“Valencia has earned the Green Capital title because of its ambitious sustainability strategy, and it has learned from lessons in the past,” said EU Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries Virginijus Sinkevičius.

 

Valencia has over 21-million square-feet of gardens, making it a popular tourist destination for the rest of Europe and North America. Just six miles south of the city center is Albufera National Park, a protected lagoon area described as the city’s “green lung” by mayor of the Alfafar municipality, Ramón Adsuara.  But it’s what you do with what you’ve got that counts – and that has earned Valencia the Green Capital title for 2024, beating co-finalist Cagliari, Italy.

Valencia’s motto is ‘On a Mission Together’ and city authorities were praised by the EU Commission for working with residents to reach their climate neutrality and environmental goals.

As part of its mission to become carbon neutral by 2030, a number of green initiatives have been started across the city. Many of them are found in the Cabanyal district, historically home to the local fishing community. In the 37,000 square-foot Cabanyal Municipal Market for example, air conditioning is now being supplied by rooftop solar panels.

Nearby in Las Naves, Valencia’s first ‘socialized solar plant’ is around 80 percent funded by individual citizens, who each chipped in between €100 ($110)  and €2,000 ($2,000)  for a stake in the renewable energy generator. Other green initiatives include smart lighting along the seafront, where more than 20,000 lamp posts have been fitted with energy saving technology. Lamp posts are also doubling up as EV charging points, with support from the EU-funded MAtchUP project.

“Today we take the baton from Tallinn and we do it with great strength,” said Mayor of Valencia, María José Catalá during the opening ceremony at the city’s Palau de la Música.  “It begins a year in which more than 400 activities will be held, where Valencia will be the beacon of green policies in Europe to build a more humane, more sustainable and more prepared to combat climate change city.”

Here are some of the flagship projects we know about so far.

Safeguarding the Albufera park

One of the European Green Capital initiatives from Valencia is to have the Albufera  National Park declared a biosphere reserve. The national park holds Spain’s largest freshwater lagoon; home (at times) to 300 different species of birds, especially waterfowl including flamingos. It’s been a Special Protection Area for 30 years, but becoming a UNESCO biosphere reserve would grant it even greater sanctity as a ‘learning place for sustainable development. 

New green routes in Valencia

The first new route is called ‘the green river’ and it covers the almost six miles of the Turia Garden, one of Spain’s largest urban parks which tracks the former Turia riverbed. It’s described as a “healthy backbone” with clear climate strengths: staying three degrees cooler than other areas of the city, while acting as a natural sponge that retains and filters water to the subsoil – thus preventing floods and erosion.

The second route takes walkers through the city center, across squares and pedestrian streets that showcase Valencia’s commitment to sustainable mobility.

Route 3 encompasses the city’s “three natural pantries”: an urban fruit tree orchard, the fish-stocked Mediterranean sea, and Albufera with its surrounding rice fields, where paella was first cooked.  Also on Valencia’s busy schedule is a climate summit it is planning to host, bringing together more than 200 European cities to discuss the continent’s move to climate neutrality.  Valencia will receive $381,000 from the EU to put towards its green efforts this year.

In 2025 Vilnius, Lithuania, takes the Green City title next year.  The 2026 title is still open for entries.