Centre of Strategies and Development (CEyD)

Valencia Profile:
•Population: 807.396 inhabitants
•Metropolitan area: 1.902.126 inhabitants
•3rd Spanish city in economic and demographic importance
•Privileged geographic location

Economic Activity
- Intense, dynamic, competitive, sustainable and modern economic activity growth
- Economic activities by sectors (2006):
•Tertiary Services and Commerce: 56.745 – 64.3 %
•Artistic professionals: 19.818 – 22.5 %
•Construction: 7.672 – 8.7%
•Industry: 3.922 – 4.4%
•Agriculture and farming: 39 – 0.0%

- High activity rate (06): 60%
- Unemployment rate below the regional and national average (2006): 6.2%. Full male employment and significant reduction of the female unemployment rate
-Highly skilled workforce for high quality employment affordable in economic terms (2006): 405.842 workers
-Open economy to the foreign opportunities. Big increase in venture capital funds and multinational headquarters attraction
- Clear sectorial leaderships in traditional sectors:
•Paper and graphic arts (21.8%)
•Wood, cork and furniture (13.8%) y
•Metal products (11.7%).
- Strong impulse to new emerging sectors
•Information and communication technologies
•Renewable energies
•Life sciences
•Biotechnology
•Audio-visual/Media
•Fashion and accessories

Economic centre with future
- Working in the international sphere:
•Trade Fair of Valencia, currently one of the most successful fairs in the world. Best growth rates
•One of the main destinations for Congresses
3rd worldwide city in business tourism growth (95/05): 950%
•Leader of high level dynamic urban tourism
Outstanding infrastructures and wide leisure and cultural offer
• Experience hosting International Organizations' Headquarters (UN, UNESCO, OMS, NATO) and international events (i.e. America’s Cup 2007, World Athletics Championship in indoor track 2008)

Transport infrastructures
- Accessible metropolis. Good connections and quick access
-Advanced technological infrastructures: 1st Spanish city with optical fibre wiring
-Port of Valencia, driving force and leader of growth in the Mediterranean Arch
-Airport of Valencia, national and international continuous expansion
-Structuring communication centre of the “cities diamond”
-Easy mobility. Network of collective transport in expansion: Tube, Tram, Suburban Train and Bus based on renewable energies.

Logistic infrastructures:
• Valencia, one of the most important logistic centre
• Great investments in new logistic areas and wide offer of quality space for economic activities with one of the lowest land price in Spain for offices and industry:
- Airport: 36.000 m²
- Logistic activities zone of the Port: 683.232 m²
- Logistic park of Ribarroja: 1.122.103 m²
- North area: 3.600.000 m²

Knowledge Infrastructures
•Excellent world class University sector and outstanding R+D infrastructures
- City of Innovation for researches and R+D companies
- Scientific Park for transference and creation of technological companies
- REDIT, 16 Technological Institutes Network
- “Principe Felipe” Foundation for Biomedicine
- University-Business Foundation
- 6 Universities and 32 University institutes
- 10 Centres of the Scientific Research Council
- 7 Research Centres
- 4 European Centres for innovative enterprises
- Foundation for Urban Innovation and Knowledge Economy, FIVEC
•3rd European city, after Paris and Manchester, in places of university and postgraduate education
•Clusters strengthen the trinomial “companies-university-research” institutions

Environment infrastructures
•Valencia: environmental quality and singularity
-One of the best Spanish cities in green zones (4.301.209 m²). Urban green: 5,5 m²/inhabitant. Total green 84.2 m²/inhabitant
-11 urban parks (1.772.031 m2) and 14 stretches of the Turia River Garden (9 km)
-More than 716 district green areas (25 parks and 691 gardens, 500 of them with spaces for children) and 240 specific areas with children’s facilities
-Emblematic nature spaces for the citizens: old Turia riverbed, L’Albufera, 24 km of beaches, Park of Cabecera, fertile orchard, Zoo and Biopark
-Quality water cycle, refuse collection, environmental education, high air quality standards

Cultural infrastructures and citizenship - City of culture and development.
Vibrant cultural sector
•Culture and sport for all. Outstanding facilities and wide and varied cultural offering, 32 museums and more than 52 art galleries and exhibition halls
•More than 50 libraries, 94 sport facilities and 39 swimming pools
•Perfect mix between tradition and modernity
•International architectonic reference of present (City of the Arts and Sciences) and future (Royal Marina Juan Carlos I)
•Active, supportive, dynamic, occupied and integrating citizenship
•Strong civic leadership and city strategy

Political and administrative decentralization of Spain
•Spain is a Constitutional Monarchy divided into 17 Autonomous Communities and 2 autonomous cities (Ceuta-Melilla), as established in the Spanish Constitution ( 27th of December 1978).
•The Autonomous Communities are subdivided into 50 Provinces.
•Valencia is the capital of the Valencian Autonomous Community, as established by the Autonomy Statute (Law 1/2006, 10 of April).
•The basic competences of the Spanish municipalities are the following (Law 7/1985, 2nd of April):
a)Security in public areas.
b)Traffic planning of vehicles and people in urban routes
c)Civil protection, prevention and fire fighting
d)Zoning, management, implementation and city planning; housing promotion and management; gardens and parks; public roadway and streets paving; paths and rural routes maintenance.
e)Historic-artistic heritage.
f)Environment protection.
g)Wholesale food market, slaughterhouse, fairs, markets and users and consumers defence.
•h) Public health protection.
i) Participation in the management of the primary care service
j) Cemeteries and funeral services.
k) Provision of social services, promotion and social reintegration services
l) Water and street lighting supply; street/road cleaning, waste collection and treatment, sewer system and sewage water treatment services
m) Public/collective transport
n) Cultural and sports facilities or activities; spare time activities; tourism.
o) Participation in the education programme planning and cooperation with the Education Administration in creating, building and maintaining public educational centres, taking part in their management bodies and participating in the surveillance of the compulsory education observance.

Previous experience in cooperation projects and in projects on strategic planning

•Urban Planning European Projects:
-Agora 2000 (website to provide information about Urban Planning and presentation of urban projects)
-SIMPYC (Information System about Environmental Integration between ports and Cities)
-Divers (Information System to study the diversity in Urban Ecosystems)
-Cities Network C-6 (renovation of old towns)

•Other cooperation projects:
-City twinning with Mainz (Germany), Odessa (Ukraine), Bologna (Italy), Vera Cruz (Mexico), Valencia (Venezuela), Sacramento (USA).
-Interreg III C: “City to City”
-ICT: “Intelcities”
-Interreg III C:“Grands Travaux”
-Equal II: “ConciliaTE”
-Leonardo da Vinci: “Virtual Learning Environment for European Local Polices”
-Different cooperation projects with cities of Africa
-Other projects of sustainable development “Ecolight”, “Urbanbat”, “Eurobionet”, “Starter”, “Telecityvisión”, “Autobuses ecológicos”, etc

Experience in urban planning

• Valencia City Council has the Urbanism, Housing and Urban Quality Department in charge of:
Urbanism
Urban zoning of districts
Housing
Expropriation
Coordination of works in public routes
Traffic and transport
Street lighting and ornamental fountains
Sports

• This Department is also in charge of the local development framework of the whole city and its districts and the cartography of the city

Specific municipal plans for infrastructures and local public services

•Some examples of finished urban projects:
-Integral Renovation Planning of the Historical City Centre: Lanera, Petxina, Tabacalera, Palacio de la Exposició, Almudin, L’Almoina, La Lonja, Torres de Serrano y Quart, Colon Market, Napoles and Sicilia Square, Arzobispo Square, Tossal Square, Hesperides Garden, etc
-Architectonic reference: “Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias” (City of the Arts and Sciences):
Principe Felipe Museum, Hemisferic
(Planetarium), Oceanográfico
(Aquarium), Palacio de las Artes
(Arts Palace), new La Fe Hospital,
IVAM, MUVIM, Veles e Vents,
Valencia Fair, Congress Palace, Music Palace, etc

•Some examples of current urban projects:
-Central Park
-Bio-park/Zoo/Park of Cabecera
-Royal Marine “Juan Carlos I” (1.350.000 m2)

•Foreseen urban projects:
- Round Square, Pilar Square, Rambleta and Marxalanes parks, Future Football Stadium of the Valencia FC, Agora, etc

•Other projects with impact on the city:
-AVE Madrid-Valencia, Connection to the European Union High Speed Network
-Opening to the Atlantic Edge (motorways)
-Enlargement of the Airport
-Enlargement of the Port (Logistic Activity Zone)
-Logistic Park of Ribarroja

Strategic Planning
Valencia, strategic development
•Departure point, 1992
•Strategic Plan of Valencia, 1995-98 7 lines-50 projects. Citizen participation
•Updated Strategy, 1998-02. Evaluation and improvements
•CEYD Center of Strategies and Development of Valencia, 2003 Network Management, all the Valencian institutions represented
-Trinomial local administration-business-university
Examples of collaboration: CACSA, IAC, AC
-Participation of all sectors and citizens: Conference of Exploration-In Advance Groups
•Current and Future Strategy. Two periods:
*2004-2007, to take advantage of the America’s Cup impact
*2007-2015, to give continuity to the progress of the city.

Axes:
1. Valencia, Directional Centre of the Mediterranean Arch
2. Valencia, Advanced City in the Knowledge Economy
3. Valencia, Educating and European Cultural Vanguard City
4. Valencia, Strengthen City of the Solidarity Autonomy
5. Valencia, City of the Integrating, Diverse and Sustainable Development
6. Valencia, City of reference of the New Urban Governance

Expectations for the Stream Cities project

- Help MEDA partners in their strategic and sustainable city planning
- Create links/networking with all the Stream Cities partners
- Integrate this project into the axe “Valencia, Strengthen City of the Solidarity Autonomy” of the strategic development of Valencia
- Cooperate in future projects