Malaga becomes 25th Spanish member of the CIVITAS network
The city of Malaga, on the Costa del Sol in Andalusia,Spain, is keen to play an active part in the CIVITAS Forum Network. The city’s mobility plan is already oriented towards mobility management, with the goal of achieving a significant modal shift from private car use to more sustainable modes of transport.
Asked why Malaga has chosen to join the CIVITAS Forum Network, Filippo Maria Contenti, European Programmes Adviser for the City Administration, explained: “After years of a lack of clear policies for urban planning and mobility, the city of Malaga is now conscious of the importance of developing a strategy for sustainable mobility in order to improve quality of life within the city. We think now is the best time to join the CIVITAS Initiative and to commit ourselves to active participation.”The city was the first in Spain to draw up an Agenda 21 plan and has signed the European Commission’s Covenant of Mayors, declaring its commitment to local sustainable energy. Malaga’s Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan is now awaiting approval, and the city is poised to implement its main measure. Malaga already participates in various transnational cooperation projects in the field of mobility, including the “Villemizero” project (Villes Emissions Zero) under the European Commission’s INTERREG IIIB programme MEDOCC (for sustainable development in the Western Mediterranean); and the INTERREG IVC POWER project E-Mob: Electro Mobility Accelerator. As a result, municipal technicians are well aware of the importance of exchanging experiences and best practices in the field of mobility with other EU municipal governments that are pioneers in the field. For Malaga, this represents one of the main attractions of networking with the other members of CIVITAS. At the same time, Contenti points out that “Political representatives are conscious of the strategic importance of sustainable mobility and are committed to supporting innovative projects such as the CIVITAS Initiative.” The CIVITAS Network now includes almost 200 members, the most recent additions being Ferrol and Malaga (Spain), Aveiro (Portugal), Friesach (Austria), Thessaloniki (Greece) and Kędzierzyn-Koźle (Poland). Information on their sustainable urban mobility policies, plans and initiatives are currently being prepared for inclusion on the CIVITAS Forum Network’s web page.
Author: CIVITAS Secretariat
