According to a ranking published in 2022 by Forbes magazine, the city of Valencia is the best city in the world to live in. Just one of the many achievements that the Mediterranean capital has accumulated in recent years: from its election as World Capital of Design and European Capital of Smart Tourism – also in 2022 – to its current reign as European Sustainable Capital. The reasons? As many excuses to visit the city of Túria and the mascletàs.
In addition to its 300 days of sunshine, a garden that acts as an extension of the city itself and an endless number of cultural proposals, efforts have been made to turn València into the mirror of many other cities in the world: conservation measures have increased, tradition It sighs between barracks and orchards, and the urban configuration has turned the bicycle into the best ally.
We get lost in the places and reasons that have made Valencia the European Green Capital 2024.
The heart of Valencia flourishes in the form of gardens and green areas contained in almost five million square meters. However, when we talk about a sustainable emblem, all eyes point to the Túria Garden, considered the longest urban park in Europe as it has almost ten kilometers that run between the City of Arts and Sciences and the Cabecera park. Today, the old channel of the Túria forms a route to discover by bicycle before stopping under the trees to read a book. Here, nature and urbanism never conversed so well.
Not only is the heart of València green: its surroundings also protect the city in the form of two natural parks where you can get lost. If you ascend the river you will reach the Túria Natural Park, a set of natural habitats around a site from the Bronze Age and the remains of an ancient aqueduct from Roman times. On the other hand, if you descend to the south, you will reach the iconic Albufera, a group of marshes covered in reeds, old barracks and small towns like El Palmar, ideal for tasting a paella surrounded by landscapes where the silence is only interrupted by the flight of a heron
In the middle of a furrow, the new owners of an old farmhouse contemplate the sea of ??orange trees in the distance. “There are lettuces,” says one graffiti; so many fresh products in the Central Market and a natural pantry of up to 120 square kilometers where wise hands caress the earth and the irrigation ditches murmur stealthily among the palm trees. La Huerta de València not only preserves its memory in the form of a perfect green transition, but also invites you to immerse yourself in its legacy through visits, tastings and art festivals that celebrate like few others another of València’s mantras, L’Horta Aporta.
València has 160 kilometers of bike lanes throughout the city, so you can access almost anywhere on two wheels, including the urban area. The city center has been pedestrianized little by little and moving between icons such as its Silk Market or the cathedral by bicycle is the best guarantee of commitment to the environment and more responsible tourism. Just one of the many measures promoted by the city of Valencia when it comes to reducing its carbon footprint and achieving total neutrality by 2030.
Miguel Delibes said that “culture is created in towns and destroyed in cities”, a quote that acquires new readings in Valencia. In Bombas Gens, exhibitions and artistic activities of all kinds flood this old factory; Urban art becomes an ally to raise awareness among passers-by; and the circuit of artistic workshops extends to places like the Sierra de la Calderona, a microuniverse of land art and holistic art. Sorolla’s light floats through every corner to turn art into another gear of change.
A neighborhood of al fresco dinners, salty afternoons and hanging clothes. Neighborhoods of Valencia such as El Cabanyal, seriously threatened years ago, today establish urban planning plans that respect the heights of the buildings, ensure the local character and recover disused homes. At least, that is the intention of the City Council, where a few weeks ago the guide Rehabilitating the Cabanyal was presented.
In addition to the protection of its natural oases, Valencia has also become an example when we talk about the recovery of endangered habitats and ecosystems. Coastal dunes like the complex of La Devesa, in El Saler, breathe calmly in the face of distant urbanism; while spaces such as the La Granja del Saler Recovery Center deals with the recovery of those native wild species that have lost their ability to fly, swim or make their way in the environment. In addition, we find other examples such as the L’Albufera camps to recover specimens of the loggerhead turtle, a species in danger of extinction on the Mediterranean coast.