Governance and participation plan for the Renaturing Valencia 2022 project

The Renaturing València 2022 project (R-VLC 2022) proposes a creative and interdisciplinary approach to designing future ways and spaces for living, imagining and building an inclusive, sustainable, and beautiful future, in line with the New Mediterranean Bauhaus.

Thus, in line with the Valencia 2030 Urban Strategy, the Green and Biodiversity Plan, and the Urban Agriculture Plan, space restoration actions (Mediterranean garden and urban orchard) are being carried out in response to citizen demands and participatory processes aimed at increasing the city’s green infrastructure. A Pollinator Conservation Hub will also be developed, seeking to create a biodiversity hub within the Turia Gardens. Finally, 115 biodiversity pilot projects will be developed within the city’s green infrastructure. The project covers an area of ​​19,465 m2 and has received significant publicity, coinciding with Valencia’s 2024 European Green Capital Award, in recognition of the city’s renaturalization efforts.

Within this framework, NBSCLIMATE has been awarded a consulting and technical assistance service for the drafting, implementation, and support of the revitalization, management, and development of the governance actions for the Valencia Renaturing project. This includes a participatory process to accompany and guide the project’s development, promoting citizen participation, learning, and governance, as well as ensuring the proper management, execution, and justification of all project actions within the established timeframes.

The Governance Plan aims to improve coordination and collaborative work between the different areas of the City Council and other associated entities involved in the project’s implementation. Likewise, activities aimed at exchanging perceptions, knowledge, and contributions from citizens are undertaken, as well as a training program on the technical aspects of renaturing to maintain and promote Urban Green Infrastructure (UGI) under ecological criteria, with a view to ensuring continuity of the actions once the project is completed.

As usual, our work methodology is based on the IUCN Global Standard for Nature-based Solutions, following its eight criteria, specifically criterion 5 on inclusive governance, criterion 7 on adaptive management, and criterion 8 on scaling and sustainability, integrating participatory, inclusive, and adaptive tools within the paradigm of co-governance, co-management, and collaboration for the common good in its broadest sense.

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    City Council of Valencia
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