THE SMARTEES PROJECT

LOCAL SOCIAL INNOVATION

Vitoria-Gasteiz shares with SMARTEES cities its experience in implementing superblocks

17 October 2018

Vitoria-Gasteiz shares with SMARTEES cities its experience in implementing superblocks

The SMARTEES project started its series of site visits aimed at sharing knowledge and best practices between the cities participating in the project. The cities of A Coruna, Lisbon, Porto and Zagreb participated in the first visit, which took place on 17 October 2018 and was dedicated to the experience of Vitoria-Gasteiz in the creation of superblocks as part of sustainable urban mobility.

Vitoria-Gasteiz earned its recognition as the European Green Capital 2012 for its commitment to the environment. The creation of superblocks is included in the city’s Sustainable Mobility and Public Space Plan as one of the key innovative solutions. An integrated approach and comprehensive participatory process, which accompanied their development, made the experience of Vitoria-Gasteiz a reference model for other cities aiming to implement superblocks in their contexts.

During the site visit, Juan Carlos Escudero, Head of Information and Innovation for the Urban Sustainability Unit of the Environmental Studies Centre of Vitoria-Gasteiz, presented an overview of the city’s experience in implementing their sustainable urban mobility plan and particularly in the creation of superblocks. The following excursion through the superblock of Sancho el Sabio allowed participants to see the practical aspects of superblocks implementation and experience their social benefits, such as priority for pedestrians, traffic calming measures and additional public spaces fostering social and economic interactions between residents.

A photo gallery of the site visit is available on Flickr.

More information about the Sustainable Mobility and Public Space Plan of Vitoria-Gasteiz can be found here.

Image: SMARTEES cities visit to Vitoria-Gasteiz

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This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 763912. The sole responsibility for the content of this website lies with the SMARTEES project. It does not necessarily represent the opinion of the European Union.