/hr. A new freight distribution network inside the city, based on urban distribution centres and other supporting measures is planned.

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Vitoria-Gasteiz is drafting a local strategy for e-mobility promoting, including the actions to foster new vehicles, technological innovations, tax incentives, communication campaigns, etc. This strategy follows the European one on clean and nergy efficient vehicles.

It is expected to develop, with financing from CIVITAS, a pilot scheme with four electric vehicles managed by means of a car-sharing model and involving a control group of citizens, to be used to evaluate the vehicles, the recharging points and the management of the car-sharing scheme itself. To this end, the proposal is to allocate recharge points and nearly 40 e-mobility park places (cars, bicycles, segways, etc.).

e-Mobility proposal for the Central superblock

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The Basque Government has signed collaboration agreements with REPSOL, with the support of EVE, and with Mercedes, to funding a pilot project of 100 electric vans in the local Mercedes factory. In February 2010, in the framework of the informal Competitiveness Council of Ministers that took place in San Sebastian, the Basque Automotive and Energy Cluster Associations signed an agreement to develop an electric vehicle in the Basque Country. More information.

The city faces a review of its General Urban Plan, previous studies for which already incorporate the strategic vision of the SM&PSP, and it would be desirable to accept this as the main element of urban policy in 21st Century Vitoria-Gasteiz. In fact, the City Strategy Master Plan sets out the challenge of urban mobility management and consolidation framed in a new model of public space, compact, efficient and socially cohesive, capable of maintaining and even improving urban habitability as one its main axes. 2d. Describe how the above issues can be documented should your city be shortlisted for participation in the second phase of the evaluation. .

The Environmental information System of Vitoria-Gasteiz SI@M provides on-line reports, maps, studies regarding local territory and environment. It is possible to search on-line the Environmental documentation catalogue.

CEA publishes an e-newsletter to actively disseminate initiatives, research activities, projects and management programmes managed by the Centro de Estudios Ambientales (CEA). Published issues can be downloaded from this link.

The UNEP GEO cities initiative has supported the GEO-Vitoria-Gasteiz: Diagnosis and environmental sustainability. This document provides a detailed analysis about the environment and the sustainability of Vitoria-Gasteiz.

The Statistical Yearbook of Vitoria-Gasteiz 2009 provides detailed figures about Vitoria-Gasteiz.

Detailed information about the Sustainable Mobility and Public Space Plan is available at the website Sustainable Mobility and Public Space Plan (SM&PSP). In order to know more about the participative component of this Plan there is also an on-line access to the Citizens’ Pact for Sustainable Mobility.

Regarding the bike policies, it is possible to check the Bicycle Mobility Master Plan, the Vitoria-Gasteiz on-line bicycle route planner and the Bicycle registration system of Vitoria-Gasteiz.

Vitoria-Gasteiz is part of the MODERN CIVITAS+ Project. At the CIVITAS initiative news-webpage is possible to know in detail about the local participation.

At the municipal website is possible to check the Vitoria-Gasteiz car pool service.

The last agreement to develop an electric vehicle in the Basque Country can be documented through this link.

Detailed information about the Sustainable Mobility initiatives funded in 2009 by the Spanish Plan E.

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Detailed information about the Sustainable Mobility initiatives to be funded in 2010 by the Spanish Plan E.

After the Environmental Action Plan 2002-2007 of the Local Agenda 21 , the city has presented the Action Plan 2010-2014 of the Local Agenda 21 (Draft).

Vitoria-Gasteiz Local Agenda 21 Yearly Bulletin follows a system of indicators representative of the state of sustainability of 10 established thematic areas. The last issue is available at Local Agenda 21 Bulletin (2009)

A first draft of the local strategy is available in the document Fight Against Climate Change Plan 2010-2020 (Draft).

The Centro de Estudios Ambientales (CEA) has a leading role in dissemination and communication in Vitoria-Gasteiz. Detailed information about the different campaigns is available at the website.

All the dissemination initiatives, research activities, projects and management programmes dealing with Local Transport and managed by the CEA can be documented in the 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005 Activity Reports.

CEA Urban Ecologic Classroom offers a monthly program about different issues related to the city, the environment and the sustainable development. It has the permanent collaboration of Bakeaz, The Basque University and the Delegation at Álava of the Architects College.

Other links to document the provided information:

• UNEP Green Cities Declaration Adhesion • GEO Vitoria-Gasteiz cooperation agreement with UNEP • Brussels Charter adhesion • CIVINET Network adhesion • CIVITAS FORUM Network adhesion

2e. List any disadvantages resulting from historical and/or geographical factors which may have influenced this indicator area negatively.

Although the city is located in the middle of a broad plain, this does not mean, fortunately, that the city has been developed in line with a low density model. Happily, the city maintains a relatively compact model. This is reflected in the modal split, although the development of this model highlights the negative tendency perceived of pedestrian mobility due to the change in scale brought about as a result of latest residential developments in the east and west of the city. However, the scale of the city still adapts perfectly to the use of bicycles and public transport, especially if one considers the high level of internal mobility (80% of journeys start and end within the municipality itself).

The greatest dysfunction within this urban model is the geographical segregation of industrial activity, especially of the large industrial estates, which, solely in the case of journeys to and from work, make private vehicles the dominant mode of transport.

The new design of the public transport network, with new lines and shuttle services to the industrial estates, the bicycle infrastructures which are under construction, which

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connect these to the residential areas, and the project to implement a high-capacity public transport route (BRT or Tram) which resolves the connection between the Jundiz industrial estate and the city centre and the new areas of expansion to the east and west of the city, are some of the measures designed to resolve the negative effect of their being placed outside the city.

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3. GREEN URBAN AREA 3a. Provide the percentage of green and water areas (public and private) in relation to the overall area, including trends over the past five to ten years. Add a map indicating:

1. the proportion of area located within the inner city / on city boundaries; 2. the distribution across the city; 3. size of areas; 4. fragmentation;

Vitoria-Gasteiz (276.8 km2) is arranged in concentric circles, the most central of which contain the city itself, which is surrounded by the Green Belt. This is a narrow, asymmetrical, semi-natural green area. The transition between this first circle and the second is immediate. In the latter, there is a large agricultural area dotted with small rural villages, hills covered with natural vegetation, water courses and riverbanks. The third circle envelops the mountainous terrain dominated by forestry and livestock uses and the landscapes to which these give shape, owned mainly by the City Council.

Land-use map (2010).

The city has 1,091ha of public green areas (32.67% of the city’s urban area). Nearly 100% of the citizens of Vitoria-Gasteiz live within 300m of open public zones and green spaces. Such a green network extends over the entire city and interconnects an excellent offer of gardens, parks, avenues, boulevards and plazas, linking these to the Green Belt and the surrounding countryside. Moreover, the fact that the Green Belt surrounds the urban area completely, guarantees the presence, tangibility and accessibility of nature in each of the city’s districts.

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Urban Land-use map (2010).

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Population growth (2001-2009)

In the preparation of its urban plans, Vitoria-Gasteiz takes into account the environmental impact of growth. The aim is to draft well co-ordinated and balanced developmental plans, in accordance with the principle that the best use of the land needs to be assessed against criteria which are not only economic, but also environmental. In this sense, during the period 1974-2010, the urban area used for green spaces has doubled, reaching around 478 hectares, 20.2 m2 per inhabitant. If the current extension of the Green Belt (613ha) is included, this ratio is increased to close to 46.12 m2 per inhabitant. In total, Vitoria-Gasteiz has hundreds of green areas of different sizes and shapes, ranging from large parks to small gardens. These areas form a complex and unique urban biodiversity resource, with more than 50,000 units that include up to 381 species of trees and shrubs and 12,160 catalogued shrub masses.

In addition, with respect to the City’s boulevards, there are more than 130,000 trees belonging to 150 different species. In general terms, parks are conceived as urban gardens designed for public use. Practically all of them are open on a 24h basis. The distribution of these parks around the city is relatively uniform, with the exception of the industrial zones of Ali-Gobeo and Jundiz, as well as those of Arriaga and Gamarra, and the Medieval Centre, where narrow streets render the introduction of trees and green areas difficult.

It is worth pointing out that the extensive green urban peripheral area that makes up the Green Belt allows nature to integrate in the city, improves biodiversity and fosters the leisure, education and environmental awareness of its inhabitants.

3b. Describe the present situation and the development over the past five to ten years in relation to the percentage of citizens living within 300 m of public green urban areas, the total number of square metres of green urban areas per capita and public green urban areas per capita. Describe any additional development of other green elements such as number of trees outside designated green areas, green fences and green roofing etc. Due to the compact configuration of the city and the excellent offer of public spaces, nearly 100% of the population in Vitoria-Gasteiz live within 300 m of open public zones and green spaces.

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Accessibility to green areas (< 300m)

As a design criteria, the creation of excessively large green areas has been avoided (with the exception of the Green Belt parks, only the park of San Juan de Arriaga, with more than 17 hectares, is in excess of 10 hectares). The parks are conceived in general as urban gardens, with well-ordered town layouts oriented to public use, virtually all of them being open throughout the day. Among the most important urban parks, Aranbizkarra Park (6.97ha): comprising gardens with herbaceous plants, hedges, shrubs and trees of various kinds. Arriaga Park(17.42ha): includes about 150 plant species, the most important are the poplars and rose gardens and a number of different herbs. Gamarra Park, with an abundance of ash trees, lime trees, bananas, acacia, maple and spruce and almost 11,000 plants form a hedge line of about 2 km. Judimendi Park (2.06ha). Florida Park (3.25ha): with 95 species of trees and 79 of shrubs, it’s regarded as the botanical garden in the city. San Martin Park (8.46ha): with more than 60 plant species and more than 10,000 roses. Prado Park (3.24ha): it is an urban forest with more than 350 trees, Molinuevo Park (4.61ha), Arana (2.92ha).

In addition, on the one hand, there are three large avenues in the city centre: Senda, Cervantes and Fray, representing a green space of over 3 km containing different species of trees. On the other hand, the city has 22 ponds and fountains spread over 17 streets, parks and squares. The ponds are scattered in different parts of the city, such as Juan de Ayala Square, North Park and the Gardens of Gazalbide.

GREEN URBAN FRINGE AREA The city has an extensive green urban fringe area that constitutes the “Green Belt of Vitoria-Gasteiz”. The network of peripheral parks that make up the Green Belt increases the number of green spaces, allows nature to integrate with the city in a smooth transition which is unusual in most cities.

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One of the main peculiarities of the Green Belt is its origin. Some of the urban fringe parks were originally degraded areas: gravel pits, burned areas, drained wetlands, etc. The recovery of these spaces, initiated in the mid-90’s, was a major challenge and at the present time the Green Belt forms a continuous and unified network, formed by several parks that add 613 hectares altogether (25.91m2 per inhabitant of new green zone approximately). Over the next few years, it is planned that this will be extended to 787 ha.

Green Belt of Vitoria-Gasteiz (2010). Current and planned areas.

The fact that the Green Belt surrounds the urban zone completely, guarantees the presence of nature and its proximity to all the city’s districts. In addition to its public use concept, the Green Belt is of high ecological and landscape value. In this sense, two of the urban fringe spaces or parks have deserved individual recognitions for their important natural values. One of them is the Salburua wetlands, declared a LIC Zone and Ramsar wetlands of International Importance, and the other is the Zadorra river, declared a LIC Zone within the Natura 2000 European Network. The Green Belt project was selected as best practice in the 2000 and 2004 Dubai International Award for Best Practices in Improving the Living Environment. FOREST ZONE In addition, Vitoria-Gasteiz has a vast forest area of approximately 11,000ha (equivalent to more than one third of the municipal surface), representing 465 m2 of forest per inhabitant. It is mostly publicly owned and it occupies mainly the mountains at the edge of the local authority boundaries with diverse and mainly native vegetation: beech trees, groves of several oak species that are prevalent locally, in a good state of general conservation, product of the forest management in accordance with the conservation of natural values. 91% of the forest is made up of native species and only 9% by reforestation. In this extensive forest mass, there are several spaces included within the Natura 2000 Network; it is the Eastern Sector of the Vitoria mountain range and the oak forest that cover the flattest part of the municipal boundaries. It is currently mainly occupied by agricultural farming.

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ACCESSIBILITY TO GREEN AREAS With regard to the urban access to green spaces, in addition to the natural distribution that guarantees accessibility to virtually the entire population of Vitoria-Gasteiz, the Council has, over recent years, adopted measures to favour both ecological preservation and access to pedestrians and cyclists, by creating routes and pathways through these areas. Thus, the city has 33 km of urban footpaths. Each urban footpath connects the urban parks and the periphery (Green Belt). In the Green Belt itself there are almost 91 km of pedestrian and cycling itineraries that cross the different parks and connect the green areas to each other.

Green network of Vitoria-Gasteiz city. Green lines are the current footpaths connecting the urban parks and the periphery (Green Belt)

Agricultural land, that occupies the flattest areas of the municipality between the City and the mountains and forest areas, also provides through-routes (such as old railroads and cattle routes) for accessing rural and natural areas from the City. Some examples are the Green Route to Estíbaliz, the Green Route to Arlabán and the Betoño Rock. These pathways and routes are a way of strengthening the network of itineraries that can be used as tourism, ecological and sporting routes to be used by citizens and visitors alike.

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3c. Describe any measures implemented over the past five to ten years aimed at increasing the size and quality of green urban areas..

The increase in public green areas in the urban environment has been linked mainly to the expansion that the City has enjoyed in the recent years, as well as to the regeneration of small brownfield sites.

In 2002, the Urban Landscape Office was created in order to introduce new sustainability criteria and constraints, relating to the creation and design of new urban green spaces. This Unit has launched a series of statutes in order to regulate urban biodiversity, specifically regulating the use of green areas, the management and protection of trees and the creation of urban green areas in new construction developments. Together with the active role of CEA in the Green Belt, examples of specific actions developed in this area are:

• The creation in 2006 of the “Secret Water Garden” (3,100m2), with shrubs and low water consumption vegetal species, as an example of sustainable landscaping.

• The reform of the Arriaga Ponds, where native species of trees have been planted, as well as shrubs, placed in strategic locations to provide invertebrates with shelter. The grass planted is a mix of native seeds that requires less irrigation, attracts insects and invertebrates which, in turn, attract birds. The mix of colours is visually eye-catching and attracts large numbers of visitors to the area. The amount invested was 280,000€.

• The development in 2008 of the Biodiversity Garden, within the precincts of the Agirrelanda Park, with an investment of 320,000€.

• The creation of the Olarizu and Urarte market gardens, which integrate native plant forestry nurseries, ecological market gardens, fruit trees, greenhouses, pools, rockeries with perennial and creeping plants,… In addition to its offer of spaces for leisure activities and walking, it offers ideal spaces for the development of environmental education activities. Most of the activities involve occupying the free time of the elderly in a practical and beneficial manner. 210 plots are granted every year for ecological cultivation with a deep respect for the environment in the agricultural and forestry practices utilised.

• The Community Gardens programme through which community members themselves design, construct and maintain several private landscaped areas for public use, with the training, technical and economic support of the City Council. This initiative, which began as a pilot scheme with two small areas in an attempt to involve the public in the design, maintenance and care of their nearest urban environment, offers members of the community the chance to dedicate part of their free time to the care and embellishment of the green areas of their respective districts.

• The Olarizu Botanical Garden to be finished in the short term (before 2012). This will occupy a surface of 48ha dedicated to agricultural uses, in the Olarizu environment park, in the south of the City. The budget approved for this project amounts to 2,917,000€. The aim is to reproduce a sample of forest vegetation representative of different European regions, in order to enable people to discover and conserve the European flora (particularly that of the Iberian Peninsula). This project began in 2006 and is being developed in phases.

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• The creation of new parks and corridors in the city’s new areas of expansion such as Lakua leisure park (1,6ha), which has already become a model for children’s games, the new East Park, dedicated to the planets with a surface area of 34,471m2, making it one of the largest parks in the city.

• The installation in 2006 of a system to automate the watering of gardens, the centralisation of services to monitor weather conditions and water soil levels.

• The non-use of pesticides in the green areas of the city.

In addition, Vitoria-Gasteiz has been working on awareness-raising campaigns to boost information sharing and active participation of people in urban biodiversity protection. Some examples are given below:

• Since 2002, the “Environmental Studies Centre” has been managing the “Urban Ecologic classroom”, which offers a variety of technical sessions targeted to the public in general, free of charge.

• The organisation in July 2007 of the "2nd Urban Landscape Forum" with the theme "Cities+Green” and in October 2007 of the Postgraduate Programme “+Biodiversity in urban spaces”.

• The holding in autumn 2009 of the landscape workshop “Green Belt: Living landscapes” of the 3rd Urban Landscape Forum, through which the intention was to encourage people to discuss and reflect upon the concept of landscape in general and specifically on the role of landscape architecture in the planning of the city and the region.

• Study of the diversity of birds species in urban parks, in which 20 parks and landscaped areas of the city were studied. This survey may provide very useful information about the planning, design and management of parks in the city.

APPROVAL OF CONSERVATION BY LAWS

In 2003 three new bylaws were approved to regulate the urban green zones:

• Regulation of uses in green zones.

• Management and protection of urban trees.

• Creation of green zones in the areas of expansion of the city. This regulation has led to a considerable improvement in landscaped areas, in both aesthetic aspects and ecological terms. It has also led to savings in maintenance costs, the amount of water required for irrigation and other resources. These positive effects have been generated thanks to greater regulation of permitted activities, the implementation of saving and efficiency criteria in the use of the water and the introduction of plant species better suited to the environmental conditions.

DIGITAL INVENTORY

The creation of a digital inventory, as well as the creation and development of a specifically designed ICT application are facilitating the tasks of managing and maintaining the green urban zones.

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3d. Describe planned long and short term measures for the establishment and management of green urban areas (public and privately owned) taking into consideration their function:

• quality of life and recreation of the people; • additional ecosystem services and functions such as, regulating water balance,

balancing climate extremes, filtering air pollution, education etc.

With regard to short term measures, the description should include measures adopted, but not yet implemented, and budgets for future measures already adopted.

With regard to long term measures, the description should include planned measures which are yet to be adopted politically.

The main 11 routes of Phase I of the Sustainable Mobility and Public Space Plan (SM&PSP), allow the connection on foot of the main generators of mobility (teaching centres, retail and leisure areas, public transport stations, etc.).

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An action that will improve the quality of this network are the changes to be made in the route taken by the railway. This will be placed underground, freeing up the land occupied by the current railway and permitting the configuration of a high quality pedestrian walkway crossing from east to west connecting with the Green Belt.

Proposed new network of pedestrian itineraries of the SM&PSP

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As in the majority of Spanish cities, the surface area given over to private vehicles continues to prevail, occupying 64% of road space. The remaining 36% corresponds to all the surface area linked to pedestrian circulation and an imbalance can also be seen in the way this is distributed per zone. The aim of the SM&PSP is to reduce the public space occupied by cars, recovering this as a space for coexistence and other uses. Although the new districts already represent an improvement in the offer of public space, with an increase in sitting areas of from 56% to 60%, and an increase in pedestrian transit areas of from 36% to 37%, the super-block model will change the distribution of public space, with an increase in sitting areas of up to 76% and in the space given over to pedestrians of up to 60%. Today, Vitoria-Gasteiz has 52m2 of public space per inhabitant, although in some districts this is lower than that recommended by the WHO (10-15m2). The implementation of the super-blocks would mean that the city (except the centre of the city, close to the reference values), and the rest of the territory would have indices above the 20 m2/inhabitants.

Current and future distribution in m2 of public space per district. (Green areas are shown in green, squares and walkways in blue and the space for private vehicles is shown in grey).

Some areas have less than 5m2 of green space per inhabitant, denoting the lack of presence of vegetation within the context, due largely to the compact nature of the urban fabric, especially in the Medieval Quarter.

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Green urban areas is also identified in the Action Plan as one of the most important areas for ensuring the quality of life of citizens. The planned measures are as follows:

After 17 years, there are several green spaces in the Green Belt that have been fully equipped, although there are still some degraded zones pending recovery. Its future extensions will convert it into a biological corridor of great importance between the main natural systems of the municipality: the Mountains of Vitoria and the Zadorra river. In the future, it will occupy a surface of almost 787ha. The Action Plan includes the following actions to consolidate the Green Belt: • Actions to enlarge, fit out and improve the parks (8,000,000€).

• Management and conservation (2,400,000€) • Drafting of a Special Development Plan (145,000€). • Actions to improve the ecological connectivity (800,000€). • Maintenance and fitting out of riverbeds (400,000€)

One of the most important projects to be developed in the years leading up to 2012 is the creation of a Botanical Garden. This will occupy a surface area of 48ha, given over to agricultural uses. The aim is to reproduce a sample of representative forest vegetation of the different regions from Europe, in order to enable people to discover and to conserve the European flora. This project began in 2006. The last phase, corresponding to the creation of sub-appenine and other Mediterranean forests will be undertaken in 2010 (446,586.89€). The Plan for the Hydraulic Adjustment and Environmental Restoration of the Zadorra River, approved in 2001, aims to reduce the amount of overflow of the river within the municipal boundaries, recovering the fluvial ecosystem, turning this into an ecological

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path and providing continuity to the northern sections of the Green Belt. Co-financed by the City Council, the Basque Government and the Central Government, will affect a surface area of 251ha covering 13km. At the present time, 82ha have been recovered. The Action Plan has a budget of 20,000,000€. With the purpose of preserving the Vitoria Mountains, which house the main forests of the municipality, from future development and other illegal uses, in 2006 the City Council proposed its designation as a Natural Park. The scope of the proposal includes a municipal surface of 6,171ha of land of flat and woodland value. The General Plan of Urban Arrangement approved in 2003 establishes a System of Ecological Itineraries for its use as tourist, ecological and sporting routes that allow access from the city to the main spaces of natural interest. The idea is to create a practical network of ecological paths that guarantee the ecological connectivity between all the green spaces overseen by the Council: forest spaces, urban fringe parks and urban green zones. Those areas that have already been equipped need to be consolidated as areas in which citizens can spend their free time. The Action Plan has a budget, managed and owned by the regional government, of 60,000€.

System of Ecological Itineraries. General Plan of Urban Arrangement. Within this framework, other examples of the future measures to be implemented to create and manage green urban areas are:

• To identify and assess urban habitats (including buildings) of importance in maintaining and potentially enhancing biodiversity.

• To increase public awareness of urban biodiversity, the wildlife value of urban habitats and their importance as an asset to the community.

• Planting both deciduous and evergreen species, as well as a wider variety of sub-strata flora (herbs, shrubs and trees) to increase the variety within the City and help to ensure that the City’s inhabitants are aware of the existence of other species.

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• Planting species that will generate shade, which in turn will encourage the presence of birds.

3e. Describe how the above issues can be documented should your city be shortlisted to participate in the second phase of the evaluation.

The Environmental information System of Vitoria-Gasteiz SI@M provides on-line reports, maps, studies regarding local territory and environment. It is possible to do on-line search the Environmental documentation catalogue.

CEA publishes an e-newsletter to actively disseminate initiatives, research activities, projects and management programmes dealing with Nature and Biodiversity and managed by the Centro de Estudios Ambientales (CEA). Published issues can be downloaded from this link.

The UNEP GEO cities initiative has supported the GEO-Vitoria-Gasteiz: Diagnosis and environmental sustainability. This document provides a detailed analysis about the environment and the sustainability of Vitoria-Gasteiz.

The Statistical Yearbook of Vitoria-Gasteiz 2009 provides detailed figures about Vitoria-Gaseiz.

Detailed information about the peripheral parks is available at the website Green Belt of Vitoria-Gasteiz. Regarding the urban parks there is available information at SI@M and in the Statistical Yearbook of Vitoria-Gasteiz 2009.

The ATARIA Biodiversity Centre, is the Interpretation Centre of the Salburua wetlands. It aims to promote knowledge of wetlands and display their values, and, by extension, the importance of biodiversity and natural heritage. The 2009 summer issue of the newsletter "+ Verde" explains in a monograph ATARIA characteristics. More information about this centre is available in its website.

"+ Verde" Newsletter, published by CEA quarterly, contains news about the Green Belt. Published issues can be downloaded from this link. Details about the Green Belt project selected as best practice in the 2000 and 2004 Dubai International Award for Best Practices in Improving the Living Environment. Detailed information about the Sustainable Mobility and Public Space Plan (SM&PSP) is available at the website Sustainable Mobility and Public Space Plan. In order to know more about the participative component of this Plan there is also on-line access to the Citizens’ Pact for Sustainable Mobility.

After the Environmental Action Plan 2002-2007 of the Local Agenda 21 , the city has presented the Action Plan 2010-2014 of the Local Agenda 21 (Draft).

Vitoria-Gasteiz Local Agenda 21 Yearly Bulletin follows a system of indicators representative of the state of sustainability of 10 established thematic areas. The last issue is available at Local Agenda 21 Bulletin (2009)

A first draft of the local strategy is available in the document Fight Against Climate Change Plan 2010-2020 (Draft).

The Centro de Estudios Ambientales (CEA) has a leading role in dissemination and communication in Vitoria-Gasteiz. Detailed information about the different campaigns is available at the website.

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All the dissemination initiatives, research activities, projects and management programmes dealing with Green Urban Areas and managed by the Centro de Estudios Ambientales (CEA) can be documented in the 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005 Activity Reports.

CEA Urban Ecologic Classroom offers a monthly program about different issues related to the city, the environment and the sustainable development. It has the permanent collaboration of Bakeaz, The Basque University and the Delegation at Álava of the Architects College.

Final details about the 3rd Urban Landscape Forum is available at “Green Belt: Living landscapes”.

Detailed information about Green Urban Areas related initiatives funded in 2009 by the Spanish Plan E.

Detailed information about Green Urban Areas related initiatives to be funded in 2010 by the Spanish Plan E.

Other links to document the provided information:

• UNEP Green Cities Declaration Adhesion • GEO Vitoria-Gasteiz cooperation agreement with UNEP • Funding for Green Belt 2009-2010 Phase • FEDENATUR Network adhesion • EUROSITE Network adhesion • COUNTDOWN 2010 adhesion • ALBORG + 10 Charter adhesion • + BIODIVERSIDAD 2010 Network adhesion

3f. List any disadvantages resulting from historical and/or geographical factors which may have influenced this indicator area negatively.

Although the city is located in the middle of a broad plain, this does not mean, fortunately, that the city has been developed in line with a low density model. Happily, the city maintains a relatively compact. Nevertheless, due to the infrastructures crossing the municipality, the connectivity among the natural areas is being affected. As stated before, several studies have been produced in order to guide land planning policies towards improving the connectivity of the natural systems in the municipality in order to connect Salburua wetland, the NW forest area and the Vitoria Mountains.

The city faces a review of its General Urban Plan, previous studies for which already incorporate the strategic vision of preserving the rural and natural land, the local biodiversity and the ecological connectivity of the natural systems in the municipality. In fact, the previous works for the future Urban Plan set out the challenge of not extend the city outside the current limits of the Green Belt and the City Strategy Master Plan sets out Nature and Biodiversity protection as one its main axes.

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4. SUSTAINABLE LAND USE 4a . Describe the present situation and developments over the past five

to ten years in relation to: Due to its limited availability, land use is a strategic component for sustainable development. Problems relating to land conservation are mostly concerned with the way this is regulated, used and managed.

1. Percentage of green areas, water areas, residential areas, industrial / economic areas, mixed areas, brownfield sites (this will provide important background information on the character of the city and is not an evaluation criterion in itself).

Vitoria-Gasteiz municipality currently covers a territory of 27,580.68 ha, covering virtually the entire plain known as the “La Llanada Alavesa” and it’s located on the southern bank of the river Zadorra, a tributary of the Ebro River. The municipality, briefly explained, is composed by the main city, 64 small villages and rural and green areas and forests.

Municipality General Urban Plan

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From the total 27,580.68 ha of the municipality, the city covers 4,060.15 ha or 14.72% of the total municipality; the rural entities or small villages cover 668.41 ha or 2.42%, non urban land (agricultural and green zones mainly) represents 22.105,51 ha or 80.15%, and there are 746,61 ha or 2.71% as reserved land.

Population growth has caused an increase of the municipality. Since 1984 to 2009 it has increased 1,766 Ha or a 6.41% increase. Historically, figures indicate that land in Vitoria-Gasteiz has not been subject to intensive use.

Land Use City / Small Villages ha

Total Municipality

ha

% over the

territory

City 2,846.99 Urban land and general systems attached

Small Villages 453.97 3,300.97 11,97%

City 1,213.16 Urban land for development with constraints

Small Villages 214.44 1.427,60 5,18%

Urban for development with not constraints

746,61 2,71%

Not for urban development land

22.105,51 80,15%

TOTAL SURFACE

27.580,68 100%

PERCENTAGE OF THE TERRITORY COVERED (URBAN LAND) BY THE CITY OF VITORIA GASTEIZ

1984 1991 1998 2000 2009

Ha of the City of Vitoria-Gasteiz 1.534 1.627 1.868 2.021 3.300

% over the total of the Municipality 5,56% 5,9% 6,77% 7,32% 11,97

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Municipal land type is distributed according to this table:

Municipal Land Types m2 ha %

Industrial 10.699.268 1.069,93 3,88

Residential 9.590.596 959,06 3,48

Tertiary 449.157 44,92 0,16

Transport infrastructures 18.976.541 1.897,65 6,88

Equipments 11.727.325 1.172,73 4,25

Infrastructures 2.130.127 213,01 0,77

Rural land or crop fields 81.086.820 8.108,68 29,40

Green area 132.076.038 13.207,60 47,89

Water area 1.604.849 160,48 0,58

Reserve 7.466.147 746,61 2,71

TOTAL 275.806.868 27.580,69 100,00

With regard to industrial use, growth can also be considered to be sustainable. In 1970, there were 366.57 ha and in 2009 1,069.93 Ha or respectively 1.33% and 3.88% of total municipality land.

GREEN INTEGRATED SPACES

The percentage of public green and water areas has increased over the last few years in the city. Moreover, most public natural and cultivated areas have been maintained. The high quality of life is based on excellent levels of green areas, parks, gardens, avenues, boulevards and cyclist and pedestrian routes.

Green urban areas in main city

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Green areas are distributed evenly throughout the city. 99.52% (238,212 inhabitants) of the urban population live less than 300 m from a green area of more than 1000 m2, and it is planned moreover to extend the Green Belt to 1010 ha.

Green urban areas in municipality

2. Soil sealing (m2) per inhabitant

According to the EEA maps and methodology the sealed surface/capita in Vitoria-Gasteiz is 117 m2/capita, with an average sealing degree of 10.2%.

3. New developments: proportion of brownfield sites, densification in the

inner-city or urban cores, on greenfields. In vacant, abandoned, or under-utilised commercial and industrial properties, potential environmental liabilities are an obstacle to redevelopment or improvement. Reclaiming this land is more complex than developing former agricultural or greenfield sites, because reusing brownfield sites often involves decontaminating the land, previously used for heavy or toxic industries, in order to make it suitable for residential use.

PERCENTAGE OF CONTAMINATED LAND OVER TOTAL LAND 2003 2005 2007

% over the territory 2,27% 2,55% 2,50

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Since the 1970s, Vitoria-Gasteiz has undertaken projects to regenerate brownfield sites. The passing in 1986 of the previous General Plan for Town Planning involved the regeneration of old industrial areas to incorporate green areas, residential installations and uses with densities ranging from 200 to 400 houses per hectare. In the 1990s, the size of the urban area had increased to 1,868.46 ha of which 16.44 ha of brownfield sites were transformed into land for commercial and residential use, with population densities of 100 houses/ha.

In 2003, the last revision of the General Plan for Town Planning was approved (currently still in force). This fostered the transformation of former industrial land to commercial and residential use, allowing mixed uses within the City itself. Since then, the City Council of Vitoria-Gasteiz has focused its planning policies on the recovery of brownfield sites, maintaining a recovery ratio of between approximately 1-4%. During 2007, 51,249 ha of brownfield sites were converted and by 2009, an additional 35.06 ha had been converted. In 2008, an Inventory of Soils that could be contaminated due to its industrial use, which does not mean they were actually contaminated, established in 569.18 ha the total possibly contaminated land, a 2.06% of total municipality land. In 2008 and 2009, 10.53 ha and 5.11 ha were recovered.

4. Population density in built-up areas in inhabitant / hectare (city area minus green and water areas).

In the main city, excluding green and water zones, built-up areas have a 101,51% inh/ha density. In the surroundings small village, population density is 12.15 inh/ha.

5. Population density for new developments in inhabitant / hectare.

In new developments, excluding green and water zones, population density is 103,89 inh/ha in the main city.

PROPORTION OF NEW DEVELOPMENTS ON BROWNFIELD SITES 2003 2005 2007

Ha of new developments 761.827 4.821.953 4.270.000

% over brownfields 4,4% 3,3% 1,2%

PERCENTAGE OF DERELICT AREAS OVER TOTAL LAND 2001 2003 2004 2007

Ha 5.435 5.104 4.994 5.932

% over the territory 0,19% 0,18% 0,18% 0,21%

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The population of Vitoria-Gasteiz currently stands at 239,361 inhabitants (census 01/01/2010) of which 234,387 live in the city and the remaining 4,974 in rural areas. This represents a density of 67.45 inhabitants/ha in the city, excluding green areas and 8.09 inhabitants/ha in rural areas.

This means that around 31.66% of the population lives within 1000 m of the Plaza Nueva (the nerve centre of the City), 74.04% of the population lives within 2000 m, 96.30% of the population lives within 3000 m, allowing over 90 % of the population to live within 300 m of the basic services that are normally required.

4b. Describe the measures implemented over the past five to ten years regarding:

1. Minimising the total area of derelict and contaminated land.

2. Increasing or sustaining population density in built-up areas while

protecting green areas and providing a high quality of life within densely populated areas.

3. Renovating urban land and renewing urban design to make city living attractive and enable a more sustainable lifestyle (e.g. short distances to services and facilities reduces the transport demand and promotes

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010City 215.883 217.915 220.134 220.445 222.599 223.582 224.041 228.553 231.645 234.387Rural 4.371 4.414 4.452 4.520 4.595 5.498 6.544 4.846 4.880 4.974Total 220.254 222.329 224.586 224.965 227.194 229.080 230.585 233.399 236.525 239.361

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walking and cycling; multi-apartment houses save on energy for heating, cooling, reduce infrastructural needs…).

4. Limiting urban sprawl by cooperating with the neighbouring municipalities;

5. Integrating current and future changes such as economic growth, demographic or climate change through sustainable land use planning.

Vitoria-Gasteiz has received several prizes in recognition of its quality in town planning:

• Best Practice Prizes in 1996 and 2002, from the Habitat-Cities initiative for a

more Sustainable Future, awarded for the quality of the urban environment and social cohesion;

• For his Innovative work in improving the urban environment, and his invaluable

contribution to the Proyecto CITIES initiative in 2002.

• COAVN Architectonic Awards (Regional Official Architects Association) for 15 Sector (Salburua) Urban Planning in 2003.

• European Union Price for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Awards in 2002. • The first document of the European Urban Environment Strategy,

COM(2006)60 final, includes Vitoria-Gasteiz among the Good Practices of Sustainable Urban Planning.

• In 2010 received the Europa Nostra Award for the Rehabilitation actions made

in the Historic Centre.

The main measures implemented by the City Council of Vitoria-Gasteiz have been developed with awareness campaigns an public participation processes. The main actions carried out are described in the following paragraphs.

1. MINIMISING THE TOTAL AREA OF DERELICT AND CONTAMINATED LAND The City has implemented several actions in recent years to minimise the total amount of derelict and contaminated land and the latest data available shows that 0.21% (569.18ha) of the City’s land is derelict, which is 500 ha less than in 2001. Some of the latest actions taken are listed below:

• Special Interior Refurbishment Plan (SIRP) Plaza de Toros, 3.02ha, plaza and surrounding area.

• SIRP José Mardones, 1.60ha, section of railway line.

• SIRP de Castilla Sur, 3.37ha, industrial area.

• SIRP de Zaramaga, 13.27ha, steelworks.

• SIRP Esmaltaciones, 11.51ha, chemical industry.

• SIRP Ancora, 0.48ha, flour plant.

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• SIRP Cristo-Ribera, 1.15ha, industrial area.

• Detailed study of Carburos Metálicos, 0.66ha, chemicals.

• Move to industrial areas of 3 oil service stations located on Gasteiz Avenue,

Florida street and Castilla Gate. All these actions have been carried out by means of the incorporation of a mix of residential, tertiary and municipal installation uses as well as green areas. • In 2005, recovery tasks were carried out on 6,592 m2 of land occupied by the

company “Carburos Metálicos”, located on the Gamarra industrial estate. • In addition, the petrol station located in Castilla Gate was cleaned up, enabling the

recovery of 30 m2 of land. • The results of a survey of dumping habits in the industrial area led to an action plan:

in 2002, two pilot control units were installed to detect polluting waste being dumped in industrial areas.

2. INCREASING OR SUSTAINING POPULATION DENSITY IN BUILT-UP AREAS WHILE PROTECTING GREEN AREAS

• Ecological agriculture: in 2001, Vitoria-Gasteiz City Council signed a collaboration

agreement with “UAGA” (Provincial Agrarian and breeder Asociation)” to put into practice the effectiveness of environmental measures in the field of agriculture within the municipality. The aim of this action was to promote cultivation that is compatible with conservation and the improvement of natural environment, landscape, lands and local produce.

The “Huertas de Olarizu” have been in operation since 1998, with 120 individual plots of 50m2 and two collective plots of 100m2. In 2007, the “Huertas de Urarte” were promoted on the banks of the River Zadorra involving another 225 individual plots of 75m2 each and 4 collective plots of 300m2, all of which are currently producing organic horticulture.

• Salburua (Ramsar Wetlands) : The restoration of Salburua Wetlands included extending the natural flood plain and improving the ecological connections between ponds in Salburua Park, with an investment of 118,600€. The Salburua Wetlands have been included in the Ramsar Convention, one of the most important international treaties for the protection of wetlands.

3. RENOVATING URBAN LAND AND URBAN RENEWAL

• Restructuring industrial land: since the 1980s, the restructuring of industrial land is

being encouraged in two ways:

o Encouraging relocation in other industrial areas with better conditions on the “Jundiz” industrial estate, and regeneration through mixed-use development: industrial, residential and tertiary uses.

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o Restructuring the industrial fabric from larger to smaller firms. This has been

achieved through a bylaw to encourage large businesses to move by providing them with the economic means to move to new premises based on the sale of land to non-contaminating businesses.

• Renovation of the historic City Centre: the development of the Extraordinary Plan

for the Refurbishment of the Medieval Centre is one of the main projects currently underway. The Plan, launched in 1982 and currently in its second phase, has a budget of over 24 million euros for a historical area covering 22.71ha. The refurbishment of St Mary’s Cathedral is one of the main actions, as is the initiative to refurbish historical buildings dedicated to residential use.

• Location of services and facilities just a short distance from the homes of all our

citizens: The City Council has promoted cycling as an affordable mode of transport that can meet some people’s daily travel needs, by launching a scheme to lend bicycles free of charge. There are 13 loan hot-spots distributed throughout the City in strategic locations such as civic centres, leisure centres and shopping malls, offering a total of 600 bicycles free of charge. The initiative won the support of the National Organization for the Blind in Alava. The scheme was also identified as a best practice in the transport category by the “National Network of Cities for Climate” in 2006.

4. INTEGRATING CURRENT AND FUTURE CHANGES THROUGH SUSTAINABLE LAND USE PLANNING

Urban planning processed also provide an opportunity to manage the impact of transport within a city. The long term actions in the use of land in Vitoria-Gasteiz are based on the introduction of a new Sustainable Mobility and Public Space Plan 2008-2012 aimed at increasing quality of life and reducing the number of vehicles circulating in the city. The model is based on the subdivision of the city in “super-blocks” which, with the exception of local residents, are cut off to through traffic and have a speed limit of 10km/h. These “super-blocks” are conceived as a pedestrian-oriented spaces, in which bicycles are the favoured mode of transport. 4c. Describe planned long and short term measures in relation sustainable land use The short term measures should include a description of measures adopted, but not yet implemented, and budgets for future measures already adopted. The long term measures should include a description of planned measures not yet politically sanctioned. REDENSIFICATION OF POPULATION IN DEVELOPMENT AREAS. The current amendments to the revision of the General Plan seek to increase the density of the population on 607.97 ha of land under development to attain a more sustainable use of the land, improve quality of life and promote housing adapted to current family types.

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The areas of Salburua and Zabalgana represent the most important development areas in the city, of which 100.15 ha are given over to a large urban park. In the remainder, sectors 1 to 14, density has increased from 48.39 homes/ha to the current 53.49 homes/ha. Currently, the corresponding modifications to the General Plan which propose new redensification scenarios, increasing respectively to 78.02 homes/ha (12,459 more homes) or 87.21 homes/ha (17,128 more homes), have been initially approved, obtaining an increase, in addition to the number of inhabitants, in the installations and sector services, maintaining green areas of extremely high standard. “RENOVE” RENOVATION PLAN FOR EXISTING DISTRICTS The Plan for the renovation of the city is a mechanism to encourage the urban regeneration of existing districts, through both environmental and social improvements in their sustainability and to avoid the degradation of Vitoria-Gasteiz’s older neighbourhoods. The actions began by focusing on 123 houses located in the Olarizu District, 3.41 ha and 340 homes, and in the Zaramaga district, 15.75 ha and 227 homes These houses were built 40-50 years ago, are subject to a number of deficiencies such as a lack of space, rising damp, the need to install lifts, improve insulation, etc. The owners have been offered the chance to move free of charge to new, somewhat larger homes nearby. The next actions will be undertaken in Coronación (29.09 ha) with the installation of green areas, Ariznavarra (39.60 ha), San Cristóbal (28.61 ha) and Arana (10.16 ha) with a total investment amounting to 380.000 euros. IDENTIFYING HAZARDS In September 2007, the Council signed an agreement with IHOBE, the Public Environmental Management Society of the Basque Country, to update the list of potentially polluting premises within Vitoria-Gasteiz, within the framework of a project with a budget of 150,253 euros. The results of the project were presented to the City Council at the end of June 2009, and are currently pending Council approval. The IHOBE website is updated constantly with a very high level of definition provided by the City Council of Vitoria-Gasteiz. Potentially contaminated land is located in order to facilitate the adequate management of its transformation and in order to enable its recovery. RECOVERING PUBLIC SPACE The implementation of the new super-blocks mentioned earlier, included in the Mobility Plan, will allow Vitoria-Gasteiz to return 70% of the space currently dedicated to vehicles to pedestrians. The new urban unit generated with an approximate average dimension of 400x400 m obliges private vehicles and public transport to circulate around the perimeter of the city while within the “super-blocks” only local residents’ traffic and the restricted distribution of goods will be permitted. In relation to the above, the Alhóndiga Plan is currently under development. This intends to regenerate local commerce with respect to the public space and the inhabitants of the city.

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These actions will have a drastic influence on improving the quality of life of the inhabitants of the city, on mobility, on the level of services, on the public space, on local commerce, on acoustic quality, etc. The Mobility Plan is currently being applied to areas of Sancho el Sabio street and Prado Street, and is expected to continue in the area called The Shells.

REVISION OF THE GPTP The finishing touches are being made at this time to the preliminary studies of the General Plan for Town Planning of Vitoria-Gasteiz. These studies will be a key input to the Think Tank to be created in order to plan the development of the City over the next decade. The data provided by these studies will allow the detection of any strengths and efficiencies in order to make corrections or take actions in accordance with sustainability criteria. Likewise, an Urban Landscape Plan is included. This studies public space from a general perspective and proposes actions to strengthen its sustainable use. 4d. Describe how the above issues can be documented should your city

be shortlisted to participate in the second phase of the evaluation.

List of plans/measures and political adoptions and decisions :

1. General Urban Plan of Vitoria-Gasteiz,

2. Redensification of Salburua and Zabalgana districts. Legal adoption and brochure.

3. Renove Plan in Olarizu. Legal adoption

4. Renove Plan in Zaramaga. Legal adoption

5. Sustainable Mobility and Public Space Plan 2008-2012. Agreement for elaboration.

6. Alhóndiga Plan

7. Urbact II Programme: LC-Facil Proyect (Leipzig Charter)

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4e. List of disadvantages deriving from historical and/or geographical factors that may have had a negative influence on this area of the indicator. Disadvantages normally relate to budgetary questions as even today, environmental issues are seen more as a “cost” than as an improvement. For example, in the case of the decontamination of contaminated land, the cost is very high, making its management extremely difficult. Moreover, the work of notifying the public is more and more important both in order to gain their support and to explain the actions to be taken and avoid opposing views. Private vehicles continue to be an important “conditioning factor” and a priori the measures taken to recover public spaces for pedestrians generate major opposition, although a posteriori these turn into expressions of support… In actions taken to create new green areas in high-density zones, relations with the residents involved are difficult, but later, these same actions attract a great deal of praise. Redensifications in inhabited areas generate a feeling of tension among local residents, but later they become aware of the improvements in services and installations, public safety, commerce, etc. brought about by such actions. Maintaining natural and cultivated land is difficult due to the great attraction this kind of land had for building projects before the economic crisis as the transformation costs are lower than in degraded or contaminated areas. Energy consumption is closely related to the sustainable use of land (urban development) and is one of the great areas of interest of this municipality.

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5. NATURE AND BIODIVERSITY 5a. Describe the present situation and developments over the past five to ten years in relation to areas designated for nature protection and biodiversity under either municipal, communal, national or local schemes.

Vitoria-Gasteiz has long recognised the value of its natural assets and regards the retention and enhancement of biodiversity to be a key priority for the city. In 2003, the “General Urban Plan” introduced a structured approach to identifying priorities and mapping significant areas for the conservation of the province’s native biodiversity. In addition, it established a system of Ecological Itineraries that allow access from the City to the main spaces of natural interest.

To ensure a continued awareness and to provide a number of guidelines for the City’s biodiversity management activities over the next years, “Nature and Biodiversity” was identified as one of the most important areas of the “Environmental Action Plan of the Local Agenda 21 2002-2007”, developed by the City Council.. Since 2007, Vitoria-Gasteiz takes part in the international initiative "Countdown 2010" as well as of the "Local Governments Network + Biodiversity 2010" initiative, led by the National Federation of Municipalities and Provinces” (FEMP) and belongs to FEDENATUR and EUROSITE networks. Participation in these initiatives entails the acceptance of specific commitments relating to the fight against the loss of local biodiversity.

A detailed list of fauna, exotic invasive species, botanic and fauna of endangered species in the municipality of Vitoria-Gasteiz is available using this link. A summary of the City’s biodiversity zones, identified threats, and biodiversity projects is provided below:

THE "GREEN BELT"

Vitoria-Gasteiz has an extensive, extra-urban green area known as the "Green Belt”, made up of the many green areas that allow the integration of nature in the urban areas of the City. This way the urban landscape is friendly integrated aesthetically and ecologically in the surrounding landscapes also in terms of horizontal pollution. In these areas, the preservation and conservation of nature and biodiversity is a key issue for the City Council. The Green Belt comprises several peripheral parks and ecological corridors between these, 30% of which are reforested with native species. The Green Belt also includes blue zones, areas of lakes and wetlands, which contain rich and dynamic ecosystems ranging from upland forest, fringing wetland and aquatic vegetation to open bodies of water, providing habitats for a variety of local flora and fauna.

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Current and planned Green Belt areas.

WETLANDS

The Salburua wetland was drained for agricultural use but has been restored over the last 15 years. As a result of its successful restoration, it has been declared a “Ramsar Site” and “Community Importance Zone”. This wetland will be integrated in the Natura 2000 Network as one of the most relevant continental wetlands. Salburua’s aquatic plants are of particular biological interest: the great pond-sedge (Carex riparia) is considered to be one of the best preserved in Spain. Another of its outstanding features is an oak wood, one of the last to survive in the region of Alava.

The animals that inhabit the wetland are wild, the only exception being a herd of deer, introduced with the aim of controlling the marshland vegetation. Salburua is the main habitat of one of the largest communities of beetles of the Carabidae family (108 species), as well as a number of dragonfly species under threat of extinction. In terms of amphibians and reptiles, some of the most interesting to be found in Salburua are the native freshwater turtles and the agile frog, a small amphibian that lives in the undergrowth of the oak wood and is in danger of becoming extinct on the Iberian Peninsula. It is also an exceptional sanctuary for bird life. Its strategic situation on the main migration routes enables thousands of birds to use Salburua. Endangered species include aquatic warblers, purple herons, garganeys, little bitterns and spoonbills. The area is also home to the European mink (Mustela lutreola), one of the most threatened carnivores in the world. The population of European mink in Salburua is under great threat and therefore its conservation is one of the priorities for Park managers. In July 2009, the Ataria Centre was launched in this wetland, with the aim of educating the public about the ecological values of the area. Another internationally recognised area is the Zadorra river, the largest river within Vitoria-Gasteiz. The river and the woods that line its banks contain animal and plant species of great ecological value. Some of these are endangered species, such as two kinds of birds: the lesser spotted woodpecker and the hobby. The Zadorra is also the habitat for the endangered European mink and is therefore also proposed for inclusion within the Natura 2000 Network. Several actions have been implemented to encourage biodiversity.

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Some examples are:

• Management of threatened species: installation of bat boxes and otter hides, project to increase the European mink population, etc…..

• Management of habitats: different meadow mowing methods, the provision of stacks of dead wood to support wood-eating insects, etc.

• The strict control and management of invasive alien species. Specially targeted species include the American mink (Mustela vison), several exotic fish and the Florida tortoise (Trachemys scripta).

All the work done to rehabilitate and develop the Green Belt’s ecosystems, has led to an improvement in local biodiversity: for example, there are currently over 200 breeding pairs of 17 species of waterfowl that have colonised Salburua following its restoration.

FORESTS

Vitoria-Gasteiz has vast areas of forest amounting to approximately 11,331 hectares, mostly publicly owned, equivalent to a third part of the municipal surface and representing 479 m2 of forest per inhabitant. Forestry areas are diverse and include well-conserved native vegetation. The trees are mainly oak and beech, although there are also several local gall and oak-groves: 91% of the forest consists of native species and only 9% of reforested species. There are several spaces included within the Natura 2000 Network in this extensive forest mass, such as the Eastern Sector of Vitoria-Gasteiz and the oak forest that covers the flattest part of the municipal area.

Land use distribution map.

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5b. Describe measures implemented over the past five to ten years in order to:

1. Manage the areas designated for nature protection and biodiversity as described above;

2. Protect nature in other open spaces; 3. Promote public knowledge and understanding of nature and biodiversity,

particularly among young people. Several measures have been implemented with the aim of:

• Conserving, developing and using in a sustainable manner the rich and unique biodiversity of resources, biological species and ecological system of Vitoria-Gasteiz.

• Making practical contributions to regional and global efforts in the field of biodiversity conservation and development.

• Achieving community support for landscape planning for biodiversity and the conservation of strategic assets.

• Fully implementing national and international commitments to biodiversity. • Encouraging a more strategic approach and a shift in public expenditure toward

the protection, restoration and ongoing management of priority biodiversity sites. • Within this framework, the main measures developed have been as follows:

THE “GREEN BELT”

The Green Belt project started 17 years ago and seeks to transform a degraded area of over 500ha into a large public green area. The aims of the project are as follows:

• To reduce the negative impact of human activity on natural ecosystems:

o A study of the impact of power lines on bird populations (3,000€).

o The Visitors and Park Maintenance Office (1,210,319€).

o The Protocol for the drafting of Environmental Reports (21,945€).

• To promote the sustainable management of natural resources: In 1998-2010, several plans for the implementation of the Green Belt were developed (20,338,000€).

• The guidelines of the Study on sustainable management practices were implemented (2,284,106€).

• The “Forest Reforestation Plan” and the “Conditioning of ecological corridors and routes plan” have been implemented (256,583€ and 761,210€, respectively). Some examples of the actions carried out include the restoration of the gravel pit in Zabalgana and the restoration of the wetlands in Salburua.

• An Action Plan was launched to cover the Urban Green Spaces (11,335,324€).

• Over 95km of pedestrian and bicycle routes along the Green Belt have been built. In 2009, it had 684,000 visitors. Project has included publicity, education and

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public awareness raising campaigns to boost information sharing and active participation of the public in biodiversity protection and biosafety management. In 2009, 75,000 people participated in educational activities. The goals were to educate visitors about how they can act appropriately to protect the local biodiversity, to provide visitors with an environmental interpretive experience; and to act as an additional attraction to encourage people to visit the Green Belt. For the development of these activities, ATARIA Biodiversity Centre and other environmental facilities have been built.

Actions and results developed with these aims were the following:

• The campaign “Adopt a tree and grow with it”, carried out since 1996. More than 12,000 schoolchildren and hundreds of adults have participated planting over 40,000 trees and bushes.

• The implementation of the “Ecological horticulture programme”, a programme of 10 years standing, includes a 60 hour workshop targeted at 18 to 55 year-olds, linked to the concession of a 50m2 allotment in the Olarizu/Abetxuko vegetable gardens.

• On an annual basis, plants from the nursery located in the Green Belt are provided to the public free of charge with advice for planting.

INBIOS PROJECT

During 2008-2009, the Salburua wetlands were the focus of a series of actions to increase their biodiversity. For this purpose, was received financial support from the Biodiversity Foundation, and the FEMP. These actions were as follows:

• Improve threatened species: bats, sand martins and kingfishers, waders, herons and otters.

• Improve habitats, focusing on the aquatic vegetation and the edges of the lagoons.

• Actions against invasive exotic fauna species: exotic fish and geckos and the American red crab.

• Actions for raising awareness concerning the protection of bats and other results of the project.

FOREST ZONE

During the last 10 years, efforts have focused on the protection and conservation of the most valuable forest areas and to the improvement and recovery of degraded areas, including concessions to biodiversity in legislation. The “General Plan of Urban Arrangement”, approved in 2003, established new, more restrictive categories of protection concerning the regulation of uses and practices (city-planning, recreational, forest…) and increased protected areas, with a consequent improvement in the general state of conservation of these masses.

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Numerous recovery or ecological improvement actions in degraded areas have been undertaken, such as reforestation tasks and the preparation of green areas associated with road infrastructures, landfill site, etc. From 2000 to 2010, these ecological improvement actions have been carried out over a total surface area of 8,200,000m2. In addition, in recent years there has been an increase in the “forestry use” of land dedicated to agricultural use in the past.

REINTRODUCTION OF THE EUROPEAN MINK

The aim is to create a protocol of actions for future projects involving the releasing of European mink bred in captivity and an analysis of their feasibility. It involves a project developed jointly by the City Council, the Provincial Council of Alava, MIMARM, the Biodiversity Foundation and European Mink Association. The actions undertaken include the following:

• Construction of two pre-release cages in selected areas of Salburua.

• Culling of American mink.

• Maintenance during breeding of two litters/year in 2008-09.

• Release and radio-monitoring of 25 individuals from 7 litters; 4 bred in cages and 3 in captivity.

• Comparison of results and assessment of the initiative.

At this time, the survival rate is very high (30%) compared to other, similar projects. The experiments to be made during 2010 are required in order to evaluate the project as a whole, but everything points to the fact that in Salburua the first project in Spain to reinforce the population of this species can begin.

In order to reduce the impact on biodiversity and ecosystems outside of the city's boundaries green procurement actions are being implementing, e.g. recycled paper (75%); FSC certified timber (50%); coffee, organic and fair-trade food and goods (10%).

CONNECTIVITY OF HABITATS

Vitoria-Gasteiz seeks to improve the connectivity of the natural systems in the municipality and tries to fight against habitat fragmentation. Several studies have been produced in order to guide land planning policies towards this aim, in order to connect Salburua wetland, the NW forest area and the Vitoria Mountains.

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5c. Describe planned long and short term measures to protect urban nature and biodiversity.

With regard to short term measures, the description should include measures adopted, but not yet implemented, as well as budgets for future measures already adopted.

With regard to long term measures, the description should include planned measures not yet politically sanctioned.

There are several plans to improve the connections between the diverse parks on the urban fringe, to provide new outdoor equipment for public use, to recovery to environment and to improve biodiversity.

These short, medium and long-term plans include:

“GREEN BELT” PROJECT CONSOLIDATION

The Green Belt Project has reached its mid-way stage and although there are many green spaces that have been fully equipped, there are still some degraded zones to recover. The long-term aim is for the Green Belt (613ha) to occupy a surface area of almost 787ha. In order to implement the new actions, a budget of 1.3 million euros has been approved for 2009-10. In addition, there is a special budget of 199,913.33 approved for the landscaping and incorporation of the green area of the sector 16 into the Park of Armentia.

PROTECTION OF BIRDS

The CEA has signed a collaboration agreement with “SEO/Birdlife”, part of “Birdlife International”, for the creation of a local branch in Vitoria-Gasteiz to be established in the ATARIA Centre.

PROJECTS AT THE SALBURUA WETLANDS

The INBIOS project for the improvement of the Biodiverstiy of Salburua, aimed at the protection of threatened species, and the fight against invading fauna species as well as maintaining functioning ecosystems, will continue in the future. The budget approved for the continuation of the project amounts to 200,000€. In addition, a project to improve the pathways in the Salburua Wetlands has been approved, with an allocated budget of 150,000€.

OLARIZU BOTANICAL GARDEN

One of the most important projects being developed today, and to be finished in the short term (before 2012), is the Botanical Garden. This will occupy a surface of 48 hectares dedicated to agricultural uses, in the Olarizu environment park, in the south of the City. The budget approved for this project amounts to nearly 3,000,000€. The aim is to reproduce a sample of forest vegetation representative of different European regions, in order to enable people to discover and to conserve the flora of the Old

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Continent (particularly that of the Iberian Peninsula). This project began in 2006 and it being developed in phases. Next year the last phase will be implemented. In this way, the entire botanical garden will be completed, including sub-Mediterranean temperate forests, temperate forests, boreal forests, and finally, sub-appenine and other Mediterranean forests.

PLAN FOR THE HYDRAULIC ADJUSTMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESTORATION OF THE ZADORRA RIVER

This Plan was launched in 2001 with the aim of preventing the river from busting its banks within the municipal boundaries, recovering the fluvial ecosystem by transforming it into an ecological pathway and ensuring the continuity of the northern sections of the Green Belt. The project will be co-financed by the City Council of Vitoria-Gasteiz, the Basque Government and the National Government, and will affect a surface area of 251 hectares over a distance of 13 km. At the present time, 82 hectares have been recovered. The project comprises 5 phases and a large number of actions. Some of these have been already undertaken, mainly relating to the environmental restoration of the river bank and to the preparation of pathways. In 2005 the first stage of the hydraulic equipment installation was launched, affecting 1,300 meters of the canal.

CREATION OF THE NATURAL PARK OF VITORIA

With the purpose of preserving the Mountains of Vitoria, which are home to the main forests of the municipality, from future development and other illegal uses, in 2006 the City Council of Vitoria-Gasteiz proposed its designation as a Natural Park. The scope of the proposal includes a municipal surface of 6,171ha. This year the Basque Government has started legal procedures to create this Natural Park.

Natural Park proposed limits.

A Plan proposing the study and monitoring of the biodiversity of Vitoria-Gasteiz for the following years is currently being debated, with the objective of making a strategic

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approach to the conservation of threatened and declining species and vegetation types by looking for opportunities to conserve groups of species in appropriate ecosystems. The approach will be based on the application of scientific principles for the landscape conservation of biodiversity. The plan will include a deeper identification of areas of natural resources, including mapping and describing natural areas in the City by vegetation complex, land zoning, land ownership and land tenure.

Finally, the CEA will continue with its research. The Centre has already published several studies (see this link) for researchers and the public in general, relating to:

• The role of the biodiversity of Vitoria-Gasteiz in the operation of ecosystems • Monitoring and surveillance of biodiversity and evaluation of actions • Habitat and ecosystem management • Conservation of genetic diversity • The impact of non-native species • Climate change and adaptation This monitoring plan will be developed within the “Municipal biodiversity conservation strategy” currently at the drafting and public discussion stage and is expected to be passed at the end of 2010. In relation of the illumination the city is thoroughly involved in knowing the current status of the light pollution since this parameter lets know the status of its public lighting and to take appropriate measures to respond to the needs of the population but ensuring a sustainable and efficient use of natural resources. A pollution map of the city’s illumination during the night has been obtained in order to work in the adequacy of their lighting systems to avoid adverse effects on its natural areas. According to this map, the Green Belt meets the requirements of the Regulation of Exterior Lighting Energy Efficiency, for zoning E1, which only allows a maximum of 1% of light pollution. Its magnitude in this area lying between the values 20 and 21 and that the plane is identified with blue shade.

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Light pollution night map.

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First measures towards solving this kind of pollution are nowadays under implementation, changing those problematic lighting units with new ones not emitting light towards the upper hemisphere.

5d. Describe how the above issues can be documented should your city be shortlisted to participate in the second phase of the evaluation.

The Centro de Estudios Ambientales (CEA) has a leading role in dissemination and communication in Vitoria-Gasteiz. Detailed information about the different campaigns is available at the website.

CEA publish several studies for researchers and the public in general dealing with nature and biodiversity issues, such material is available on its website.

All the dissemination initiatives, research activities, projects and management programmes dealing with Nature and Biodiversity and managed by the Centro de Estudios Ambientales (CEA) can be documented in the 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005 Activity Reports.

CEA publishes an e-newsletter to actively disseminate initiatives, research activities, projects and management programmes dealing with Nature and Biodiversity and managed by the Centro de Estudios Ambientales (CEA). Published issues can be downloaded from this link.

The Environmental information System of Vitoria-Gasteiz SI@M provides on-line reports, maps, studies regarding local territory and environment. It is possible to do on-line search the Environmental documentation catalogue.

The ATARIA Biodiversity Centre, is the Interpretation Centre of the Salburua wetlands. It aims to promote knowledge of wetlands and display their values, and, by extension, the importance of biodiversity and natural heritage. The 2009 summer issue of the newsletter "+ Verde" explains in a monograph ATARIA characteristics. More information about this centre is available in its website.

"+ Verde" Newsletter, published by CEA quarterly, contains news about the Green Belt. Published issues can be downloaded from this link.

The UNEP GEO cities initiative has supported the GEO-Vitoria-Gasteiz: Diagnosis and environmental sustainability. This document provides a detailed analysis about the environment and the sustainability of Vitoria-Gasteiz.

A detailed list of fauna, exotic invasive species, botanic and fauna of endangered species in the municipality of Vitoria-Gasteiz is available using this link. Detailed information about the peripheral parks is available at the website Green Belt of Vitoria-Gasteiz.

Details about the Green Belt project selected as best practice in the 2000 and 2004 Dubai International Award for Best Practices in Improving the Living Environment. The Statistical Yearbook of Vitoria-Gasteiz 2009 provides detailed figures about Vitoria-Gaseiz.

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After the Environmental Action Plan 2002-2007 of the Local Agenda 21 , the city has presented the Action Plan 2010-2014 of the Local Agenda 21 (Draft).

Vitoria-Gasteiz Local Agenda 21 Yearly Bulletin follows a system of indicators representative of the state of sustainability of 10 established thematic areas. The last issue is available at Local Agenda 21 Bulletin (2009)

A first draft of the local strategy is available in the document Fight Against Climate Change Plan 2010-2020 (Draft).

CEA Urban Ecologic Classroom offers a monthly program about different issues related to the city, the environment and the sustainable development. It has the permanent collaboration of Bakeaz, The Basque University and the Delegation at Álava of the Architects College.

More information about the INBIOS project is available at the following link.

Several studies have been produced in order to guide land planning policies towards improving the connectivity of the natural systems in the municipality in order to connect Salburua wetland, the NW forest area and the Vitoria Mountains.

Detailed information about Nature and Biodiversity related initiatives funded in 2009 by the Spanish Plan E is available at the following link.

Detailed information about Nature and Biodiversity related initiatives to be funded in 2010 by the Spanish Plan E is available at the following link.

Final details about the 3rd Urban Landscape Forum is available at “Green Belt: Living landscapes”.

Other links to document the provided information:

• UNEP Green Cities Declaration Adhesion • GEO Vitoria-Gasteiz cooperation agreement with UNEP • Funding for Green Belt 2009-2010 Phase • FEDENATUR Network adhesion • EUROSITE Network adhesion • COUNTDOWN 2010 adhesion • ALBORG + 10 Charter adhesion • + BIODIVERSIDAD 2010 Network adhesion

5f. List any disadvantages resulting from historical and/or geographical factors which may have influenced this indicator area negatively.

Although the city is located in the middle of a broad plain, this does not mean, fortunately, that the city has been developed in line with a low density model. Happily, the city maintains a relatively compact. Nevertheless, due to the infrastructures crossing the municipality, the connectivity among the natural areas is being affected. As stated before, several studies have been produced in order to guide land planning policies towards improving the connectivity of the natural systems in the municipality in order to connect Salburua wetland, the NW forest area and the Vitoria Mountains.

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The city faces a review of its General Urban Plan, previous studies for which already incorporate the strategic vision of preserving the rural and natural land, the local biodiversity and the ecological connectivity of the natural systems in the municipality. In fact, the previous works for the future Urban Plan set out the challenge of not extend the city outside the current limits of the Green Belt and the City Strategy Master Plan sets out Nature and Biodiversity protection as one its main axes.

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6. QUALITY OF LOCAL AMBIENT AIR 6a. Describe the present situation and developments over the past five to ten years in relation to: For several years, Vitoria-Gasteiz City Council has been working to achieve acceptable air quality levels throughout Vitoria-Gasteiz, to minimize the negative impacts of air pollution on health and the environment and to promote the reduction of greenhouse gases and to support the council's climate change protection programme. A wide range of air pollution control measures to achieve and attain ambient standards, including source-based controls, pro-active controls, market incentives, self-regulation and community-based solutions have been implemented.

Initiatives on mobility to improve the traffic flow and to avoid traffic jams in the city centre, the control of industrial emissions, the installation of a network of ambient air quality monitoring stations, as well as the development of protocols to alert the public and authorities about any abnormal increase in pollution levels, are some examples of the effort made by the City Council to pursue a proactive and responsible city in the maintenance of air quality.

However, much remains to be done. The new legislative requirements and the economic, demographic and urban development projections in Vitoria-Gasteiz make it necessary to take further steps in the fight against air pollution. Committed action for the conservation and improvement of air quality needs the establishment of a comprehensive and integrated program of actions within a municipal management plan. In this sense, the City Council has elaborated an “Air Quality Management Plan 2003-2010”, with the objective of protecting citizens' health by improving air quality and with the commitment to contribute to the reduction of GHG emissions in a context of economic, social and environmental development.

INDICATORS

An air quality management plan cannot be successfully implemented and improved in the absence of an effective air quality management system. An emissions inventory and air quality monitoring are important air quality management tools of that system. In the case of Vitoria-Gasteiz, its air quality indicators analyse the values of the major urban air pollutants, mainly from sources as transport, fossil fuel use in industry and heating systems, and compare them with the risk level or threshold established by legislation. The air pollutants selected for the establishment of local guidelines are the following: particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of <10 μm (PM10), sulphur dioxide (SO2), ozone (O3) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2). There is a network of air quality monitoring stations managed by the Basque Government.

The network consists of 4 monitoring stations, distributed throughout the urban area:

• Tres de Marzo Square (Marzo)

• Gasteiz Avenue (Gasteiz)

• Faculty of Pharmacy (Pharmacy)

• Judimendi Park (Judimendi)

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In general terms, each parameter is determined in at least 3 stations. Based on the outputs of the air quality management system, health risk assessments and damage assessments can be undertaken and impacts costed.

1. Number of days per year on which EC limit values were exceeded for PM10 (daily mean of 50µg/m3)

Table 6.1. Number of days per years on which EC limit values were exceeded for PM10

The number of days per year on which EC limit values were exceeded for PM10 increased from levels of 12 in 2003 to 21 in 2004 before decreasing to 6 in 2008.

2. Number of days per year on which EC limit value/long term objective were exceeded for ozone (8h mean of 120µg/m3)

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

20 7 16 17 3 3

Table 6.2. Number of days per year on which EC limit value/long term objective were exceeded for ozone (8h mean of 120µg/m3).

The number of days per year on which EC limit value/long term objective were exceeded for ozone (8h mean of 120µg/m3) decreased from 20 in 2003 to 3 in 2008.

3. Annual mean concentration of NO2 and PM10

Table 6.3. Annual mean concentration of NO2 (μg/m3)

The annual mean concentration of NO2, also decreased from 35 in 2003 to 29 in 2008.

Table 6.4. Annual mean concentration of PM10 (μg/m3)

The annual mean concentration of PM10 decreased from levels of 25 in 2003 to 18 in 2008.

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

6 6 12 21 19 17 15 6

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

34 32 35 32 34 33 31 29

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

21 24 25 24 22 22 22 18

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Results obtained by the monitoring network in 2008 pointed out that:

• Sulfur dioxide concentrations were very low, with average annual values at or below 5μg/m3. These concentrations do not pose problems in meeting the current limits (40μg/m3).

• Carbon monoxide is below the limit values set out in the national legislation (10mg/m3), with eight-hour maximum values of 1.5 and 1.2mg/m3. This contaminant does not pose a problem in the future.

• The annual average concentrations of PM10 in the stations of Gasteiz, Marzo and Pharmacy have been below the annual limit value. The daily limit value, 50μg/m3, was exceeded only by 6, 5 and 7 times respectively, below the 35 times allowed.

• The annual average concentrations of particulate matter less than 2.5μm (PM2.5) in the stations of Marzo and Judimendi have been 11 and 9μg/m3 respectively, away from the limit values proposed by the Directive 2008/50 on Ambient Air Quality and Cleaner Air for Europe.

• Concentrations of nitrogen dioxide do not exceed either the limit values proposed. The annual arithmetic mean is below 40μg/m3.

• There has not been any excess in terms of ozone levels that required immediate steps and compulsory report to public and authorities.

In summary, concentrations of different pollutants in 2008 have been quite low compared to previous years, confirming the trend in Vitoria. Sulfur dioxide and carbon monoxide do not represent risk of exceeding the limit values. That will also happen in the case of nitrogen dioxide and ozone values. In addition, recent data obtained for PM10 are optimistic about not exceeding the daily limit, although the measures carried out by the municipality must be consolidated and strengthened. Finally, regarding the concentrations of particulate matter minor to 2.5μm (PM2.5), the values monitored also allow some optimism. 6b. Describe the measures implemented over the past five to ten years to improve air quality, including for example:

1. Existence and implementation status of an air quality management plan; 2. Information to the public (both inhabitants and tourists) on air quality

levels (e.g. web pages, information screens) in order to increase public awareness and change behaviour.

Clean air is essential to a healthy population, a healthy environment, and, in turn, a healthy economy. The City of Vitoria-Gasteiz is committed to make the air in the community healthy to breathe and to reduce ecosystem damage from air pollution. Air quality has been managed through the implementation of an “Air Quality Management Plan 2003-2010”, which means a coordinated approach to the control of air pollution through the sustainable development of the built environment and transportation within the City.

The Air Quality Management Plan in Vitoria-Gasteiz was approved in 2003 and reflects the spirit of the Sixth Environment Action Programme of the European Community 2002-2012 and, taking as reference the "Clean Air for Europe Programme”.

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Towards a Thematic Strategy for Air Quality", proposes the following general objectives:

• To reduce or to stabilise emissions of greenhouse gases • To implement an optimal air quality assessment and forecasting system. • To promote a clean and healthy environment for all citizens within Vitoria-Gasteiz

and to minimise the negative impacts of air pollution on health and the environment. • To improve public participation in the air quality management process and public

access to information as well as to implement public awareness campaigns on air quality issues.

This plan has a budget of 3,910,000 euros and is structured in 5 programmes:

• Knowledge Improvement Programme: 360,000 euros. • Monitoring, Control and Inspection Programme: 1,005,000 euros. • Emission Reduction Programme: 1,885,000 euros. • Communication and Education Programme: 630,000 euros. • Air Quality Plan Monitoring and Control Programme: 30,000 euros. In this framework, the plan has identified all sources of each pollutant, and for each source has determined:

• Quantity of emissions (including temporal patterns). • Percentage contribution to total emissions of a pollutant. • The height of emission. • The likelihood of human exposure to emissions (called exposure index) With all that

data, different measures have been designed and implemented over the past five to ten years to improve air quality, intending to give priority the reduction of emissions of priority pollutants from key sources (with the aim of reducing exposures in highly impacted areas).

The main ones have been:

• To establish the network of air quality monitoring stations in order to assess the degree of compliance on air quality in Vitoria-Gasteiz. This Network is managed by the Environmental Vice-counsellor of the Basque Country Government.

• To launch an emissions inventory data base of potentially air-polluting industries, which are regularly subject to surveillance and control of their emissions. Although there is no European or national legislation to study olfatometrics, the Council has started to measure it. After controls and measures are made, companies are required to take remedial action as appropriate. In recent years a budget of 280,000 euros has been designed to these tasks.

• To install solar panels to produce Domestic Hot Water (DHW) for housing and municipal facilities, saving fuel and its related emissions. Since the beginning of this decade, government-sponsored residential buildings are equipped obligatory with solar thermal panels and since the CTE-2006 came into effect, at least 30% of the demand for domestic hot water (DHW) must be generated with solar power. Currently, work is being done within the European project, POLIS (Identification and Mobilization of Solar Potentials via Local Strategies – Intelligent Energy Program), to determine the potential solar power in the city and to analyse the possibility of increasing the demand for DHW to 50%. In 2009, 16855 m2 of solar thermal panels were installed on the roofs of houses.

• To change fuels for cleaner ones, such as natural gas. The natural gas network is extended to all residential and industrial areas of the city. There is no coal usage and diesel DHW and heating are gradually replaced by natural gas.

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• To introduce cleaner fuels for transport. Since December 2008, two tram lines have been added to the city’s public transport system.

• To use Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) in the total fleet of waste collection trucks.

• To bring on flexible fuel vehicles in municipal fleets.

• To implement efficient driving courses aimed at administration staff and public in general, to foster efficient driving habits, with average fuel savings of 15% and the resulting reductions in emissions. Between 2009 and 2012, it is planned to offer the public at least 1000 new places on efficient driving courses financed by the European communities through the MODERN project (CIVITAS+).

• To establish a bicycle loan service, with the aim of encouraging modal shift from car to bicycle as a way to contribute to energy saving, urban air quality improvement and fight against climate change, promoting their use and also offering disabled people the use of bicycles in the urban environment.

• To develop and implement an awareness raising campaigns on the air quality impact of vehicle emissions and on voluntary measures which can be taken by individuals to reduce such emissions.

• Informing the public about air quality: the Town Hall draws up an annual report on the city’s ambient air quality, the results of which are conveyed to the public through press releases and the municipal website (www.vitoria-gasteiz.org). Moreover, the public can obtain specific information about air quality at www.ingurumena.ejgv.euskadi.net.

Air quality index is calculated on a daily basis for 11 areas, including Vitoria and surroundings. The index contains data for NO2, PM10, SO2, CO and O3. 24, 48 and 36-hour forecasts may also be obtained for this index. In 2008, “good” or “very good” air quality was recorded on 70% of days and “poor” air quality was recorded only on 22.2% of days. “Bad” or “very bad” air quality was not recorded on any day.

6c. Describe planned long and short term measures for improvement of air quality:

The short term measures should include a description of measures adopted, but not yet implemented, and budgets for future measures already adopted.

The long term measures should include a description of planned measures which are yet to be adopted politically.

SHORT TERM

The City Council of Vitoria-Gasteiz is working on a new Air Quality Management Plan document that sets the short term objectives related to air quality.

The document included measures related to the Emission Reduction and the Communication programmes which envisage:

• The implementation of new systems of traction in the municipal fleet. Budget 600,000 euros.

• The development of energy audits and studies: Budget 140,000 euros.

Other measures to improve air quality across the municipality of Vitoria-Gasteiz include:

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• The continuity of the development and implementation of the “Sustainable Mobility and Public Space Plan”.

LONG TERM In the long term, changes in the modal split due to improvements in public transport and to the effect of the construction of superblocks will lead to a drop in the total daily emissions of NOx and PM10 by approximately 23%, and by as much as 60% within the timeframe of the Plan. The fall in emissions is due mainly to a reduction in the number of private vehicles that circulate within the city. Another important factor is the increase in the general average speed of traffic.

• Increasing the electrification of the public transport system through the addition of new tram lines. New routes are currently at the discussion stage.

• Introduction of electric vehicles, installation of recharging points on public thoroughfares and the promotion of a car-sharing project. The promotion of electrical vehicles in our city has been defined as a strategic factor. The presence of international vehicle, tyre, battery manufacturers, etc., represents a great opportunity for the development of EVs in line with European Strategies on Clean and Energy Efficient Vehicles, COM(2010)186 final. The presence on the Alava Technology Park of a business project to construct an electrical car, called HIRIKO, is of special relevance.

• The implementation of improvements to the Vitoria-Gasteiz local cycle network.

• The introduction of further measures to ensure that air quality in taken into account in the planning process when considering future land uses.

• The identification of further actions that demonstrate the Council’s commitment to undertake local air quality monitoring within the territory to ensure a high standard of data is achieved to assess against air quality objectives.

• Communication Programme: Public information boards on air quality have been provided, with an investment of 200.000 euros. The Plan seeks to ensure that information about ambient concentrations of pollutants is regularly updated and available for both the public and interested organisations. The most direct and quick way to provide this information is by using information technology.

6d. Describe how the above issues can be documented should your city be shortlisted to participate in the second phase of the evaluation.

List of plans/measures and political adoptions and decisions :

1) Air Quality Management Plan 2003-2010 Legal adoption. English versión (Abstract): Air Quality Management Plan

2) Sustainable Mobility and Public Space Plan 2008-2012. Agreement for elaboration.

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3) Environmental Action Plan 2002-2007 of the Local Agenda 21 Legal adoption.

English versión (Abstract): Agenda 21(English version)

4) Technical Evaluation of the Environmental Action Plan 2002-2007 of the Local Agenda 21

5) Agenda 21 Bulletins (2008-2009)

6) Action Plan 2010-2014 of the Local Agenda 21 (Draft)

7) Environmental documentation catalogue

8) Air Quality Control Network

9) Air Quality Report (2008).

10) POLIS European Proyect

11) Network of European National Healthy Cities.

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7. NOISE POLLUTION 7a. Describe the present situation and developments over the past five to ten years in relation to:

Noise can have a detrimental impact on health and wellbeing of human beings and a sustainable City should be able to provide an urban environment that meets the needs of its citizens in terms of housing, workplaces and mobility without exposing them to levels of noise over international recommendations.

Vitoria-Gasteiz has monitored its noise pollution in a number of different ways, not least of which is the B8 Integrated indicator which is used to monitor noise pollution from motor vehicles and rail, according to the framework provided by the European Union Directive 2002/49/CE on Assessment and Management of Noise Pollution. The current indicator measures the population affected by noise levels higher than 55/65 dBA (for the Ln y Lden indicators respectively) at streets, roads, railway, airport and industries, calculating the noise levels at a height of four meters from ground level.

In the case of Vitoria-Gasteiz, the results show that there is room for improvement:

1. Share of population exposed to noise values of L (day) above 55 dB(A)

• In 2003: During the day, 29.9% of the population was exposed to noise levels higher than 65 dB (A); at night-time, the percentage of the population exposed to noise values higher than 55 dB (A) reached 34.5%.

• In 2005: During the day, 34.5% of the population was exposed to noise levels higher than 65 dB (A), whereas at night, 39.7% of the population was exposed to noise values higher than 55 dB (A).

2. Share of population exposed to noise values of L(night) above 45 dB(A).

The City Council is currently working on a more detailed noise map by 2011, which will include the results of noise measures from 45 dBA.

Particular sources of noise pollution in Vitoria-Gasteiz are:

• Traffic. • Neighbourhood noise. • Leisure areas during weekends. • Construction activities. • The airport. • The railway network.

However, the City Council does not have control over all the noise sources, which are classified in 5 categories with different institutional responsibilities for their management. With this in mind, the City Council has put into place a series of measures to monitor and combat noise pollution in the city.

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In 1999, the City created the first map of noise which consisted in a population survey and the supply of noise partial data from specific noise sources such as industries, motorbikes, parks and historic centre during the weekends. Because of its feature of using partial data, it is not comparable with the following maps of 2003 and 2005.

In 2003, the noise map of 1999 was checked and updated, although the data was not directly comparable to the 1999 version because of improvements in the methodology for data collection and measurement. This new map collected the information on noise levels from three specific sources: streets, roadways and railways. That same year, a study was commissioned for determining the acoustic level produced by the Vitoria-Gasteiz Airport, with the purpose of updating the information available from 1997.

In 2005, the 2003 map was updated again and the City Council commissioned a further study to improve the levels and quality of data on the City’s acoustic levels using the SoundPlan model. All information on noise, which is also available online, is recorded and managed using a computerised information system, that allows to use the data for decision making, in the planning process and when studying noise exposure and health effects.

The 2005 noise map, which was elaborated with an investment of 50.000€, can be found in the documentation in section 7d (Noise Map). Once inside the list of maps you can select the picture you want or the Technical Report that describes the map elaboration procedures, the results compared with previous years and the results for neighbourhoods and streets. It also provides guidelines for the preparation of the Action Plan scheduled for 2012. Finally, in addition to studying noisy areas, noise sensitive buildings have been also localized, such as other strategic maps as quiet facades.

On March 1, 2008 a Noise Monitoring Network in real time with 17 measurement stations became operational and has involved an investment of 170.000 €, which includes the supply, installation, commissioning and maintenance for three years. In this first phase, this network aims to measure the noise level of the city hot spots and to determine the accuracy of the calculated noise map by SoundPlan with data obtained during one year with the Monitoring Network. The second phase, adding more monitors, aims to begin a noise management process through the classification of the roads in various types depending on traffic intensity, and then measuring noise levels on these road typologies and assigning these data to the rest of the same typology roads and streets to get a whole picture of the most problematic spots in the city and promote actions for noise mitigation.

Real time data (every 6 to 12 minutes) from each station is available on the website and information can be shown in an Excel file or statistically, by selecting the period of interest and the corresponding parameter to the required timeframe. This network can be consulted in the link provided in the section 7d (Network Monitoring).

In the frame of physical contamination, where noise is included, the City Council also measures in the municipality electromagnetic levels with a monitoring network of six stations and radiation levels with semester reports, which are available on section 7d.

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7b. Describe the measures implemented over the past five to ten years to reduce noise including i.a. the existence, quality and level of implementation of a noise management plan:

MOBILITY

Within the City Council’s overall objective to abate noise, the ”Sustainable Mobility and Public Space Plan” contains measures to relieve traffic congestion. The aim is to pedestrianise the streets and promote the use of the bicycle and public transport as the main means of transport. The installation of the tram service and the limitation of heavy vehicles circulation and the reduction up to 10-30 Km/h of traffic speed in inner streets will have a significant impact on noise levels in the Centre.

REMOVAL OF SOURCES OF NOISE: INDUSTRY

The City Council has designed and implemented a plan for moving heavy industries of the metallurgical and chemical sector (which had been absorbed by the residential urban growth) to new industrial areas located in the suburbs of the city and away from the residential zones.

The steel company “Sidenor” was moved from the residential district of Zaramaga to Jundiz Industrial Area. First noise abatement actions took place when the company replaced and insulated 1500 windows in about 500 homes, but finally the business was transferred to Jundiz on a land swap agreement made with the City Council.

Another important move was realized with the “Forja y Prensados” steel company, which affected the Arambizkarra neighbourhood. In a first stage, night production was banned, but eventually a land transfer exchange was negotiated with the City Council. Similarly, the agreement is terminated by a swap of the company land by other municipal land located in the new industrial areas.

REGULATORY MEASURES

In 2000, the ”Noise and Vibration Regulation Ordinance” of Vitoria-Gasteiz was approved, with the main purpose of protecting people against acoustic disruptions (noise and vibration), and mitigating the city’s noise. The Urban Master Plan 2007 included also noise mitigation requirements for activities such as commerce, pubs and bars.

The ”Noise and Vibration Regulation Ordinance 2000” established the maximum levels of noise allowed, and the acoustic measures to implement in companies, bars and private houses, as well as the corresponding fines. This regulation imposed more restrictive conditions on noise than its predecessor. Around the same time a Noise Inspection Action Plan was put into place with the aim of limiting volume levels with the installation of sound control equipment that works in real time on musical equipments. This equipment is mandatory for new owners of pubs and discotheques as well as for others who systematically do not respect the legal limits on noise.

Recently, dated April 24, 2010, regulation has been updated with new stricter rules set by the ”Noise and Vibration Regulation Ordinance 2010” and the ”Pubs and Bars Regulation Ordinance 2010”. These documents are in the public exhibition phase, prior to final approval.

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COLLABORATION FOR NOISE ABATEMENT

The “Environmental Action Plan 2002-2007 of the Local Agenda 21” includes a Protocol of collaboration with the rest of Municipal Departments that are involved in areas in which noise pollution is or can be an issue as the Urban Planning Department and the Municipal Police. One of the key achievements has been the removal of some of the noisiest industries from residential areas to industrial areas. In addition, a transitional area has been established between the industrial and the new residential areas in which there is scope to include less dense and less polluting industrial activity, enabling the City to continue with its economic development plans.

Noise education and training was supplied to 20 Municipal Police members in 2008 to monitor industrial noise during night time.

COMMUNICATION & DISSEMINATION

In March 2005, the I National Congress on Urban Noise was celebrated in Vitoria-Gasteiz, organised by Vitoria-Gasteiz City Council, in collaboration with FEMP (Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Regions). With over 150 participants from 27 different sectors (public administration, industries of the acoustic sector, etc), the congress focused on the revision and analysis of different integral noise level management models at local level, and to that end disseminated information on the most advanced technology as construction materials for residential purposes or controlling and preventing noise pollution from the most common sources.

As a result of the event, several protocols were drafted which included stricter limits on noise control and the development of more precise information on the scope of the responsibilities of every agent involved on that control. In addition, the City Council of Vitoria-Gasteiz has participated in similar events in Málaga, Monzón (Huesca) and Bilbao.

Dissemination activities and campaigns have also been held in schools, where technicians have shown noise measurement equipment and given explanations about the value of silence.

OTHER SPECIFIC ACTIONS

o To create a green motorised patrol inside the Local Police to control motorbike noise.

o To prohibit heavy duty crane vehicles (more than 5.000 kg) for the supply of goods to the supermarkets located under houses.

o To enforce the isolation of supermarkets’ load and unload areas (isolation of air borne noise index over 75 dB-A and noise impact index under 35 dB).

o To increase the number and qualification of the human and technical resources for implementing the noise pollution measures.

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7c. Describe planned long and short term measures aimed at reducing noise pollution:

The short term measures should include a description of measures adopted, but not yet implemented, and budgets for future measures already adopted.

The long term measures should include a description of planned measures which are yet to be adopted politically.

SHORT TERM

• New regulation

In short term, the plans are to continue to adapt the Council’s regulations on noise to the new regulation contained in the “Law of Environmental Noise (37/2003)” and subsequent regulation 1367/07 at national level. By implementing the regulation, the City will improve the availability of technical, human and legal resources for tackling the different noise-abatement measures demanded by citizens, identifying the different sources of noise and designing the appropriate means to address them.

In 2010 two new local ordinances have been initially approved, currently in public participation process: ” Noise and Vibration Regulation Ordinance 2010” and the ”Pubs and Bars Ordinance 2010”, with stricter acoustic isolation requisites.

One of the necessary preconditions is the availability of comprehensive data on noise levels. As mentioned earlier, the B8 indicator only assesses the impact on individuals by measuring their exposure to noise on the basis of the buildings. The City plans to expand noise monitoring by assessing citizens perception of noise levels, thus complementing the scientific approach with a more “quality of life” approach. Thus, future actions can be evaluated on the basis of a wider set of indicators and actions that will include:

- Percentage of public spaces (pedestrian areas and green spaces) with noise levels higher than the noise quality objectives established. In this case, the calculation of the noise levels for characterising these zones will be at 1.5 metres, or the average height of a pedestrian.

- Percentage of municipal land under a certain noise level. This allows the analysis of the evolution of the City’s noise levels in the quietest areas and will thus enable policy makers to better preserve them.

- Percentage of Vitoria-Gasteiz’s population exposed to noise levels above the night-time leisure quality objectives. This is a source of noise in which there have been high levels of complaints in certain neighbourhoods.

- Mapping noise levels from 00 am to 6 am: the perception of noise levels can vary according to the time of night at which they are measured. The map will therefore be used as a complement to the Ln index.

- The use of GeoInfoSystem as a reference instrument and data base of information on noise. It is also a tool that can help with disseminating information, both to other Council departments and to the population at large.

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• Sustainable Mobility and Public Space Plan 2008-2012

As the main source of noise pollution is traffic, the City will implement the measures in its “SM&PS Plan”, a holistic proposal which links different means of transport and the interlinks between them. The aim has been to accommodate the conflict between individual mobility needs and the shared goal to combat noise pollution.

With this vision in mind, the City Council has chosen an urban planning model oriented to reduce the number of circulating vehicles, based on a model of “super-blocks” with outer streets for traffic use and inner streets only available for residential vehicles, emergencies and load/unload vans, with a maximum speed of 10km/h and other traffic restrictions. These inner streets will become in low noise or quiet areas when the ”super-blocks” are implemented.

In summary, the model will combine several practical measures that will reduce overall sound emission without impeding mobility. There is a financial provision for the first phase of this Plan (2008-2011) of 30M€. Many of the measures to be implemented are included in MODERN, a CIVITAS+ granted Project.

• Removal of Sources of Noise

The City Council will continue to relocate and provide new planning locations for particularly noisy industries. Moreover, the City will implement new housing developments on the land currently occupied by those heavy industries.

• Low Noise or Quiet Areas

The municipality is aiming to establish a city map of low noise or quiet areas. Although this map will not be available till the elaboration of the new noise map in 2011, Vitoria-Gasteiz has already many low noise or quiet areas in the different 370ha of city parks, and even more in the peripheral parks that surround the city and constitute the Green Belt, with currently 585ha. These parks are interconnected with a pedestrian path network of 70km which is also a low noise area.

The ”Sustainable Mobility and Public Space Plan” integrates these interlinks between pedestrian path, bycicle lanes and city green urban areas. Moreover, with the ”Super-block” concept and the modification of inner streets, closing them to traffic, the aim is to convert this inner streets in low noise areas for pedestrians.

LONG TERM

• Development of the “Noise Management Plan” in 2011 with the aim of mitigating noise levels in the city, but specifically in industry, mobility and neighbourhood noise. In addition, a new Noise Map 2011, which meets the new legal requirements, will replace the current map of the year 2005. The launch of the plan will be also reinforced through the implementation of an awareness-raising campaign targeted to the public in general.

• Adequacy of catering establishments (pubs and bars) currently without soundproofing within 12 years. To this effect has been awarded an amount of 84,000€ for refurbishment policies to aid the establishments, which will be monitored by a technical inspection of all establishments in the city (about 1800). This action is a genuine conversion of a sector that has become obsolete,

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since many of these establishments have an age between 25 and 40 years, having been installed at a time when there was no quality control of the local acoustic insulation.

• Adequacy of food shops within two years to the new requirements established in the new insulation regulations. Basically the required corrective measures are aimed at the avoidance of noise in the loading and unloading of goods and the insulation of the engine (compressors) for the cooling camera.

7d. Describe how the above issues can be documented should your city be shortlisted for participation in the second phase of the evaluation.

List of plans/measures and political adoptions and decisions :

1) Noise Maps and Report (Transit, Rail, Road, Industry and Airport)

2) Noise monitoring network in real time

3) Noise and Vibration Regulation Ordinance 2000

4) Noise and Vibration Regulation Ordinance 2010 (Draft)

5) Urban Master Plan 2007 (Pubs and Bars Regulation)

6) Pubs and Bars Regulation Ordinance of 2010 (Draft)

7) Environmental Action Plan 2002-2007 of the Local Agenda 21 Legal adoption.

English versión (Abstract): Agenda 21(English version)

8) Action Plan 2010-2014 of the Local Agenda 21 (Draft)

9) Electromagnetic Monitoring Network

10) Radiation Report (2009)

 7e. List any disadvantages resulting from historical and/or geographical factors which may have influenced this indicator area negatively.

Historically, in the City of Vitoria-Gasteiz, places of entertainment and leisure such as pubs and bars have been concentrated in the same area, either within or very close to residential zones. These locations have traditionally been a source of conflict and have contributed to the generation of high levels of noise, particularly during weekends and at night-time.

Also, up until very recently, there was insufficient national or regional legislation enabling the Council to enforce the legal limits on noise levels.

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8. WASTE PRODUCTION AND MANAGEMENT 8a. Describe the present situation and developments over the past five to ten years in relation to: Social and economic development to date has been closely related to an increase in the levels of waste generation. The management of this waste has been costly, both in financial and environmental terms. Not only has there been an increase in the use of material resources, but also in energy consumption and the use of land to deal with wastage. Urban waste production in Vitoria-Gasteiz reflects the high levels of consumption and the relative wealth of its citizens.

Although the public are becoming increasingly aware of the need to reduce damage to the environment, and there has been a substantial increase in the number of initiatives that commercialise products that are manufactured by environmentally-friendly procedures, or that certify that they comply with organic or fair trade standards, there is much room for growth and the actual size of the market is extremely difficult to estimate.

The City currently collects glass, paper and carton, packaging and grey fraction through specifically designated containers distributed throughout the City. Rural areas also have containers for oil disposal.

Household and commercial waste such as furniture, textile or paint is disposed in fixed Clean Points and mobile Green Points. Electronic devices, batteries or medicines can be disposed in the correspondings shops, pharmacies or also in Clean Points.

A new pneumatic waste collection system with underground pipelines and five Recolecting Centres has been introduced in the historical centre and three new districts.

1. Amount of waste per capita

Municipal Waste Household Waste

1999 2005 2009 1999 2005 2009

Waste generation (t/yr) 76.720 87.881 93.494 65.797 72.852 78.807

Waste generation per capita (kg/yr) 350,4 383,6 390,4 301,9 318,0 329,0

Table 8.1. Municipal and household waste generation

In 1999, the total production of municipal waste (household and commercial activities) amounted to 76,720 tonnes, representing 350.4 kg/yr per capita, while in 2009 this was 93,494 tonnes or 390.4 kg/yr. During the period 1999-2009, production per inhabitant increased by 11.4%. In 2009, per capita production of municipal waste dropped with respect to the two previous years, from 392.8 in 2007 to 391.8 in 2008 and finally, in 2009, to 390.4 kg/yr.

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Household waste increased from 65,979 tonnes in 1999 to 78,807 tonnes in 2009, and in per capita terms from 301.3 to 329.0 kg/yr, with an increase during the period of 9.2%. The per capita generation of household waste dropped in 2009 compared to the two previous years, from 329.8 to 330.3 and finally to 329.0, respectively, in 2007, 2008 and 2009.

2. Proportion of total/biodegradable waste sent to a landfill

The selective collection of the household organic fraction by means of specific sidewalk containers began in February 2010, through a pilot scheme limited to 3 districts of the city.

In 2007, the mechanical-biological treatment plant (MBT) in Jundiz began initial trials and in 2009, 61.4% of municipal waste (grey fraction) was treated in the plant.

Municipal Waste Household Waste

1999 2005 2009 1999 2005 2009

Material recycling (sourced separated) 11,8% 21,7% 23,5% 13,9% 25,5% 25,9%

Biological treatment (sourced separated) 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%

Incineration 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0%

Mechanical Biological Treatment (MBT) 0% 0% 61,4% 0% 0% 70,4%

Landfill 88,2% 78,3% 15,1% 86,1% 74,5% 3,7%

Table 8.2. Municipal and Household Waste Treatment

In 1999, the percentage of municipal waste disposed of in landfills, without any kind of prior treatment, was 88.2% (67,667 t). 62.8% was biodegradable waste, representing a dumping of 42,445 tonnes.

In 2009, 58,292 tonnes were dumped, of which 44,154 tonnes were rejects from the MBT plant. Dumped biodegradable waste amounted to 18,514 tonnes, 31.8% of the total amount of dumped waste. Therefore, there has been a drop of 56.4% with regard to the biodegradable wastes dumped in 1999.

Finally, the biodegradable waste disposed of in 2009 represents 19.8% of the total amount of waste. With reference to the quantity of biodegradable waste sent to the landfill, the City met in 2006 the objectives set by the 1999/31/CE Directive relating to the reduction to 75% of the total waste.

In 1999, the overall recovery was 11.8% of municipal waste, while in 2009, this increased to 37.7%. For domestic waste, the overall recovery rose from 13.9% in 1999 to 43.2% in 2009. 36.9% was biodegradable waste and therefore the percentage of biodegradable waste dumped in the landfill over total household waste was 21.0%.

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3. Percentage of recycled municipal waste

During the 1999-2009 period, Vitoria-Gasteiz has been able to substantially increase the level of recycling. The proportion of municipal waste separated at source and recycled has doubled from 11.8% to 23.5%, representing in 2009, 21,997 tonnes. Likewise, the proportion of domestic waste separated at source and recycled rose from 13.9% to 25.9% and amounted in 2009 to 20,427 tonnes.

The percentage of packaging waste separated at source and recycled over its fraction in municipal waste in 1999 was 18.0%. In 2009, this percentage increased to 40.2% thanks to the increase in selective at-source collection and to packaging waste recovered at the MBT plant.

Vitoria is on the road to achieving a cleaner city, with awareness campaigns and initiatives to encourage separation at source and manage waste efficiently. To this end, the City is very active in working with NGOs, business associations from the food and leisure, pharmaceutical, car mechanic and electronics sectors, and the City’s large shopping centres.

• Progress report on implementation of the urban waste management plan to include achievements to date:

- Stabilisation of urban waste generation rates (390 kg/person/yr) - Selective, at-source collection of 23.5% (92 kg/person/yr) - Initiation of at-source separation of household organic waste. - Collection door-to-door of bulky waste: 6% re-utilised and 76% recycling. - Collection of textiles: 285 tonnes, of which more than 75% were reused. - Collection of batteries, 45.8 tonnes, domestic hazardous waste, 459 tonnes,

and WEEE, 316 tonnes. - Overall recovery of 37.7% of waste through recycling and energy use - Reduction in dumped municipal waste: 35% - Reduction in dumped biodegradable waste: 56% - Proportion of total/biodegradable waste sent to landfill in 2009: 31.8% .

8b. Describe measures implemented over the past five to ten years aimed at reducing the amount of waste produced, the amount of waste sent to landfills, particularly biodegradable waste, and measures which have promoted awareness raising programmes.

The main measures implemented are:

1) Waste prevention and reduction programmes

• Promoting the re-utilisation and repair of bulky waste

Since 2002, bulky waste has been collected door-to-door (furniture, electrical and electronic devices, metals) in areas equipped with pneumatic collection systems, through a social insertion company.

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• Promoting the reutilisation of clothing

Textiles are collected via the Clean Points (fixed and mobile), three civic centres and six parishes. Clothes are cleaned and prepared for sale through an NGO. Clothes in poor condition are used as industrial cloths.

• On-site composting scheme

The City has encouraged the spread of own composting in areas that generate high levels of organic waste such as the supermarket, food and leisure sector businesses that are within the City’s largest shopping centre. Organic waste is separated, collected and composted on site.

2) Pneumatic waste collection

The system, involving an investment of 23 million euros, has been introduced into several areas. Four of these are in the City’s new suburbs whereas the fifth is in the City’s mediaeval centre. Currently, the system relies on 814 collecting points, and its network is more than 40 km long. In 2009, this system collected approximately 5,000 tonnes.

3) Door to door waste collection

The Council offers a specific service to collect certain materials such as glass, paper and cardboard, which are separated at source by larger commercial users.

4) Recycling centres “clean points”

Two fixed recycling points have been set up to encourage waste separation for discarded items such as electrical equipment, furniture, textiles, dangerous or noxious household waste such as fluorescent bulbs, aerosols, paint, oils, medicines etc. In addition, the Council offers two mobile green points (MGP) that move around periodically to collect the similar waste generated by households.

5) Outline management systems for hazardous waste from household

The collection of hazardous waste (with the exception of batteries) from households began in 1997 with the MGP. This service was reinforced subsequently with the Clean Points, allowing citizens the disposal of different types of waste.

6) Outline management systems to comply with EU WEEE Directive

Since 2003, household appliances, computer and communications equipment, as well as fluorescent lamps, are collected at the Clean Points.

7) Outline management systems to comply with EU end-of-life vehicles Directive

In 1997, the City initiated a pilot project to decontaminate abandoned end-of-life vehicles. 650 m2 of the municipal vehicle depot were set aside for this purpose and a Mobile Decontamination and Disassembly Plant was installed. The project lasted until 2004, and more than 5000 end-of-life vehicles were decontaminated. Since then, end-of-life vehicles have been left at Authorised Treatment and Decontamination Centres. Between 2004 and 2008, 2350 end-of-life vehicles were handed over for decontamination, disassembly and recovery.

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8) Outline management systems to comply with EU batteries Directive

In 1990, the collection of batteries began with the installation of 170 sidewalk containers. Today, batteries are collected in 465 battery shops, civic centres and municipal buildings, as well as at three Clean Points.

9) Development of an integrated plant for construction and demolition waste

In 2007, the City built a construction and demolition waste plant. The plant recovers non-masonry waste (wood and metal). Recycled waste is used to produced aggregates and material for landscaping. In 2008, 285.000 tonnes were recycled or recovered.

10) Development of a Mechanical Biológical Treatment (MBT) plant

In 2006, the City built a MTB plant. It processes 100% of the municipal household and commercial waste but shortly will also start to process the waste from Álava province. The biodegradable waste that is decomposed through aerobic and anaerobic procedures produces biogas which can be collected and burnt as a fuel to produce electricity, which, in 2009, supplied 75% of the electricity consumed by the plant. The aim is to produce 108% and to sell surplus electricity to the grid. In 2009, this plant processed 58,000 tonnes.The plant was financed through the EU Cohesion Funds.

11) Optimisation of the landfill site

The landfill site has been adapted to fully meet the requirements of the EU directive on landfill of waste. The investment has amounted to over 15 million euros and has been partly financed through the EU Cohesion Funds.

12) Awareness raising

Since 2000, the City has undertaken regular campaigns to raise environmental awareness and to ensure that waste is minimised, separated at source and disposed of in the appropriate containers. The annual budget amounts to 600,000 euros. Here are some examples: • Christmas Campaigns “La ecopegata” (1999), “Street theatre” Campaign (2003) • “We recycle glass here” campaign with the catering businesses association (2002) • “Pre-cycling” programme designed for schoolchildren on the waste generated in

schools (2004) • “We put our batteries here” (2008) • “By recycling light, we recycle life” (2008) • House-to-house distribution of the guide “Recycle your habits” for the correct

separation of waste (2009). • The MGP calendar is sent each year to every home

13) Regulatory and economic instrument The Public Cleanliness and Collection and Transport of Waste Bylaw of Vitoria-Gasteiz (2007) oblige the public to separate waste flows at source. For this purpose, the City has established a selective collection system which forbids the disposal of unseparated waste (article 90). This also regulates the way in which household and commercial waste must be disposed of (articles 63 and 64). A fiscal bylaw is passed on a yearly basis establishing the rates to be paid in accordance with surface areas.

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14) Outline sustainability and climate change aspects of urban waste management plan

Reduction of waste as the fundamental objective of the management model. At-source separation (containerisation, door-to-door, clean points), allowing savings in raw materials and energy. Municipal treatment plants contribute to improving the overall recovery percentage, both of materials and energy-wise (renewable electricity). Progressive fall in waste disposed of by dumping, especially biodegradable waste. Intensive degasifying of the landfill and use of biogas as an energy source Fleet of collection vehicles uses CNG. Management model includes social insertion companies.

8c. Describe planned long and short term measures to reduce of the amount of waste produced and minimise the amount of waste sent to landfills, particularly biodegradable waste

The short term measures should include a description of measures adopted, but not yet implemented, and budgets for future measures already adopted.

The long term measures should include a description of planned measures yet to be politically sanctioned.

SHORT TERM

1) NEW PLAN

The new cross departmental Waste Management Plan for the 2008-2016 is currently being implemented and sets out ambitious objectives for preventing, reusing and recycling waste. The new approach is to take into account not only environmental variables, but social and economic related aspects in the waste management. This new plan, aligned to the Aalborg+10 principles, is focused on 7 strategic objectives centred on waste management: to reduce, to reuse, to reject, to take responsibility, to increase the waste valuation, and finally to increase the waste energy valuation. The plan is divided in 11 different programmes, with 39 lines of action in line with European regulations, and which address the City’s development in a sustainable manner.

The main objectives of the plan are:

• To reduce the total waste production attributable to household and commercial activities in 2012, taking 2001 per capita levels (1,0 kg/yr) as the starting point amount.

• To eliminate the primary waste sent to the landfill in 2012. That implies that all the waste sent will be suffered previously several operations of treatment, in order to optimise its potential for energy generation and reduce its potential danger. The aim is to only admit into the municipal landfill (Gardelegi) waste that is not recoverable or recyclable in any way.

• To achieve selective waste-collection for 45% of all the urban waste generated in 2016.

• To include organic waste in the selective collection of waste from households and great producers (hospitals, etc.). For the implementation of the system, a pilot

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project. limited to 3 districts of the city, has been launched to include the installation of another sealed container with the participation of volunteers who will collect their waste in special organic bags provided by the Council. Throughout 2010 and 2011, the scheme is to be extended to the rest of the city. Likewise, collection in large production establishments (community dining rooms, hospitals, etc.) will begin shortly.

• To achieve an optimization of waste ratio over 85% in 2016, with a particular focus on maximising energy-production from waste.

2) ZERO INCREASE IN WASTE GENERATION

Preventing the generation of waste at source, encouraging reuse and other systems that minimise the amount of waste that needs to be treated (by, for example, composting) is a key target for the City, particularly in the smaller, more rural areas that surround Vitoria-Gasteiz. The aim is to reduce the amount of municipal waste, both household and commercial, that is treated to 2001 levels: 366 kg per person per year.

3) LESS SLUDGE FROM WATER WASTE

Another key target is to reduce the sludge generated through the treatment of the City’s waste water to a maximum of 20%.

4) BULKY WASTE TREATMENT PLANT

The new plan proposes the construction of a bulky waste treatment plant ratios that significantly increase the reuse and recycling rate of this kind of waste. Participation in the project of social insertion enterprise is considered very interesting.

5) SRF’ PRODUCTION

Manufacture of a solid fuel recovered (SRF) from rejected waste of MBT plant, capable of being used in the nearby cement industry, with the consequent saving of primary fossil fuels and a reduction in GEI emissions.

6) DEPOSIT FOR LICENCES

One of the measures expected to have an immediate impact is the inclusion of a deposit for the treatment of waste arising from construction and demolition processes in the City, to be included into the permit process.

7) ENVIRONMENTAL OBSERVATORY

In 2008, the Regional Government of the Basque Country set up a new environmental observatory with the aim of providing waste management advice to businesses operating in the electronics, IT and telecommunications sectors. In particular, the observatory hopes to improve the life cycle of the components of any electrical o electronic product. To this end the Telecommunications Cluster, Gaia, has designed a new environmental platform (www.mediatic-observer.com) to advice of eco-friendly designs, traceability, logistics and recycling of electronic components, with a view to improving the conservation of the environment.

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LONG TERM

1) COLLECTION AT SOURCE

In 2016, the Council aims to separate at source a minimum of 45% of the total waste generated in the City. This would include separation of garden refuse and organic waste generated in households, as well as other biodegradable waste (paper, cardboard, textile and wood), as well as non-biodegradable waste such as glass, electrical and electronic and dangerous substances.

2) ASSESSMENT PROCESSES FOR RECYCLING

By 2016, the City aims to:

• Valorizate 68% of the proportion of packaging (cardboard, glass and light packaging) in 2016.

• Valorizate at least 70% of the municipal waste generated in the City through reuse, composting, and recovery for energy generation.

3) THE 3Rs

Creation of the 3R Centre dedicated to educating and raising awareness of the issues surrounding waster management, i.e., Reduction, Reuse and Recycling of waste, with a view to changing habits and involving all citizens in the task of preserving the environment.

4) ACTIVE PARTICIPATION AND AWARENESS RAISING

Among the more specific actions that will be undertaken to ensure that the whole City supports the Strategy are:

• Encouraging citizen participation in the Council decision making processes.

• Encouraging citizens to reduce the amount of waste generated.

• Ensuring the availability of information, advice and, above all a transparent environmental policy in order to allow everyone to play their part.

The budget of the participation and awareness actions is 1,775,000 euros.

8d. Describe how the above issues can be documented should your city be shortlisted for participation in the second phase of the evaluation.

List of plans/measures and political adoptions and decisions :

1) Municipal Waste Management Framework Plan 2008-2016 (Draft) Legal adoption.

2) Environmental Impact Evaluation of the Municipal Waste Management Framework Plan 2008-2016 (Draft) Legal adoption.

3) Municipal Waste Management Plan 2000-2006.

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Fight Against Climate Change Plan 2010-2020 (Draft)

4) Fight Against Climate Change Plan 2010-2020 . Annex (Draft)

5) Air Quality Management Plan 2003-2010 Legal adoption. English versión (Abstract): Air Quality Management Plan

6) Sustainable Mobility and Public Space Plan 2008-2012. Agreement for elaboration.

7) Environmental Action Plan 2002-2007 of the Local Agenda 21 Legal adoption.

English versión (Abstract): Agenda 21(English version)

8) Agenda 21 Bulletins (2008-2009)

9) Action Plan 2010-2014 of the Local Agenda 21 (Draft)

10) Waste municipality bylaws

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9. WATER CONSUMPTION 9a. Describe the present situation and developments over the last five to ten years in relation to:

Vitoria-Gasteiz has always been committed to the efficient management of the complete water cycle, both with regard to continuing the sustainable use of water resources and reducing management costs and guaranteeing the supply of drinking water and sanitation. The public water company of Vitoria-Gasteiz (AMVISA) is the responsible of guarantying water supply, demand and treatment management:

• Demand management: This guarantees the long-term sustainable supply. In 2004, the so-called "Integrated Water-Saving Plan” (2004-2008) was developed with a budget of 1,350,000 euros. Its success was evidenced by the indicators of the Local Agenda 2002-2007 Environmental Action Plan as well as through the Integrated Water-Saving Plan (2009-2012) called the "FUTURA PLAN” which has a 1.018.000 euro budget.

• Supply management: This allows for the availability of alternative supplies to secure a 100% guarantee, by operating current sources on an exclusive basis. To do this, AMVISA has a 31,170,000€ investment programme (2010-2012) of which 11,300,000 € are provided by the Basque Water Agency.

• Local Agenda 21 Environmental Action Plan: One of its areas of activity tackles water management with the main aim of reducing consumption. The trend seen during the period 2004-2009 in the selected indicators is positive and favourable and this trend will continue during the period 2010-2014, allowing for a continuous improvement in these indicators. Thus, the indicator that measures total water demand exhibits a 20% reduction, dropping from 113,713 litres per inhabitant and year in 2001, to 91,136 in 2009.

INDICATORS

2009 data shows that Vitoria-Gasteiz consumes about 59.4 million litres of water each day, 688 litres per second. Domestic consumption accounts for approximately 59.30% of total consumption billed in Vitoria-Gasteiz, a rate that has suffered little variation in the last ten years; industries and services account for 23.32%; and the remaining 17.38% is consumed by municipal services and facilities. Despite these high figures, since 2001 the total domestic water demand has decreased from 130.84 litres per capita/day in 2001, to 117.29 litres per capita/day in 2009.

Table 9.1 Water consumption by sectors

1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 Residential 57,76% 56,56% 56,91% 56,24% 58,58% 58,62% 58,56% 56,75% 58,54% 59,46% 59,30% Industrial/ Commerce 24,50% 26,21% 27,15% 27,30% 26,29% 26,39% 25,95% 26,38% 25,60% 26,08% 23,32%

Others 17,74% 17,23% 15,94% 16,46% 15,13% 14,99% 15,49% 16,87% 15,86% 14,46% 17,38% TOTAL 100,00% 100,00% 100,00% 100,00% 100,00% 100,00% 100,00% 100,00% 100,00% 100,00% 100,00%

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1. Proportion of urban water supply subject to water metering

Since the constitution of Amvisa in 1972, 100% of the urban water supply has been subjected to water metering.

In 2009, Vitoria-Gasteiz had 112,000 clients equipped with meters. Of the 100% water supplied, 80.82% was billed, improving the 1999 data of 76.14%. The non-billed supplies are related to water losses due to pipeline leaks, metering errors and fraudulent uses.

The 87.64% of these clients were domestic, 11.57% retail and industrial sectors and 0.79% corresponded to other tariffs.

2. Water consumption per capita

Table 9.2 Water consumption, population and annual precipitation data

In 1999, Vitoria-Gasteiz consumed 24,457,786 m3 of drinking water and its population was 218,862 with an allocation of 111,750 litres/inhabitant/year. This figure has dropped to 21,685,233 m3 with 237,943 inhabitants and an allocation of 91,136 litres/inhabitants/year in 2009.

The continuous drop in the consumption of drinking water over the last 10 years has occurred regardless of the weather conditions. These figures range from a minimum in 2006 of 454.7 litres/m2/year and a maximum in 2008 of 788.50 litres/m2/year. Nevertheless, 2009 was a dry year (553.6 litres/m2/year) and consumption fell to 21,685,233 m3, confirming the downward trend in the consumption of the city.

The Ebro Hydrographic Confederation is the institution responsible for managing concessions of water resources. Thus, Vitoria-Gasteiz has been granted 1620 litres/sec, representing a total of 51,088,320 m3/yr. Therefore, in 2009, Vitoria-Gasteiz only used 42.45 %of the maximum available capacity of the resource.

1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009Water Consumption per capita (l/Inh/day)

306.2 308.9 311.5 301.5 299.4 289.1 287.1 280.4 260.1 248.7 249.7

Water Consumption per capita (l/Inh/year)

111.750 113.062 113.713 110.059 109.270 105.788 104.763 102.334 94.930 91.032 91.136

Total Water Consumption (m3)

24.457.786 24.828.533 25.163.674 24.593.531 24.561.089 23.916.530 23.900.265 23.502.138 22.023.043 21.388.956 21.685.233

Population Density (inh/km2)

9.880,52 9.884,71 9.939,36 10.032,92 10.135,08 10.149,40 10.248,57 10.293,83 10.314,96 9.554,89 9.684,16

City population

218.862 219.602 221.292 223.458 224.775 226.080 228.137 229.662 231.992 234.962 237.943

Annual Precipitation (l/m2)

742,5 651,6 605,1 678,1 714,1 679,3 698,1 454,7 636,3 788,5 553,6

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3. Water loss in pipelines

The coming into effect of a new form of taxation on the waste water in industry has also been instrumental in achieving the 20% decrease in its consumption, whereas actions to improve the performance of the distribution network decreased water losses (real or leaks + metering errors + fraudulent uses) to 11.43% in 2009 from levels of 17.37% in 1999.

Table 9.3 Water Loss (Pipeline leaks + metering errors + fraudulent uses)

Based on these values, it is estimated that only 5.43% corresponds to real leaks in the network.

Table 9.4 Water Loss (Pipeline leaks)

4. Compliance with the EU Water Framework Directive.

The level of compliance with Directive 98/83/EC on water quality is 100%. During recent years, no exception has been requested with regard to drinking water quality parameters. This is obtained in the Araca Drinking Water Treatment Plant through treatments of:

o Pre-treatments: pre-chlorination, preozonation, the addition of powdered active carbon and the addition of soda.

o Clarification: coagulation (aluminium polychloride as coagulant), siliceous sand sedimentation and filtration with pre-chlorination before entering the aforementioned filters.

o Final treatments: post-chlorination (chlorine gas) and pH regulation through the addition of soda (Langelier index correction).

o At the contract awarding stage: Recovery of sludge processing and treatment water: flow homogenising and laminating, decanting-thickening and dehydration of the sludge produced.

Vitoria-Gasteiz meets the requirements of the Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC, and is committed to getting Europe's waters cleaner through the participation of its citizens.

Through the Basque Government Healthcare Department (Osanet) website data on drinking water analytics can be consulted, where 100% compliance with RD 140/2003 in all parameters. April 2010 analytical data is submitted.

1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 17,37% 18,02% 14,77% 19,08% 14,06% 12,43% 11,76% 12,43% 10,74% 9,24% 11,43%

1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 10,37% 11,02% 7,77% 12,08% 8,06% 6,43% 5,76% 6,43% 4,74% 3,24% 5,43%

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9b. Describe the measures implemented over the past five to ten years to reduce water consumption and water loss in pipelines, including e.g. :

1. Proactive leakage management; 2. Network rehabilitation; 3. Non-domestic metering; 4. Bylaw implementation in relation to efficiency in water usage; 5. Awareness raising campaigns.

The main measures included in the “Environmental Action Plan 2002-2007 of the Local Agenda 21” were as follows:

WATER SUPPLY

• The development of studies on the City’s future requirements, new sources of supply, the use of rainwater for non-direct human consumption, of groundwater from its aquifer for non-direct human uses by the Council and Industry: 281,119€.

• The monitoring and control of consumer demand curves and sources of supply: 72,000€.

• In terms of improvement and infrastructure renewal:

o Purchase of generators for water purification: 56,825€. o Splitting the supply pipe:9,595,251€. o Stepping replacement tasks drinking water network:7,639,825€. o Revision of indoor facilities (tanks, pipes,...) in buildings city: 79,799€. o Adaptation of Gorbea and Albina dams to the legal requirements:80,618€.

• 2009-2012 Investment Plan: Partially financed by the Basque Water Agency (€)

o New pipeline from the Albina Reservoir to the Araca Drinking Water Plant: 11,680,000.

o Treatment of sludge from the Araca Drinking Water Plant: 1,420,000. o Widening of the Mendoza-Araca pipeline: 10,000,000. o Widening of the Nanclares-Araca pipeline in Iruña de Oca: 3,620,000. o Nanclares aquifer drilling equipment: 1,200,000. o Third tank for the Araca Drinking Water Plant: 3,250,000.

WATER QUALITY

• Improvement and infrastructure renewal (Investment in €):

o Improvement in supply quality control: 72.000. o Establishment of a remote control system for treating water for drinking and

chlorination facilities located in the municipality:304,603. o Analytical control tests on arrival (taps) to monitor the entire process of supply

and revision of facilities: 42,040. o Adaptation of the Drinking Water Laboratory in order to achieve ISO 17025

certificate: 59,679. o Adjustments to fulfil the requirements of Directive 98/83/EC for water

consumption: 300,710. o Implementation of a legionella and enteroviruses control in water catchments

and networks: 15,000.

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o Implementation of a taste and odour control in water supply: 90,832. o Adaptation of the Drinking Water Plant to meet current and future needs:

4,848,586.

• The strengthening of relationships with the universities through a Commission that enables regular collaboration in R&D: 231,006.

TO ACHIEVE SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION

• Drafting and implementation of the Integrated Water Management Plan 2004-2008: 1,184,347.

• Renovation of water meters: 1,340,196.

• Proactive leakage management: 331,850.

• Improving response capabilities in the case of breakdowns with the support of the network map: 406,540.

Vitoria-Gasteiz also launched an innovative experience in its “Integrated Water Saving Action Plan 2004-2008”, adding its resources to the know-how of the Municipal Water Company of Vitoria-Gasteiz (AMVISA), with the involvement of the entire population.

The main aim of the Plan has been to achieve water saving measures through all the agents involved in its distribution and use. Its objectives were:

• To keep the volume of water at acceptable levels.

• To maintain yields of the distribution network at the levels of last three years.

• To curb the growth of domestic demand for water.

• To stabilise the current consumption in the commercial and industrial sector.

• To reduce current consumption in the institutional sector.

• To promote awareness and adoption of technologies and habits consumption to improve efficiency in water use.

• To provide technical reports on the use of alternative water resources.

The Plan was structured into several programs to be developed between June 2004 and June 2008. The results are:

• Study Programme: To explore alternative drinking water resources and policy proposals that complement existing legislation. All the studies have been completed and submitted.

• Sectoral programme: Aimed at different sectors, the aim was to improve water use efficiency through the introduction of technological innovation and to identify and disseminate a range of cost-effective water saving devices and practices. The sectors targeted were institutional, industrial, commercial and residential sector, which involved domestic consumers:

o Assessment and advice on consumption in 25 water facilities in the city, that represent sports and civic centres, educational institutions, industries, retail and

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professional services, etc. The reports were submitted to the heads of schools and suggestions made for improving drinking water (review of the water counter status, installation of water saving devices in locations with no devices, raise the awareness of users, adequate maintenance of pools, promotion of good practices, etc.).

o A specific report on local consumption in irrigation, fountains and street cleaning has been drafted.

o A pilot project was launched to promote the use of water saving technology by applying a discount for purchase through participating retailers.

• Communication programme:

o Publication of leaflets explaining the “Integrated Water Saving Action Plan 2004-2008”.

o Households receive information on water consumption in the City with their water bills, enabling them to compare their own use with the average.

o Creation of a Citizen’s Information Office on water consumption. o Close to 1,400 units of a Self Diagnostic CD Tool for Assessing water

consumption have been widely distributed across the industrial and educational sectors.

o Launch of an information campaign targeted at catering establishments. o Development of the communications campaign "Water: our greatest treasure".

Publication of advertisements in newspapers and radio broadcasts. o Development of a campaign on water-saving technologies in collaboration with

tap and sanitation retailers and manufacturers. o Media appearances, the website www.amvisa.org / PIAA, an itinerant exhibition o Development of Saving Products Brochure for water-related sectors and DVD

on household consumption of water. o Since 1995 AMVISA allocates 1% of its annual budget to financing Third World

water supply and sanitation projects. Guatemala, Salvador, Kenya, Honduras, Peru, Etiopia and Marocco are the main countries. Budget for 2010 is estimated at 200,000€.

Finally, the “Integrated Water Saving Action Plan 2004-2008” has included proposals which directly involve the work of AMVISA, such as updating water rates, with the aim of encouraging saving and analysing consumption levels, increasing the frequency of bills (three months) and incorporating information on consumption trends (litres per capita/day).

Significant change in tariff system:

o Quarterly invoicing in 2008 o Modification of consumption blocks in 2008: The first m3 consumed are

cheaper and abusive consumption is penalised.

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9c. Describe planned long and short term measures to reduce water loss: The short term measures should include a description of measures adopted, but not yet implemented, and budgets for future measures already adopted.

The long term measures should include description of planned measures yet to be politically sanctioned.

SHORT TERM

Reduce water consumption and improve water management

The “Integrated Water Saving Action Plan 2004-2008” has contributed to the reduction of water sent to the network to a value below 22 Hm3/year and to reduce consumption below 260 litres/capita/day. The figures for real and apparent losses (network leaks + metering errors + frauds) has also been improved by controlling leakage which has been reduced to 11.43%.

One of the main tasks in the short term is to maintain and improve the results of the “Environmental Action Plan” and the “Integrated Water Saving Action Plan”, to make an in-depth study of operating programmes and to develop practical actions for those programmes that have previously been at a study stage. In 2009 it is estimated that the percentage of network losses was under 5.5 %.

The main actions foreseen in the short term are:

• To develop the second phase of the “Integrated Water Saving Action Plan 2009-2012”, called, the “Futura Plan”, with a budget of 1,018,000 euros. The plan is also structured in four sector programmes, aimed at different sectors of consumption, the objective of which is to reduce water consumption in each one of them. The sectors targeted would be, once more, institutional, industrial, commercial and residential, which will involve domestic consumers. Within this framework, the following actions will be implemented:

o Analyisis of good local practices aimed to search for alternative resources of non-drinking water.

o Drafting of guidelines relating to the introduction of water efficiency criteria in public contracts.

o Organisation of an annual event on sustainable water management and educational activities.

o Installation of information points on water management in public centres. o Launch of water saving kits aimed at the public in general. o Carry out diagnoses of water consumption in the institutional, industrial,

commercial and residential sectors, free of charge. o Elaboration of educational materials. o Monitoring of the City of Vitoria-Gasteiz’s water consumption and publication of

the results.

• To substitute asbestos cement networks and cast or gray iron networks. Budget of 1,400,000 euros per year.

• To proactively manage leakage: Budget of 20,000 euros per year.

• To install water leak detectors: Budget of 200,000 euros.

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• To renew water meters: Budget of 450,000 euros per year.

• To improve knowledge of the operation of the distribution network: Mathematical model of the network. 250,000 €. 80% financed by the Basque Water Agency.

• To improve on-line meter reading: New automatic reading system: 240,000 €.

More Specifically:

• To reduce domestic water consumption under 100 litres/inhabitant/day.

• To continue to improve the performance of the distribution network, reaching values in excess of 90%.

• To increase the installation of water leak detector up to 600 across the network and continue with leak detection by correlation campaigns.

• To renew at least 1.5% of the network each year, replacing the asbestos pipes.

LONG TERM

Following the analysis of the first Integrated Plan for Water Savings, the following medium-long term objectives are proposed:

• To maintain network efficiency levels by the gradual replacement of pipes, the continuity of the campaigns of rapid detection of leaks and minimization of uncontrolled volumes of water.

• To ensure the control, characterisation and monitoring of the main water consumptions of the city, through the universal installation of water meters (especially in local consumption due to irrigation of gardens, drinking fountains and ornamental fountains), the development of an annual evaluation report on city water consumption and analysis of sector needs, the analysis of water consumption by the City Council.

• To minimise water consumption in municipal uses, improving the status of ornamental fountains, exploring possibilities of the replacement of potable water with inferior quality water in street cleaning or irrigation of green areas and encouraging the design of new green spaces for public use with low water consumption criteria.

• To promote the use of water-saving technologies with exemplary actions of the Council by widespread installation of efficient taps and sanitary equipment into new public buildings, gradual replacement of non-efficient elements in old municipal buildings, installation of rainwater collection tanks or the use of renewal waters from pools for other uses.

• To update rates following the criteria of cost recovery and promotion of water saving, searching for the pricing structure and the most adequate level of water prices, to make consumers aware of the water management costs.

• To progress in the drafting of a local bylaw regulating the use of water: "Regulatory bylaw of the efficient management of water” in Vitoria-Gasteiz.

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• To ensure through AMVISA that all consumers are aware of their consumption and their efficiency level through information included in the bill and dissemination actions to promote water-saving.

• To promote and / or activate spaces for public participation in a new water culture, by organising conferences, forums or seminars on sustainable water management and the involvement of municipal bodies.

• To incorporate innovation and applied technology on efficiency, incorporating progressively technology improvements for the management of urban water and supply networks (active leakage monitoring, optimized systems for subscriber management, network modelling, etc.), and initiating technical studies to create new infrastructures and networks for the use of alternative resources of non-potable water.

9d. Describe how the above issues can be documented should your city be shortlisted for participation in the second phase of the evaluation.

List of plans/measures and political adoptions and decisions :

1) Integrated Water Saving Plan 2004-2008 Legal agreement and budget.

2) Presentation of the Futura Plan 2009-2012. 3) Amvisa Website

4) Water supply service and water treatment bylaw of Vitoria-Gasteiz

5) Other ordinances (Click in ”Normativa”)

6) Tariff system (Click in ”Tarifas Generales”)

7) Environmental Action Plan 2002-2007 of the Local Agenda 21 Legal adoption.

English versión (Abstract): Agenda 21(English version)

8) Agenda 21 Bulletins (2008-2009)

9) Action Plan 2010-2014 of the Local Agenda 21 (Draft)

9e. List any disadvantages resulting from historical and/or geographical factors which may have influenced this indicator area negatively.

The water consumption data is good because, in spite of a significant increase in the population, the increase in GDP and the growth of the city and its green areas, water consumption is being reduced significantly. The allocation (litres/inhabitant/day) in 2009 (249.70) is under the average for Spanish cities of a similar size. (Survey of the Spanish Supplies and Sanitation Association of 2008).

It has also been seen that during the period 2004-2008, there was also a real drop in domestic consumption. Nevertheless, this drop had not been recorded in the statistics as it was offset by a lower metering error. In other words, consumption was lower in domestic housing, but the new meters measure consumption better and therefore significant drops were not recorded in the volumes measured.

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10. WASTE WATER TREATMENT 10 a. Describe the present situation and developments over the past five to ten years in relation to the proportion of total waste water treated in accordance with the Urban Waste Water Directive

Water contamination can be caused by any of the many different substances that enter the water system as a result of human activity, industrial spills or unsafe disposal methods or even as a result of agricultural activities that take place in close proximity to water sources. It is essential, therefore, to treat wastewater before return it to the water channels.

With regard to the management of waste water, the system in Vitoria-Gasteiz takes sewage to the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in Crispijana. There, the water is treated before returning it to the river Zadorra, with the necessary quality levels, in compliance with the conditions set out in the waste water dumping authorisation granted by the Hydrographic Confederation of the River Ebro , which is the competent authority. In turn, the conditions imposed by the Hydrographic Configuration of the River Ebro are based on the European framework directive for the treatment of waste water.

The WWTP has 4 treatment lines with active sludge to biologically eliminate organic matter and nitrogen, and phosphorus by physical-chemical treatment. The WWTP will be remodelled to eliminate phosphorus by a biological elimination treatment.

The water treated in the Crispijana WWTP plant represents 97% of the waste water generated by the citizens of this municipality. The remainder, up to 99.45%, is treated in accordance with the population in simpler filtering systems but which also comply with the dumping regulations set out in the Framework Directive.

The Crispijana WWTP collects the water transported by a single sewer system covering 77% of the city as the remaining 33% of the urban area is collected by means of a separation system. When rain events occur, the system transports a mix of sewage and rainwater. In 88.10% of cases, the water is treated completely and on other occasions, diluted water is discharged via the plant’s by-pass and the system’s four spillways.

Today, the construction of a tertiary treatment system and a rain water treatment system discharged via the bypass is currently under development (this action is developed in chapter 10 b). Likewise the construction of a 17,500 m3 storm water tank is being completed.

One of the most important challenges for the current sanitation system is that during periods of heavy rain, the flows from rivers and streams overload the sewage and the treatment plant. This results in a large amount of unnecessary effort required to treat relatively clean water, the discharge of untreated wastewater with a high content of pollutants directly into the Zadorra river and flooding occurs in a number of urban areas along the river. A collaboration agreement has been signed between Vitoria-Gasteiz City Council and URA, the Basque Water Agency valued at 3,000,000 € to develop the projects required in order to resolve this situation

To address these concerns, the municipality included waste water treatment in the “Environmental Action Plan of the Local Agenda 21 2002-2007”, which integrates environmental management with other actions.

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INDICATORS

To assess the status of wastewater treatment and the protection of the ecological quality of surface and groundwater, the City has developed the following indicators:

• Proportion of total waste water treated in accordance with the Urban Waste Water Directive.

• Analysis of the increase in COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand) experienced by the river Zadorra after receiving the effluent from the sewage treatment plant of Crispijana (WWTP).

• Analysis of the proportion of households connected to the waste water treatment system.

2004 2007 2009

DBO5

Before WWTP (mg O2/l) 227 255 231

After WWTP (mg O2/l) 8.6 8.7 7.5

DQO

Before WWTP (mg O2/l) 397 393 394

After WWTP (mg O2/l) 46 46 41

SS (solids in suspension)

Before WWTP (mg /l) 249 219 202

After WWTP (mg /l) 15.9 12.8 12.7

Pt (Phosphorus)

Before WWTP (mg P /l) 3.4 6.5 4.4

After WWTP (mg P /l) 1.7 3.8 0.7

NTK

Before WWTP (mg N-NTK/l) 32.7 36.4 38

After WWTP (mg N-NTK/l) 8.2 4.0 3.4

Ammonium

Before WWTP (mg N-NH4+/l) 21.3 25.1 24.3

After WWTP (mg N-NH4+/l) 4.7 2.6 1.9

Nitrates

Before WWTP (mg N-NO3+/l) 0.9 0.4 0.5

After WWTP (mg N-NO3+/l) 5.7 12.1 8.4

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Table 10.1 Reduction of contaminants between WWTP influent and effluent

2004 2007 2008

Before WWTP (mg O2/l) 12.43 11.88 9.09

After WWTP (mg O2/l) 24.67 17.30 12.48

Table 10.2 Increase in COD (chemical oxygen demand) river Zadorra

2004 2005 2007 2009

97.83% 97.94% 97.97% 99.40%

Table 10.3. Percentage of households connected to waste water treatment

10 b. Describe the measures implemented over the past five to ten years to improve waste water treatment Measures taken in order to improve waste water treatment and protect the overall ecological quality of water were set out in the “Environmental Action Plan of the Local Agenda 21 2002-2007”. During recent years the Council has undertaken a number of actions in 3 key areas;

1. Protect the quality of the environment. Discharges.

2. Protect the quality of the environment. Sewerage and sanitation.

3. General protection of the quality of the environment. 1) PROTECT ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY AND INTEGRATION: DISCHARGES • In terms of studies:

o Study to access the adequacy of industrial discharge controls (24,680€).

o Study to improve hydraulic operations and the quality of the spillways of the sewage network collector. (28,000€).

o Collaboration agreement between Vitoria Gasteiz City Council and URA Basque water agency to develop projects to divert the SOUTHERN RIVERS. (3,000,000€)

• In terms of supervision and control: o Strengthen the control of both occasional and continuous industrial discharge

(373,583€). • Other measures:

o Awareness campaigns on industrial discharges (5,784€).

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2) PROTECT ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY AND INTEGRATION: SEWAGE AND SANITATION • In terms of studies:

o Study of sanitation systems in rural areas (61,966€).

o Study of non-biodegradable products in the influent of the wastewater treatment plant (41,956€).

• In terms of supervision and control and improvements in infrastructures o Creation of a discharge monitoring network in rural areas (18,131€).

o Economic support provided to industries for the installation of waste treatment facilities (366,383€).

o Building of collectors within the sewerage network order to increase its capacity and prevent flooding (8,760,000€) (80% Feder funds; 20% City Council)

o Building of a waste water storm tank, avoiding discharge into the river Zadorra. (3,600,000€) (80% Feder funds; 20% City Council)

o General contract for the cleaning and inspection of the sewerage network. (1,000,000€) (DOC 03)

• Other measures: o Improvement in relations with the Departments of Agriculture of the Local

Government of Alava and of the Basque Government (0€).

3) GENERAL PROTECTION OF OVERALL ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY • Studies:

o Study of the ecological quality of the river Zadorra (29,450€).

• Monitoring and control: o Improved quality control in the underground waters network: (1,000€).

o Design and start-up of a surface water network quality control system: Amount invested by the Basque Government: 180,304€.

Moreover, over recent years, the city has developed a series of activities designed specifically to improve the treatment of waste water.

a) Investment in extending and improving the Crispijana Plant.

b) Actions to improve existing sewage treatment systems in rural areas.

c) Awareness campaigns and educational activities in schools.

d) Actions to combat climate change. A) INVESTMENT IN THE SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANT Major infrastructure renewal was undertaken to improve the overall operation of the waste water treatment plant of Crispijana and to improve the quality parameters of effluent water discharged into the river Zadorra. The project was developed recently. Renovation work has been developed in two stages.

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• Stage I: o Sludge dehydration with press filters (three units) and the storage of sludge

in silos (two units).

o Desanding-degreasing (one unit).

o Gravity thickening (one unit).

o Water pump and Network services and new medium and low voltage electricity line (four units).

o Automation and Control.

o Overhaul of secondary sedimentation (one unit).

o New dome for primary digestor No. 2 (one unit).

• Stage II:

o Membrane Gasholder, 4000 m3. o New changing rooms and construction workshop.

o Basic repair of Digestor No. 3.

o Pumping to sludge filters.

o Compacting of waste.

o Improvements in PLC and SCADA.

o Miscellaneous improvements (measurement of untreated water, alerts station, effluent quality control station, water quality control station of the general plant bypass, etc.).

The modernisation and improvement work amounted to 10M€, co-financed by AMVISA and the Basque Government. (DOC 04) (10,566,312€)

In 2009, work on the construction of a tertiary treatment unit and treatment of rainwater discharged via the bypass was commissioned (5,160,254€) (DOC 05)

In 2009, an installation to treat waste water transported in tankers was built (271.664€) (DOC 06)

In 2003, an automotive control system was put into operation to detect industrial discharges in the sewerage system. The system consists of multiparametric probes that operate 24 hours a day and whose measurements are sent automatically to the laboratory B) ACTIONS IN RURAL AREAS With the aim of improving the existing purification systems in the rural areas of Vitoria-Gasteiz, several campaigns focusing on the results of analysis and quality of effluents have been in place since 2001. Several different measures have been implemented to improve treatment systems, repair leaks and treat activated sludge.

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C) SCHOOL ACTIVITIES AMVISA and the CEA have offered a wide variety of environmental education activities in terms of waster water treatment since 2002, including: • Walks along the river Zadorra: this activity aims to provide students with an overall

perception of the river and its location in relation to the city.

• Visit to the Araka Drinking Water Station: to raise awareness of the water cycle and the city's participation in the Zadorra system and to promote water saving.

• Visit to the Crispijana water treatment plant: to learn about the different stages in the water supply, and to promote the return of water to the Zadorra under the best conditions.

The investments made in all of these actions amounted to: 463,320 € (DOC 07)

D) ACTIONS TO COMBAT CLIMATE CHANGE

The remodelling made to the WWTP and other buildings is of special interest.

Improve the production of own power by adapting gasholders.

Installation of frequency emptiers in order to reduce power consumption at different points in the treatment process.

Minimisation of grease production reducing the amount collected from eight containers a month to only one.

Review all installations replacing luminaires with low consumption lighting.

Installation of a power generator taking advantage of the chute of effluent water from the sewage treatment plant.

Re-utilisation of treated water for non-drinking consumption of sewage plant installations.

10c Planned short-term activities are largely a consequence of previous actions. SHORT AND MEDIUM TERM The following actions have been taken as a result of studies currently in progress:

As a result of the improved control of industrial discharges is expected to install permanent waste water quality control stations.

Based on the conclusions of the spillway hydraulic improvement study, a number of building projects will be developed in order to comply with the proposed improvements.

As a result of the sanitation system study performed in rural areas, building projects will also be drawn up in order to create more efficient sewage treatment points and to incorporate these systems into the general system of the Crispijana WWTP.

Complete the work currently in progress to divert the rivers and streams to the south of the city and to complete a number of building projects.

Start up the Yurre storm tank.

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Other actions planned in the medium term consist of the following:

Install hydraulic models in the sewerage network in order to obtain exhaustive information about its operation, leading to higher levels of efficiency in the actions to be taken in the network.

Install Scada control systems in the sewerage network to monitor and gauge its operation.

Develop an annual campaign to replace old pipes in the sewerage network that do not offer guarantees of water taken in order to avoid contamination in the aquifer.

Complete the building work currently under way such as the tertiary and rainwater treatment unit, the storm tank, the construction of the power generator at the effluent chute.

Among the actions undertaken in the mid-term we should also add a number of established programmes which are still in progress:

Industrial discharge monitoring campaigns.

Actions in rural areas.

Education campaigns for schoolchildren.

LONG TERM

With regard to long-term actions, these include the coordination of waste water treatment actions with the Urban Master Plan, population growth expectations and associated demands.

In the same way that the city is protecting the left bank of the river Zadorra, it must also act to protect the right bank. At this time, there are several controlled population centres established in this area of the city.

Those responsible for water treatment in this municipality understand that this bank can be used to safeguard the existing interceptor collector by constructing a collector of similar characteristics on the right bank. This could improve the conditions of population centres in this area and increase the storm water storage capacity by means of sub-fluvial communications.

Generally, support must be given to the introduction of sewerage separation systems on housing estates with rain water treatment.

10d. Describe how the above issues can be documented should your city be shortlisted for participation in the second phase of the evaluation.

List of plans/measures and political adoptions and decisions :

1) Integrated Water Saving Plan 2004-2008 Legal agreement and budget.

2) Presentation of the Futura Plan 2009-2012.

3) Amvisa Website

4) Water supply service and water treatment bylaw of Vitoria-Gasteiz

5) Other ordinances (Click in ”Normativa”)

6) Tariff system (Click in ”Tarifas Generales”)

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7) Environmental Action Plan 2002-2007 of the Local Agenda 21 Legal adoption.

English versión (Abstract): Agenda 21(English version)

8) Agenda 21 Bulletins (2008-2009)

9) Action Plan 2010-2014 of the Local Agenda 21 (Draft)

10) Investments

- Contract for tertiary treatment in Crispijana WWTP

- Reception plant in Crispijana WWTP

- Budget for Crispijana WWTP improvement

11) Basque Water Agency (URA). Colaboration agreement

12) Discharge detection system

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11. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT OF THE MUNICIPALITY

11a. Describe the present situation and development over the past five to ten years in relation to):

1. Number of municipal departments with certified environmental management systems (ISO 14001/EMAS).

a) City Council

Vitoria-Gasteiz is working on integrating environmental aspects into the whole management system in the Council with ”Best practice guidelines” and education to employees as main actions, which are prioritized to external certifications as ISO 14001 or EMAS, which are, however, mandatory for outside contractors.

Some Departments of the City Council have already applied some sort of certifications, which have the aim of continuation, as:

• Environmental Management: The Municipal Center of Enterprises-MCE, which promotes the creation of new private enterprises while promoting education on environmental management, is certified by Ekoscan since 2007, an environmental management certification similar to ISO 14001, but adapted to SMEs.

Ekoscan has been recognized as one of the "Best Project for Environmental Management Systems in Small Companies" by DG (Enterprises of the European Commission).

The MCE, integrated in the Economic Development and Strategic Planning Department- EDSP, aims to manage both public (4 people from de EDSP) and private sector (currently 22 companies with 60 employees) energy, water and waste needs with Ekoscan.

• Quality Management System (ISO 9001): Implemented in the Finance Department (ASIAC Public Information Service), in the Health and Consumption Department (Laboratory) and in the EDSP (except the Conventions and Tourism Unit).

• Japanese ”5s” Management System: Implemented in the Sport Department, Urban Infrastructure Department (Service of City green zones and gardens) and Finance Department (Direction Service).

b) Outside contractors

The City Council is owner or co-owner of some municipality installations, equipments or services managed by external private companies. All these public contracts are managed by joint ventures of companies that are certified with ISO 14001.

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• Waste Landfill ”Gardelegi”: FCC S.A and Yarritu S.A.

• Construction and Demolition Waste Treatment Plan: SUFI, S.A., Lanbide S.A. and ESCOR S.L.

• Urban Waste Treatment Plant: FCC S.A and Cespa S.A.

• Water Treatment Plant ”Crispijana”: Inama-OHL and Dam. The water analysis laboratory has the ISO 17025 certification as well.

• Urban Waste Collection: FCC S.A (Container based waste collection) and Swedish company Envac (pneumatic collection).

• Urban Waste Cleaning: FCC S.A.

All outside contractors are contractually binded to certify with ISO 14001 or EMAS the management of their installations and services. The Construction and Demolition Waste Treatment Plant is already certified with ISO 14001, 9001 and OSHAS, and the rest are on the process of getting the certifications.

Finally, remark that for the procurement of other services and products, ISO 14001 certification is a technical solvency requisite for contractors.

c) Private companies

In 2007, the EDSP launched the "Local Company 10” project, aimed to assist to the modernization of local small businesses and to promote the implementation of quality and environmental management (eco-innovation) systems. With a budget of 4.5 million €, 50% co-financed by the European Social Fund.

2. Percentage of consumed eco-labelled, organic and energy-efficient products by municipalities, measured as a share of the total product consumption within similar category/type.

For the future ”Sustainable Public Procurement Plan-SPP” the municipality has started the first phase on collecting information about the ”state of the art” of SPP in the different Departments. Data on percentages of sustainable purchases or binding procedures is not fully available yet, but some estimated data can be submitted, as:

a) Recycled paper: 100% of DIN A-4 and A-3 paper is recycled (80%) or ecological (20%). Also 100% of envelopes, except payroll forms. Eco-labels as ”European Ecolabel”, ”Blue Angel” or ”Nordic Swam” are mandatory requirements for suppliers.

b) Office furniture: Estimated FSC wood for desktops and shelves is around 50%, although it is being substituted by recycled metal.

c) Council Vehicles: The City Council has implemented a low emission vehicles programme, renting 48 vehicles with low CO2 emissions and 7 that use biofuel. The aim is to renovate the total fleet of 393 vehicles in the coming years.

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In addition, since 2004, the City Council has been improving public buses. From the total 87 buses, 100% use B5 biofuel, and currently the municipality owns 17 clean energy Euro V buses, 22 Euro IV, 22 Euro III, 20 Euro II and 6 Euro I and the City’s plan is to continue with the renovation of the fleet.

d) Fair trade: 20 of the 36 coffee vending machines of the City Council Departments are Fair Trade coffee, and procurements value favourable certifications such as the FLO (Fairtrade Labelling Organizations) and the WFAT (World Fair Trade Organization).

e) Social criteria: Adjudication preference to those companies with handicapped employees on the staff, to companies that promote employability of people suffering exclusion, to non profit organizations, or to entities recognized as Fair Trade Organizations.

f) Others: Purchase of non-transgenic products, compostable bioplastic bags for organic waste recycling campaigns,...

3. Energy consumption of municipal buildings per square meter.

Energy consumption within the Council buildings was estimated at 59.47 kWh/m2 in 2008, with a total consumption of 77,187 MWh on electricity, NG and gasoil distributed on the 1,297,811m2 of the municipal 259 buidings.

Figure 11.1Energy Consumption (MWh)

0

20000

40000

60000

80000

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

GasoilNatural GasElectricity

From the total municipal buildings, the Council on compliance with the EU Directive on Building Energy Efficiency has realised 4 energy audits and 3 energy certifications (3 Civic Centres, 2 Schools and 2 Sports Centres).

Since 1999, municipal buildings enjoy a full guarantee from its suppliers of heating, air conditioning and hot water installations, which ensure energy efficiency levels throughout the term of the contract. Also, the Council pioneered in the introduction of “performance contracting” (before the National Federation of Municipalities and Provinces and the National Institute of Energy and ahead of the 2006/32/EC Directive on the promotion of End-use efficiency and Energy Services). This includes a contractual arrangement between the beneficiary and the provider of an energy

Energy Consumption (MWh) 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Electricity 20731 21596 21574 22419 23300 Natural Gas 48639 51206 48898 46292 52007 Gasoil 1580 1610 1730 1880 Total 69370 74382 72082 70441 77187

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efficiency improvement measure, where investments in that measure are paid for in relation to a contractually agreed level of energy efficiency improvement.

Currently, the method is implemented in 259 buildings. This also contributes to the objectives of Vitoria-Gasteiz’s environmental plans, as the “Local Energy Plan 2007-2012”, saving the emission of 2,400 tonnes of CO2 annually.

11b. Describe the measures implemented over the past five to ten years in relation to:

1. Developing an overall policy for environmental management of municipal activities.

• In 1995, the City Council signed the “Aalborg Charter of European Cities and Towns towards Sustainability”, which marked the beginning of the process of Local Agenda 21 in the municipality.

• In 1998, LA21 was adopted politically by the municipal. Following a system of 21 indicators representative of the state of sustainability of 10 established thematic areas, the system was updated in May 2004 with a review and extension of the monitoring system to 35 indicators.

• In 2000, the Environmental Sectorial Board (ESB) was created as an organism for citizen participation in LA21. This council, governed by an internal working rule which was approved in 2004, includes representatives from the major social and institutional groups in the municipality, with currently 40 participating groups.

• In 2002, the ”Environmental Action Plan 2002-2007” of LA21 was developed and then approved by the Municipal Council and by the ESB, which together with the indicators constitute the basic tool of LA21.

This plan specified the concrete actions to be taken for the period 2002-2007 to advance towards the sustainability objectives assumed for each of the areas identified in LA21. The total economic costs of the Plan amounted to 129,682,683€.

• In 2005, the “Sustainability Observatory of Vitoria-Gasteiz” was created to promote sustainable development at local level in a holistic way. Its functions have to do with information, diagnosis and evaluation, working closely with other institutions and networks to carry on with the effective implementation of the principles of sustainability.

• Also in 2005, two important international agreements were signed by Vitoria-Gasteiz City Council: “Allborg Charter +10” and ”San Francisco Declaration on ”Green Cities””.

• In 2008 the elaboration of “GEO-Vitoria-Gasteiz: Diagnosis and environmental sustainability” was completed, which has been conducted under the supervision of the United Nations Environment Programme (under the GEO Cities Programme Framework), and will serve as a basic element for the development of the new LA21 Action Plan.

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• Since 2009 the municipality is working on the new ”Action Plan 2010-2014 of Agenda 21”, which is currently in the public participation process and opened to citizens´suggestions.

• In 2010 Vitoria-Gasteiz has held the II Forum of European Union–Latin American & Caribbean Local Governments, where the ”Vitoria-Gasteiz Declaration” on sustainable development and social innovation and cohesion was adopted.

• Also in 2010, Vitoria-Gasteiz participates in HUMBOLDT, a four-year EU project aimed at the implementation of a European Spatial Data Infrastructure (ESDI) as planned by the INSPIRE initiative, meeting the goals of Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES).

• Currently, in May 2010, Vitoria-Gasteiz has been invited to participate in the Global Project on "Measuring the Progress of Societies" hosted by the OECD, where in collaboration with other international and regional partners the project seeks to become a world wide reference point to measure and assess the progress of their societies.

2. Increasing the share of the total consumption of eco-labelled, organic and energy-efficient products.

SUSTAINABLE PUBLIC PROCUREMENT PLAN (SPP Plan)

The City Council is aiming to commit to sustainable consumption with the future elaboration of a ”Sustainable Public Procurement Plan” by 2012 which is integrated as an action in the new ”Action Plan 2010-2014 of AL21”.

Currently, the municipality recommends the use of the IHOBE ”Green Public Procurement Guideline for Administration” and some binding procedures have been adopted for some specific products as FSC wood, Fair Trade vending machines, social criteria or the use of non-transgenic products where these bindings procedures apply to the 100% of the total consumption of those specific products or services.

To set a binding and more coordinated procedure and to purchase products and services with homogeneous sustainable criteria in all municipal departments, since 2007 and under the coordination of IHOBE and Ecoinstitut consultancy, Vitoria-Gasteiz started to participate in the working group of Ekitalde, with the other two Capital Cities of the Basque Country (Bilbao and San Sebastian) in order to introduce GPP procurement criteria, although Vitoria-Gasteiz wants to move forward with SPP and include social and economical aspects .

In 2008, the European Council called upon the Commission to develop an evaluation methodology performed by PriceWaterhouseCoopers, Significant and Ecofys, to measure GPP progress made by 2010 and thereafter by the EU Member States. Based on this evaluation methodology, Ecoinstitute is elaborating a similar GPP evaluation methodology for Vitoria-Gasteiz, Bilbao and San Sebastian for eight specific products and services that are going to be evaluated:

• Paper and paper products • Computers and informatic equipment • Office furniture • Cleaning products and services • Vehicles and fuels

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• Garden products and services • Catering and event organizations • Public works

Therefore, the municipality is currently coordinating the goals and actions of Ekitalde and the ”SPP Plan”. Since 2009 Vitoria-Gasteiz has started with the first phase of the ”SPP Plan” to diagnose the ”state of the art” of sustainable purchase practices in the different departments.

3. Increasing the energy efficiency of municipal buildings.

LOCAL ENERGY PLAN 2007-2012

The Plan for the “Energy Optimization of Municipal Buildings and Public Lighting of the City” derived from the deal that Vitoria-Gasteiz signed in 1999 with the Basque Energy Board (EVE) and was designed for promoting the rational use of energy and the use of renewable energy in the municipal buildings. Different energy optimization projects (savings, efficiency and renewables) have been studied and defined in this framework. The budget of this plan for 2008 was 8.0 M€, and one of the main activities carried out that year was the installation of solar photovoltaic units in the city (5,970,000€).

PILOT PROJECT

In terms of energy saving, in 2004, the Council launched a pilot project to reduce the intensity of public lighting through the installation of electrical flow reducing and stabilising equipments in the city light system. The purpose was to reduce the intensity of light at night, when activity is minimal. The initiative has been carried out in the industrial zone of Jundiz, achieving savings of 40% of total consumption in the area and savings 40.000€ per month.

11c. Describe planned long and short term measures to improve municipal environmental management:

The short term measures should include description of measures adopted, but not yet implemented, and budgets for future measures already adopted.

The long term measures should include description of planned measures yet to be politically sanctioned.

SHORT TERM

1) ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT

The ”2.1 Operational Objective of the Action Plan 2010-2014 of the Local Agenda 21” establishes the objective to improve the environmental management of the City Council with ”Best Practice guidelines” or with the implementation of management certifications as ISO 14001 or Ekoscan. These actions need to be reinforced with staff education and awareness campaigns.

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As the”Action Plan 2010-2014” is still in public participation process, no budget has been allocated for this concrete objective.

2) SUSTAINABLE PUBLIC PROCUREMENT PLAN (SPP Plan)

As explained previously, the City Council is aiming to commit to sustainable consumption with the future elaboration of a ”Sustainable Public Procurement Plan” by 2012, integrated as the ”5.3 Operational Objective of the Action Plan 2010-2014 of the Local Agenda”, to set a binding and more coordinated procedure and to purchase products and services with homogeneous sustainable criteria in all Departments of the City Council.

With the support of the working group of Ekitalde and the different City Council Departments, the first phase of the ”SPP Plan” to diagnose the ”state of the art” of sustainable purchase practices is currently in process. The next phase will be to improve and integrate sustainable criteria on the public procurement of the city council.

The adoption of the SPP Plan does not suppose an expense for the City Council. IHOBE, coordinator of Ekitalde, is financed by the Basque Government and uses its own budget for the consultancy expenses associated to Ecoinstitute. Therefore, there is no budget allocated to the SPP Plan and the different actions needed to develop this plan will be executed by the human resources of the municipality.

Once the SPP Plan draft is elaborated, it will be integrated in the local strategy of sustainability and supported and sanctioned politically for its effective implementation in the City Council.

3) LOCAL ENERGY PLAN 2007-2012

The budget for the Plan for the “Energy Optimization of Municipal Buildings and Public Lighting of the City” during years 2009 and 2010 amounts to 3.085.000 euros and its main activities include:

• Continuation of annual efficiency measures: 520,000 euros. • Continuation of annual training, dissemination and awareness actions: 145,000 euros. • Implementation of control systems and energy monitoring municipal vehicles: 30,000 euros. • Cogeneration: 600,000 euros. • Solar photovoltaic installations: 1,500,000 euros. 4) INTERNAL TRAINING

The Council provides training for its employees on energy and climate change. The “Climate Change Prevention Strategy” and the “Local Energy Plan” of Vitoria-Gasteiz includes measures that involve municipal staff, aimed to involve and encourage the collaboration of various departments and municipal corporations. The Department of Environment and Sustainability has provided a training course targeted at council members, managers, heads of municipal service and technicians, attending a total of 80 people. The training course is part of a medium-term strategy to quantify energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions by various municipal departments and to promote actions for energy efficiency and reduction, with no decrease in the quality of the public services offered by the Council.

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5) OTHER MEASURES

On other hand, the City Council of Vitoria-Gasteiz is studying the implementation of the pilot project carried out in the industrial zone of Jundiz to other neighbourhoods and areas of the city, and to include it in the future local bylaw that it is elaborating to promote energy savings and fight against climate change.

LONG TERM

1) ACTION PLAN 2010-2014 OF AGENDA 21

In 2008 an evaluation of the previous Local Action Plan 2002-2007 was carried out, and in 2009 Vitoria-Gasteiz started the elaboration of the second Agenda 21 Plan, improving the previous Action Plan 2002-2007 with a more integrated and sustainable view about the economic, social and environmental aspects. Currently, the Plan is on the phase of public participation and characterizing the necessary budgets for the different goals and actions.

2) PLAN TO FIGHT AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE 2010-2020

With the signing of the Covenant of Mayors in 2009, the CO2 reduction targets and actions are being adapted to the new framework. Due to this, the Local Energy Plan 2007-2010 and the Climate Change Prevention Strategy 2006-2012 are being merged and updated to this new EU target. With the new Plan Vitoria-Gasteiz expects to reduce the CO2 emissions in a 25% by 2020 and energy consumption in a 9%. Currently, there is a draft of the plan which is on the public participation phase.

11d. Describe how the above issues can be documented should your city be shortlisted for participation in the second phase of the evaluation (Documentation should not be forwarded in this phase) (max. 600 words).

List of plans/measures and political adoptions and decisions :

1) Environmental Action Plan 2002-2007 of the Local Agenda 21 Legal adoption.

English versión (Abstract): Agenda 21(English version)

2) Technical Evaluation of the Environmental Action Plan 2002-2007 of the Local Agenda 21

3) Agenda 21 Bulletins (2008-2009)

4) Action Plan 2010-2014 of the Local Agenda 21 (Draft)

5) Agenda 21 . Sustainability Indicators Legal adoption.

6) Allborg Charter

7) Environmental Sectorial Board Internal Rules

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8) Sustainability Observatory of Vitoria-Gasteiz. Legal Adoption

9) Allborg Charter +10 Legal Adoption

10) San Francisco Declaration on ”Green Cities

11) GEO-Vitoria-Gasteiz: Diagnosis and environmental sustainability Cooperation Agreement

12) Global Project on "Measuring the Progress of Societies" by OECD

13) ”Vitoria-Gasteiz Declaration ” on sustainable development and social innovation

14) Municipal Center of Enterprises: Ekoscan Certification

15) IHOBE GPP Guideline

16) GPP: Non- Transgenic products Declaration

17) Climate Change Prevention Strategy 2006-2012 Legal adoption. English versión (Abstract): Climate Change Prevention Strategy 2006

18) Fight Against Climate Change Plan 2010-2020 (Draft)

19) Fight Against Climate Change Plan 2010-2020 . Annex (Draft)

20) Covenant of Mayors. Legal declaration.

21) Local Energy Plan 2007-2012 Legal adoption. English versión (Abstract): Local Energy Plan 2007-2012

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12. DISSEMINATION PROGRAMME

1.1 Communications and PR Plan

If and when Vitoria-Gasteiz is selected as European Green Capital (EGC) we will develop a specific plan to coordinate all PR activities and ensure Europe-wide coverage and participation. The Plan will clearly identify the channels most appropriate for each target group. The Plan will include, among other things:

• Full international press releases and communications strategies. • Branding of Vitoria-Gasteiz- as European Green Capital 2012/2013 to ensure the

highest levels of visibility and recognition. • A full events and initiatives calendar, programming, among others, the promotional

activities detailed below.

1.2 Development of a web site and Web 2.0 channels.

One of the most efficient ways of communicating best practices and events and ensuring that all the information relating to Vitoria-Gasteiz as European Green Capital, is to launch a dedicated web-site offering up-to-date information in English and Spanish.

The City would also encourage, using web 2.0 channels, other European cities to contribute in the form of videos, visual information or any other data that might highlight not just innovative and effective ways of dealing with pollution, congestion, water-use, renewable energies, etc, but also effective ways of implementing measures that may not always be popular with local people.

In this initiative, Vitoria-Gasteiz will try to involve other international stakeholders (UN-Habitat, UNEP, ICLEI, EEA, European Sustainable Cities and Towns Campaign, ...)

1.3 Vitoria- European Green Capital opening and closing conference

Vitoria-Gasteiz Town Council will host an opening event. The ceremony will be opened by a world-renowned, environmentally-committed celebrity to ensure the widest press-coverage possible. This high profile event will establish an annual European Green Capital of the Year event to generate the highest levels of social involvement and political commitment.

The opening conference will:

• Highlight some of the City's own good practices and those of other European cities. • Involve stakeholders from the public and private sectors, schools and science and

technology arenas.

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• Present some of the environmental challenges facing Europe today and launch the initiatives (see below) designed to provide solutions during the year.

• The ceremony will also launch other European Green Capital Events.

The closing conference will:

• Highlight a different set of the City's own good practices and those of other European cities.

• Involve stakeholders from the public and private sectors, schools and science and technology arenas.

• Present the solutions that have been proposed to deal with the challenges set out in opening ceremony.

Hand over the baton to the next European Green Capital of the Year.

1.4 Vitoria-European Green Capital seminar in Brussels

At this seminar, Vitoria-Gasteiz will share its view on sustainable urban development, working from local to global, highlighting some of the City's own good practices and introducing the solutions proposed in order to deal with the challenges that face the city.

1.5 Green inventor award

We will seek private sponsorship to launch the “Green Inventor Award”. The aim will be to encourage environmental progress through science and technology. The award will seek to find a solution to a current environmental challenge. It will be open to all inventors, regardless of their country of origin- the message is that the environment is a cross border issue and it is up to us to play a part in caring for it.

1.6 Schools competition

The schools competition will again be a Europe-wide competition in which groups of children will design an advertising campaign for the European Green Capital initiative. The idea would be to put the winner’s idea into production through private sponsorship and, if there is sufficient money available, launch it through BBC World or similar channels.

1.7 European Green Capital Seminars

Vitoria-Gasteiz will exploit its long experience with the Urban Ecology Classroom to redesign it during the Green Capital year to invite city officials, decision makers, NGOs, researchers and anyone interested to monthly workshops on issues relating to

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sustainable urban management. The aim is to raise awareness of these issues, to present good examples, and to create a platform for discussing future collaborations.

1.8 Eco-routes and MP3

The City has harnessed the power of mp3 as a useful medium for communicating with people at a time and place that is convenient for them. The mp3 files are currently used to provide individuals with a history of the City as they walk through the medieval quarter.

Vitoria-Gasteiz’s programme for disseminating best practices will include mp3 files that can be downloaded to players to follow specially-designed eco-routes in the city. These will illustrate some of the City’s own initiatives to create and nurture an environmentally friendly city.

1.9 Professional & Technical Study Visits

A Green Capital 2012/13 Professional & Technical Study Visits Programme will be available to show professional visitors some of the solutions the city is applying in sustainable urban management.

This programme will strengthen the network with other cities and increase the possibilities of sharing experience and learning from one another.

1.10 European Mobility Week and/or Green Week and/or European Energy Week

The city will host these events using the whole city as the backdrop for a large exhibition. Most of the events will be celebrated in and around public open spaces. The idea is based on “recovering the city for the citizens”, showing the City’s capacity for acting and exchanging information in an environmentally-friendly atmosphere. Some of the events will be celebrated using the new public areas provided by the first “Super-blocks” implemented due to the Sustainable Mobility and Public Space Plan, demonstrating a different way of understanding the relationship between citizens and open spaces.

The city will also apply for the right to host the CIVITAS Forum’s annual conference 2012/13 and the Encuentro Local CONAMA.

1.11 Ambassador of the European Green Cities

The City will become an ambassador of the European Green Cities, through its active participation and membership of the most important European and international

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environmental events (European Green Week, European Energy Week, World Urban Forum 2012 or the celebration of the Environmental World Day).

1.12 European School Agenda 21 Network

The City will promote the creation of a network of schools from all the European cities working on School Agenda 21 with the aim of sharing knowledge and information from a European child’s perspective.

Likewise, exchanges will be fostered between centres involved in the development of School Agenda 21 activities in Vitoria-Gasteiz and in other European cities. To do this, visits to the city lasting several days will be organised for Agenda 21 students and coordinators of European centres.

1.13 Volunteers campaign for the dissemination of European Green Capital-related activities Taking advantage of the experience gained in the successful volunteers campaign promoted recently to support changes made in the public transport network, a public volunteers campaign will be developed in order to involve the public in the experience of being European Green Capital, and to support this by disseminating a number of different environmental experiences and good practices among all sectors of the City. The campaign will be developed in a number of different places and at different times in order to reach the largest possible number of people. In this way, activities linked to the dissemination of sustainable mobility, the promotion of the rational use of energy, water saving, fair trade, the adequate management of waste, etc., will be organised. This campaign will be aimed at the public in general but also at education centres, retail outlets, companies, institutions and associations. The campaign will focus on the current situation of the city but will also feature the improvements it aims to bring about as European Green Capital. The campaign will be developed in coordination with the difference municipal services involved, with the difference institutions represented in the city and in collaboration with a wide range of public associations and entities. 1.14 Technical Seminar and Events Organisation The city will promote 1 or 2 events for technical experts on different environmental subjects at national / European level. Some examples could be: - Sustainable Urban Development and Sustainability Indicators. For this, the city is already participating in the Urbact II Programme with the LC-Facil Proyect. - Promotion of Green Energy Vehicles and development of electric cars in Europe.