World Cities Day is celebrated on October 31, a date promoted since 2014 by the United Nations (UN) to reflect on how urbanization can be a driver of change for sustainable development. This year, with the theme “Young Climate Change Agents: Catalyzing Local Action for Urban Sustainability“, the crucial role of youth and local governments in addressing climate challenges in cities and moving towards a more resilient and sustainable urban future is highlighted. Today, more than half of the world’s population lives in urban areas and this figure is projected to increase to 70% by 2050. This urban growth poses critical challenges, but it also offers unprecedented opportunities to implement creative solutions that improve the quality of life of its inhabitants. Cities, by concentrating a large part of global economic activity, generate 65% of the world’s energy demand and are responsible for 75% of carbon dioxide emissions, which makes them key points in addressing the climate crisis. The importance of involving youth in urban planning and development is becoming increasingly evident, especially in the face of the climate challenges facing our cities. Under this year’s theme, it is highlighted that the creativity and innovative ideas of young people are fundamental to addressing poverty, inequality and environmental degradation in urban environments. Young people’s voices must be heard, and their participation in decision-making is essential to building more inclusive and resilient cities, the UN says. To ensure that these voices are integrated into urban management, initiatives such as the Pact for the Future and the Declaration on Future Generations have been established that prioritize the views of young people in the creation of sustainable policies. Encouraging the creation of youth councils and maintaining a constant dialogue between young people and policymakers are crucial steps in developing strategies that reflect the diverse needs of the urban population. In doing so, not only do you address today’s challenges, but you also lay the foundation for a more equitable and sustainable urban future, where today’s decisions benefit future generations.

PROMOTION OF URBAN RENATURATION

Until now, urban development has been carried out with its back to nature. Added to this has been an accelerated process of expansion, overpopulation and loss of biodiversity. Distancing nature from the city is entailing significant economic, health and quality of life costs for its inhabitants. To reverse this situation, it is necessary to promote a change of course in the management of urban environments and mobilise resources to direct them to promoting a real rapprochement between city and nature, promoting the recovery, growth and connection of green infrastructures based on Nature-based Solutions (NBS). Thus, urban renaturation can contribute to responding to the challenges faced by cities, such as pollution or the obvious effects of climate change, which have a direct impact on people’s well-being and health. In this context, the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO) supports, through three calls for grants, 73 key projects to transform cities into more sustainable and healthy spaces. These initiatives seek to recover nature in urban environments, mitigate the risk of flooding in river areas and adapt to the effects of climate change. They include actions at different scales, such as the planting of native species, the creation of green rings and floodable parks and the naturalization of degraded areas. These projects, which have a total endowment of 194 million euros from the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (RTRP) financed by the European Union – NextGenerationEU, are an example of the paradigm shift that cities need. Among the beneficiary projects is “Conecta Congost Natura 2025” in Granollers (Barcelona), which aims to renaturalise the Congost River and update the municipality’s green infrastructure through the superblock model. Thanks to this initiative, 300 longitudinal meters of river, currently boxed in, will be restored to integrate it into the Congost park, which will be transformed into a 21,500 square meter promenade. In addition, urban green infrastructure will be reinforced with new renaturalised areas designed to promote sustainable mobility and improve the city’s green connectivity.

Another example of the call for the promotion of urban renaturation is the BRERA project, in Soria. This initiative advances in the recovery, restoration, connection and expansion of green areas, biodiversity and ecosystem wealth in the city. The main objective is to recover biodiversity by transforming degraded and disused spaces into habitats for pollinators and amphibians. Finally, the Andújar-Río Guadalquivir Organic River Park project (Jaén) addresses key issues to ensure the safety and well-being of citizens: mitigating the risk of flooding, eliminating invasive alien species and revegetation of the riverbank. All this will contribute to improving its layout and its role as a connector for the development of biodiversity. The 73 Spanish cities that are currently implementing these pioneering projects lead the way towards an urban model that combines sustainability, innovation and well-being, demonstrating that Nature-Based Solutions are essential for the future of our cities.