27 - 29 March 2019

2019 : Vitoria-Gasteiz (Spain)

Program

Program of the day

09:30 am

Europa Congress Palace

Welcome and Registration

10:00 am

Europa Congress Palace: Maria de Maeztu Auditorium

Institutional presentations*

Iñigo Urkullu, President of the Basque Country
Ramiro González, General Deputy of Álava
Gorka Urtaran, Mayor of Vitoria-Gasteiz
Olivier Bianchi, Mayor of Clermont-Ferrand

10:30 am

Europa Congress Palace: Maria de Maeztu Auditorium

Opening keynote address*

Guided by

Vanesa Sánchez

Vanesa Sánchez is a journalist who worked for ETB from more than a decade

Guillermo Peñalosa

Founder and President of the successful Canadian non-profit organization Cities 8 80

Saskia Sassen

Professor of Sociology at Columbia University in New York City

13:00 pm

Europa Congress Palace: Estibaliz room

Lunch

14:30 pm

Europa Congress Palace: Francisco de Vitoria Auditorium

Presentation of the cities' policies and initiatives on environmental, social and economic sustainability*

These presentations will gather together the most remarkable experiences of the network’s cities in the aforementioned fields.

Cities are key to solving the serious problem of climate change suffered by the planet.

Achieving the objectives of the 2030 Agenda led by the United Nations involves transforming our municipalities into more sustainable and healthy ecosystems that improve the quality of life of citizens.

The focus will be on ascertaining new tendencies to make our cities more sustainable with real examples being delivered by one of the members of the International Network of Michelin Cities.

Cohesion and social progress are fundamental to building fairer and more cohesive cities.

The current global change cannot be faced without taking into account the needs of all people.

In this aspect, good governance of the institutions that run the cities plays a very important role.

How are cities facing social challenges? A question our speaker will answer, in addition to revealing the good practices conducted by cities in the network.

How can economic progress be made compatible with social and environmental progress?

The big question that cities try to answer on a daily basis, as do countries and companies.

There is a new green economy and new concepts such as a circular economy that pose a new way of growing respect for the environment.

Keys will be revealed as regards promoting a more sustainable economy in cities and examples of municipalities that have already achieved it.

Guided by

Sandra Pina

Sustainable Brands Madrid Director. Partner and Innovation Director at Quiero.

Fernando López Regó

First Head of the Legal and Litigation Service of EUIPO (European Union Intellectual Property Office).

Víctor Viñuales

Sociologist, co-founder and Director of ECODES

18:00 pm

Social program (Optional visits, according to your choice)

Duration: 1 hour

Starting place: Virgen Blanca (Vitoria-Gasteiz green sculpture) at 6pm

Route: Guided visit of the Medieval Area of Vitoria-Gasteiz, declared a Monumental Complex in 1997. Guided walk around the most emblematic points of the Medieval Area and the wall. Plaza de España, Arquillos, Casa del Cordón, Old Cathedral Facade, Walls of Carnicerías, Escoriaza-Esquivel, Montehermoso, Plaza del Machete, Villa Suso, Church of San Miguel and the Plaza de la Virgen Blanca.

Duration: 1h

Departure point: Virgen Blanca (Vitoria-Gasteiz green sculpture) at 6pm

Tour: Crossing by Virgen Blanca square, with its monument to the Vitoria Battle against the Napoleon troops, where the popular Celedón comes from the sky, the patronal feasts symbol, we will go through another charming corners, like the XIX century Romantic Expansion, in order to contemplate the New Cathedral. Walking by, we will discover essential places such as the beautiful Florida Park.

Between centenary trees, we will find Zulueta Palace, the Vitoria Green Capital office in Senda Promenade. The tour will finish in front of Fine Arts Museum and the symbolic facade of the Basque Lehendakari Palace, called Ajuria Enea.

Duration: 1h

Departure point: Virgen Blanca (Vitoria-Gasteiz green sculpture) at 6pm

Route: A coach will take us from the Europa Congress Palace to Salburua, one of the peri-urban parks that make up the city’s Green Belt and contains wetlands of international importance registered under the Ramsar Convention just 3 kilometres from the city centre. This natural ecosystem is home to numerous species of birds and endangered animals, such as the European mink. Ataria, a nature interpretation centre, can also be found in this area. We shall ride electric bicycles along the various routes around and between the main lagoons. After the tour, the bus will pick us up and take us back to the hotel.

19:00 pm

Free time

20:30 pm

Palacio Villasuso

Welcome cocktail

Program of the day

09:00 am

Europa Congress Palace: Francisco de Vitoria Auditorium

European Green Capital awarded cities : good practice examples*

Four different cities but with a common goal: becoming more sustainable every day. The 4 European Green Capitals tell us how they managed to be the most sustainable on the continent and what new measures they are implementing to stay green.

Vitoria-Gasteiz, Lisbon, Oslo and Nijmegen

10:30 am

Europa Congress Palace: Mirador

Coffee break

11:00 am

Europa Congress Palace

Themed visits

The aim os this visit is to show and share the concepts, characteristics and results of the project Vitoria-Gasteiz has carried out in regard to the planning, management and integration of its natural peri-urban area through the various environmental policies which have turned the Basque capital into an international benchmark and worthy of its recognition as European Green Capital 2012.

Tour of 2 civic centres: Ibaiondo & Zabalgana.

Discover the operating model of Vitoria-Gasteiz network of civic centres: remarkable local public facilities which combine sport, cultural and social facilities aiming to promote the development of cultural and sporting habits alongside harmonious coexistence and citizen participation.

Planning for liveable streets: Towards a liveable, vibrant and resilient city through new mobility and public space strategies.

This visit aims to show the basic principles of the public space sand sustainable mobility strategy which Vitoria-Gasteiz has been implementing over the last decade. Gifted with meticulous human-scale planning, the capital city of the Basque Country has been able to offer a comprehensive answer to the challenges posed by the need to transform the city in terms of mobility, opting decisively for eminently active mobility and for a modernising revamp of its public transport system.

Founded in 1992, the Technology Park of Álava is a bet of the of the Basque Public Administration (Basque Government, provincial Council of Álava and Town Council of Vitoria-Gasteiz) with the aim to diversify the Basque business network towards the company of the future. Its mission has been to act as a catalyst for technological innovation and development in the Basque Country, encouraging the sharing of knowledge and the transfer of technology among companies, technological agents and universities, stimulating thus the creation and growth of innovative enterprises while offering quality spaces and facilities alongside value-added services in a sustainable way.
The aim of this visit is to showcase the business activity which is flourishing in Álava Technology Park by means of a guided tour of the park including BIC Araba, Technological and Research Centres and/or companies from a variety of sectors such as Biotechnology, Aeronautics and Engineering.
BIC Araba (Álava Business and Innovation Centre), offers support services to entrepreneurs and enterprises with the objective of promoting innovative and/or technological business initiatives and encouraging their development.
The Green Belt

A tour of municipal buildings which have been refurbished following sustainability guidelines: Europa Palace, housing in the Zaramaga district and housing in the Medieval Quarters.

The tour will also include a newly-constructed building, constructed following sustainability guidelines (Salburua district).

13:00 pm

Europa Congress Palace: Estibaliz room

Lunch

14:30 pm

Europa Congress Palace

LABs : Cooperation workshops led by the cities

A space to know and share good experiences of the cities and build new collaborations to move forward into sustainable development.

This lab will delve into the complexities and courses of action for sustainable mobility: solutions to control and improve the air quality, strategies to implement sustainable urban mobility plans, good practices in the operation of electric bus lines and e-mobility clusters, and the environmental challenges for urban goods transportation.

This lab will introduce innovative and successful projects such as the creation of an ecological neighbourhood featuring environmental requirements for the future in Bad-Kreuznach (DE), an industrialzone with space-saving, innovative and resource-optimised management processes in Karlsruhe (DE), as well as a sustainable university in Querétaro (MX) that has implemented water conservation, carbon capture and electricity generation measures through alternative sources.

The aim of this lab is to create a working group of higher education institutions based in network cities to establish cooperation mechanisms in order to facilitate student and faculty exchanges, dual degrees, internship opportunities, research partnerships as well as online collaboration among universities. This group will strengthen cooperation across the network and will enable cities and universities to further infuse international and comparative perspectives to their existing missions.

Technology parks are an important part of the habitat of cities; they welcome the business activities of new and consolidated companies and help generate wealth, not only economic but also of knowledge and experience. During this lab, participants will also have the opportunity to learn about a successful business incubator that encourages and enables entrepreneurs to create new business ventures within the region. In addition, experiences and good practices will be shared to help position and improve this sector.

Cities have a very important role in driving the circular economy as they can be the driving force for change by directly influencing citizenship regarding awareness and habit changes. Resources are limited and we need to be aware of this, promoting alternatives and encouraging good practices. This working group will serve to pool the various actions and to look for new ideas and proposals that will help to achieve actual improvement.

Thinking of cities directly leads us to think of the people who inhabit them, a city without people would not be a city; therefore, so we think it is really important to give people a real chance to participate. They know the real and everyday needs of each sector of the population. Citizen participation policies can help turn cities into spaces of respect and shared construction. This working group will work on the different forms of participationand how to bring about such participation.

16:30 pm

Europa Congress Palace

Pitch & Networking (cities, companies, start-ups)

Mirador

Quick presentations to discover the projects of the cities, companies and start-ups, favouring the networking.

Mayors' meeting*

Salbura room

A meeting between the mayors of the participant cities to think about the International Network of Michelin cities.

19:00 pm

Free time

20:30 pm

"Artium" Basque Museum of Contemporary Art

Gala dinner

Program of the day

10:00 am

Europa Congress Palace

Pitch & networking

Mirador

Open space to interact : showcases and initiatives

Visit of Michelin Factory

Reserved to Mayors & Heads of Delegations

13:30 pm

Europa Congress Palace: Francisco de Vitoria Auditorium

Conclusions & closing plenary session*

Guided by

Sara Acosta

Translator and journalist specializing in the environment

14:00 pm

Europa Congress Palace

Farewell cocktail

15:00 pm

Free time or social program

Duration: 1h.

Departure point: Virgen Blanca (Vitoria-Gasteiz green sculpture) at 15h.

Tour: Crossing by Virgen Blanca square, with its monument to the Vitoria Battle against the Napoleon troops, where the popular Celedón comes from the sky, the patronal feasts symbol, we will go through another charming corners, like the XIX century Romantic Expansion, in order to contemplate the New Cathedral. Walking by, we will discover essential places such as the beautiful Florida Park.

Between centenary trees, we will find Zulueta Palace, the Vitoria Green Capital office in Senda Promenade. The tour will finish in front of Fine Arts Museum and the symbolic facade of the Basque Lehendakari Palace, called Ajuria Enea.

Duration: it usually lasts 1, 30 hr. but we can ask for another reduce one of 1 hr.

Departure point: Virgen Blanca (Vitoria-Gasteiz green sculpture) at 15h.

Tour: Guided visit to the Vitoria-Gasteiz Medieval Historic Centre, declared Monumental Complex in 1997. We will tour the Historic Centre most emblematic points and the Wall. España Square, Arquillos, Casa del Cordón, Old Cathedral Facade, Butchers Wall, Escoriaza-Esquivel, Montehermoso, Machete Square, Villa Suso, San Miguel Church and Virgen Blanca Square. (if the visit last 1 hour, the tour will be minimized).

Duration: 1,15h.

Departure point: Cathedral Bowling alley at 15h. (time can be moved forward if there isn’t enough time to go to have dinner)

Tour: In addition to the tour included in the visit to the cathedral, we can ascend to the bell tower, the City’s lookout. The belfry, that affords a unique panoramic view of the Álava Valley, is reached by strolling along the new walkway, climbing the panoramic staircase from the restored room above the portico and ascending in a modern glazed elevator that ensures accessibility for all.

Speakers

Sara Acosta

Translator and journalist specializing in the environment

Guillermo Peñalosa

Founder and President of the successful Canadian non-profit organization Cities 8 80

Sandra Pina

Sustainable Brands Madrid Director. Partner and Innovation Director at Quiero.

Fernando López Regó

First Head of the Legal and Litigation Service of EUIPO (European Union Intellectual Property Office).

Vanesa Sánchez

Vanesa Sánchez is a journalist who worked for ETB from more than a decade

Saskia Sassen

Professor of Sociology at Columbia University in New York City

Víctor Viñuales

Sociologist, co-founder and Director of ECODES

Themes

Speakers detailed informations

Sara Acosta

Translator and journalist specializing in the environment

Sara is a translator and journalist specializing in the environment and works for Eldiario.es. She also contributed to creating and publishing the prestigious magazine Ballena Blanca (White Whale), one of the more innovative publications dealing with environmental issues in Spain. She has been a correspondent
in Paris and Brussels for various media outlets. Ms Acosta founded and coordinated the environmental supplement of Cinco Días while also collaborating with other domestic media, such as El País, and specialized publications, such as Energías Renovables.

Guillermo Peñalosa

Founder and President of the successful Canadian non-profit organization Cities 8 80

Guillermo Peñalosa is passionate about cities for all their inhabitants. Guillermo advises leaders and citizen groups on how to create successful cities and healthy communities for all, regardless of age or socio-economic status.

Guillermo is the Founder and now President of the successful Canadian non-profit organization Cities 8 80. Its advisory services have been requested by more than 350 different cities on all continents. Before immigrating to Canada, Guillermo was in charge of Parks, Recreation and Sports in Bogotá. Guillermo holds a Master’s Degree in Management from the University of California in Los Angeles, where he was recently recognized as one of the “100 Most Inspiring Alumni” in the history of the School of Management. In 2014 Guillermo received an Honary Doctorate from the Faculty of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning of the prestigious Swedish University, SLU. This year he was selected by Planetizen as one of the 100 most influential urbanist, and was recently awarded the Distinguished Individual of the Year Award by the World Association of Urban Parks.

Sandra Pina

Sustainable Brands Madrid Director. Partner and Innovation Director at Quiero.

Sandra Pina is the Director of Sustainable Brands Madrid. She is also a Managing Partner at Innovación de Quiero.

Fernando López Regó

First Head of the Legal and Litigation Service of EUIPO (European Union Intellectual Property Office).

With an extensive professional career, dedicated largely to the world of Law, Fernando López de Rego was a Diplomat at the European Union until he settled in Alicante after being appointed as the first Head of the Legal and Litigation Service of the EUIPO (Intellectual Property Office of the European Union).

Vanesa Sánchez

Vanesa Sánchez is a journalist who worked for ETB from more than a decade

Vanesa Sánchez is a journalist and has worked as a presenter for ETB television from more than a decade. Throughout this period, she has spent time in Asia and also in Paris as a correspondent for the Basque Public Television Service in addition to hosting a number of programmes, including a morning talk show. Ms Sánchez regularly presents events, such as the main Vitoria-Gasteiz European Green Capital 2012 ceremony, in which Copenhagen was announced as the green capital for 2014. She has also hosted international events in Brussels, such as the launch of the new Basque Country tourism image in the Committee of the Regions.

Saskia Sassen

Professor of Sociology at Columbia University in New York City

Professor of Sociology at Columbia University in New York City, this Dutch author and sociologist is a well-known and respected figure worldwide in the study of what she calls global cities. A specialist in urban planning, she is also a professor of Sociology at the University of Chicago and a visiting professor at the London School of Economics and Political Science. Known internationally as a result of the publication of her book “The Global City”, she won the Prince of Asturias Award in Science in 2013, for her contribution to urban sociology and the phenomenon of globalization. She is an expert lecturer who speaks 5 languages, and has been invited to participate as a guest at most international summits on urban sustainability (including Rio+20 Summit).

Víctor Viñuales

Sociologist, co-founder and Director of ECODES

Sociologist, co-founder and Director of ECODES. Associate Lecturer on the Corporate Responsibility Management Advanced Program at the IE Business School since 2007.

Themes

LAB 1: SUSTAINABLE MOBILITY

This lab will delve into the complexities and courses of action for sustainable mobility: solutions to control and improve the air quality, strategies to implement sustainable urban mobility plans, good practices in the operation of electric bus lines and e-mobility clusters,  and the environmental challenges for urban goods transportation.

LAB 2: CITY PLANNING AND URBANISM

This lab will introduce innovative  and succesful projects such as the creation of an ecological neighborhood featuring environmental  requirements for the future in Bad-Kreuznach (De), an industrial zone with space-saving, innovative and resource-optimised management processes in Karlsruhe (De), as well as sustainable university in Querétaro (Mx) that has implemented measures for water conservation, carbon capture and electricity generation through alternative sources.

LAB 3: UNIVERSITIES

The aim of this lab is to create a working group of higher education institutions based in network cities to establish cooperation mechanisms in order to facilitate student and faculty exchanges, dual degrees, internship opportunities, research partnerships as well as online collaboration among universities. This group will strengthen cooperation across the network and will enable cities and universities to further infuse international and comparative perspectives to their existing missions.

LAB 4: TECHNOLOGY PARKS, INCUBATION & INNOVATION

Technological parks are an important part in the habitat of cities, they welcome business activity of new and consolidated companies and help generate wealth, not only economic but also of knowledge and experience. During this lab, participants will also have the opportunity to learn about a succesful business incubator that encourages and enables entrepreneurs to create new business ventures within the region. In addition, experiences and good practices will be shared to help position and improve this sector.

LAB 5: CIRCULAR ECONOMY

Cities have a very important role in driving the circular economy as they can be the driving force for change by directly influencing citizenship for awareness and habit change. Resources are limited and we need to be aware of this, promoting alternatives and encouraging good practices. This working group will serve to pool the different actions and to look for new ideas and proposals that will help to achieve a real improvement.

LAB 6: CITIZEN PARTICIPATION

When we think of cities directly leads us to think of the people who inhabit them, a city without people would not be a city, so we think it is really important to give people real participation. They know the real and everyday needs of each sector of the population. Citizen participation policies can help turn cities into spaces of respect and shared construction. This working group will work on the different forms of participation and activation of such participation.

Speakers

Sara Acosta

Translator and journalist specializing in the environment

Guillermo Peñalosa

Founder and President of the successful Canadian non-profit organization Cities 8 80

Sandra Pina

Sustainable Brands Madrid Director. Partner and Innovation Director at Quiero.

Fernando López Regó

First Head of the Legal and Litigation Service of EUIPO (European Union Intellectual Property Office).

Vanesa Sánchez

Vanesa Sánchez is a journalist who worked for ETB from more than a decade

Saskia Sassen

Professor of Sociology at Columbia University in New York City

Víctor Viñuales

Sociologist, co-founder and Director of ECODES

Themes

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