Climate-KIC boosts sustainable city solutions in Spain, Portugal and Malta
Climate-KIC is delighted to announce that three new districts, Alfama (Lisbon), La Pinada (Valencia) and Valletta, have joined its Smart Sustainable Districts (SSD) programme. Climate-KIC will be supporting these city districts to develop projects that drive forward smart and integrated local sustainability solutions.
Smart Sustainable Districts is a Climate-KIC flagship programme working closely with ambitious cities across Europe as a catalyst for sustainable urban transformations. We help cities to develop integrated district-scale sustainable systems projects – unlocking radical environmental, social and economic benefits for their communities.
The three new districts will join a community of cities working to deliver world-leading sustainable city districts. They will receive advice, innovation brokerage support and opportunities to share best-practices with other cities, and some funding to spark their long-term activities.
Short profiles of our new members
Alfama, in Lisbon, Portugal
With an existing aging population facing a high influx of young professionals, with old deteriorating buildings standing next to luxuriously refurbished developments, and new businesses competing with long established trade, the historic Alfama has many faces. The Alfama Smart Sustainable Districts Project aims to overcome these challenges and create a “sustainable and healthy Alfama for all”, resulting in climate resilient public spaces, clean mobility and climate friendly buildings through the integration of data, local user needs, and ideas to empower local economy.
La Pinada near Valencia
Being the first Spanish eco-district co-designed together with its future residents, the ambition of La Pinada district is to build a sustainable and innovative neighbourhood across all dimensions: energy, water, mobility, circular and shared economy, nature integration, social cohesion, community vitality, services and shops at the door-step while gearing spend towards socially and environmentally responsible providers. La Pinada was born around the newly formed Imagine Montessori school and has a key focus on education and children, and will host around 1000 families on a 25 hectare site.
Valletta, in Malta
The World Heritage micro-city of Valletta is a town with a size of 0.8km2, a declining population of around 6,500 citizens, but with two million tourists visiting annually. While there are geographical and historical conservation constraints, there is an aspiration to improve the built environment, increase green areas, reduce vehicle traffic and address obsolete infrastructure and rehabilitate social buildings. Together with the Mayor of Valletta and other stakeholders, the Valletta Smart Sustainable Districts project will drive the introduction of solutions in these areas, while over-coming barriers through the integration of the Data and ICT as well as the introduction of integrated planning
Urban Challenges
Climate-KIC has also just accepted seven ‘Urban Challenge’ projects from cities around Europe (Copenhagen, Ferrara, Malmo, Paris, Sofia, Rimini and Trento) to address a wide number of innovation challenges ranging from improving the nature based solutions in district plans, mobility, digitization and local renewable energies.
Our Urban Challenge programme helps cities to define the challenges they face, connect with entrepreneurs able to solve these challenges and identify the most promising solutions at a competitive open innovation pitch event.
To receive more information or to join our Urban Challenge programme, please contact Urban Transitions: urban.theme@climate-kic.org or visit: www.climate-kic.org/themes/urban-transitions/
For questions on our Smart Sustainable Districts programme please contact Tim Taylor: tim.taylor@climate-kic.org
NOTES TO THE EDITOR
Media contact
Georgia Hutchinson, Corporate Communications Manager
Phone: +44 7584 621 548
Email: georgia.hutchinson@climate-kic.org
About Climate-KIC:
Climate-KIC is Europe’s largest public-private innovation partnership focused on climate change, consisting of dynamic companies, the best academic institutions and the public sector. The EU agency is one of three Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs) created in 2010 by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT).
We integrate education, entrepreneurship and innovation resulting in connected, creative transformation of knowledge and ideas into economically viable products or services that help to mitigate climate change.
Our activities are driven by four climate change themes:
- Urban Transitions
- Sustainable Production Systems
- Decision Metrics and Finance
- Sustainable Land Use
The Regional Innovation Scheme (RIS) of the European Institute of Innovation & Technology (EIT) is a structured programme to support the integration of the Knowledge Triangle and increase the innovation capacity in areas and regions in Europe not directly benefiting from the EIT and its KICs
ABOUT THE EUROPEAN INSTITUTE OF INNOVATION AND TECHNOLOGY (EIT):
The EIT is an independent body of the European Union set up in 2008 to spur innovation and entrepreneurship across Europe to overcome some of its greatest challenges. It brings together leading higher education institutions, research labs and companies to form dynamic cross-border partnerships – Knowledge and Innovation Communities, KICs – that develop innovative products and services, start new companies, and train a new generation of entrepreneurs.
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