Benidorm presents the Urban Agenda Action Plan to design more sustainable and inclusive urban growth

The Torrejó Municipal Centre hosted the presentation of the Urban Agenda Action Plan this Wednesday, a coordinated roadmap through five pillars that aims to design more sustainable and inclusive urban growth.

According to Mayor Toni Pérez, aims to "revitalise the city, promote sustainable mobility, promote proximity and social cohesion, and boost the urban economy and digital innovation," among other objectives.

The mayor participated in the presentation of this document alongside the Councillor for Innovation, Aída García Mayor, and other municipal council members. The event was also attended by residents and representatives of the economic and social fabric, who gathered to learn about the priorities defined in this Action Plan to address the main medium- and long-term urban challenges, such as adaptation to climate change, improving access to housing, sustainable mobility, the digital transition, and innovation in municipal management.

The manager of EuroVértice Consultores, Nuria Prior; Benidorm City Council's Local Innovation Agent, Carmen Azorín, and the Municipal Chief Engineer, Vicente Mayor, were responsible for detailing the strategic lines and key projects that form the basis of this urban transformation. This presentation was complemented by a summary video detailing the plan's main pillars: opportunities, green, connected, sustainable, and inclusive.

Toni Pérez emphasised that “Benidorm's Urban Agenda is a city project focused on the well-being of residents, neighbours, and tourists, and that stems from a rigorous reflection on our immediate future, the 2030 horizon.” He recalled its origins: “It continues the strategy we set for ourselves in the fall of 2015, which has proven to be very successful so far, allowing us, among other things, to achieve recognition as the world's first certified Smart Tourism Destination (STT), and to be more resilient and capable in managing and recovering from the pandemic.”

“Politics isn't just about letting time pass, it's about setting yourself homework. And this Urban Agenda is that,” the mayor added. “We're putting it in black and white that there's a housing problem we want to address; that we have energy efficiency that needs to be improved; that we need to continue changing the mobility culture; and that we still have two phases of the Avenida del Mediterráneo left to renovate. It's also true that ten years ago we were missing the entire project, so we've been making progress, but we can't stop,” Pérez explained.

The mayor also argued that “if you don't constantly set challenges for yourself, you won't be able to do anything in time” and that the development of this Urban Agenda, in addition to designing Benidorm's growth as a more sustainable and inclusive city, will also allow it to access subsidies on better terms than other destinations to continue transforming its urban fabric. “It's true that Benidorm, due to its uniqueness, shouldn't compete competitively on many issues with other places that have little or nothing to do with us; but until that is recognised, we must continue working to enter these tenders in better conditions than anyone else.”

Finally, Toni Pérez stated that "Benidorm must aspire to be the most livable city in the world" and that "one of the greatest values ​​of this Urban Agenda is social cohesion; that any space in Benidorm enjoys the same qualities, the same possibilities, and the same opportunities for any Benidorm resident, regardless of which neighborhood they live in. And that is the objective of our action and our way of understanding this responsibility."

Driving projects

Among the main driving projects included in this Urban Agenda Action Plan, in addition to those already underway through the various Sustainable Tourism Destination plans to which Benidorm has access, the 'Benidorm Open Arena' project also stands out. The city has applied for the ERDF Funding call for the sustainable development of municipalities, known as the EDIL Plan, which the Ministry of Finance has not yet resolved.

Specifically, the 'Benidorm Open Arena' project, which amounts to €15 million, proposes the rehabilitation of the bullring and its conversion into a large multifunctional space for cultural, social, and sports activities; the creation of a youth center, conceived as an accessible, multicultural, integrative, inclusive, and dynamic space for training, leisure, and active participation of the youth population; as well as the regeneration of the urban environment to improve connectivity between the Els Tolls-Salt de l’Aigüa neighborhood and the city center, along with the northern part of the Foietes neighborhood, through l’Aigüera.