Today, September 22 is World Car Free Day, a date established by the European Commission in 2000. The celebration of this event concludes the commemoration of the European Mobility Week (EMW), which began on September 16 and aims to promote the use of more sustainable means of transport and avoid the use of polluting transport.

This date also aims to raise public awareness of the opportunity to use alternative means of transport to the car to reduce air pollution and improve air quality in cities. It also aims to highlight the benefits of using more environmentally friendly means of transport for people’s health and for mobility in urban areas by reducing congestion levels on the roads.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution is one of the greatest environmental health risks, causing some 7 million deaths per year due to toxic levels of polluted air. It also points out that 99% of the world’s population breathes air that does not comply with WHO air quality guidelines as it contains environmental pollutants in the form of particulate matter that cause health problems (cardiovascular, cerebrovascular and respiratory diseases).

Furthermore, urban areas are particularly sensitive to this issue, as they are home to 54% of the world’s population and this figure is expected to reach 68% by 2050, according to the World Cities Report 2022, prepared by UN-Habitat. In this sense, the trend towards a global increase in population will continue to produce a generalized use of polluting automobiles, and consequently, high levels of environmental pollution and higher greenhouse gas emissions.

In this context, the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, contributes to promoting the renaturalization of cities, improving their habitability, as well as the adaptation and mitigation of climate change in urban areas, through the calls for grants it manages within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (PRTR), financed by the European Union – NextGenerationEU.

The project Connect Congost Natura 2025 currently developed by the City Council of Granollers in partnership with the Urban and Territorial Ecology Foundation (FEUT), aims to strengthen the urban green infrastructure through the incorporation of new areas of opportunity for renaturalization and improved livabilityThe new superblock model has been implemented. This model is based on actions that reduce or completely eliminate the space for road traffic and incorporates naturalization actions with tree and shrub planting to achieve a greener space that ensures health and comfort in this environment.

The REVIVES project developed by Vitoria-Gasteiz, in partnership with the Fundación Ecología y Territorial (FEUT), is also working on the reinforcement of the city’ s green infrastructure through the application of superblocks. To this end, it proposes the design and execution of the Los Herrán urban green corridor. The initiative will carry out the renaturation of 2 hectares and the connection with other corridors within the urban area, which will also favor actions aimed at sustainable mobility. In addition, flower meadows, microhabitats and wildlife refuges will be created to eliminate paved and asphalted areas in order to create a green linear space with high biodiversity that favors ecological connectivity processes.

For its part, the project Adaptation to climate change and improvement of urban biodiversity in Lleida (URBAN-NAT LLEIDA), carried out by the Lleida City Council, aims to create a three-dimensional green fabric in the city that connects with the peri-urban environment and natural spaces. In addition, the aim is to convert these green spaces into ecosystemic nodes to serve as refuges for native flora and fauna, but also as climatic refuges for the population, improving the resilience of the municipality.

Finally, the Anillo Verde de Ponferrada project being carried out by the Ponferrada City Council, in partnership with the Fundación Naturaleza y Hombre, is aimed at the requalification and connection of more than 15 hectares. To this end, it will promote actions to improve urban and peri-urban biodiversity and the recovery of areas degraded by old land uses. The creation of the Green Belt will allow the ecological connection between different spaces such as riverside ecosystems (Sil and Boeza rivers), green spaces in the urban core and degraded urban areas, promoting active mobility and the well-being of the population.