Zaragoza

Spain

Mission city Pilot city
Spain National Platform
Zaragoza Mission City Label
Population 700k
City Area 937 km²
City active since June 2022

The urgency to accelerate emission reduction processes has led to increase the level of ambition in terms of decarbonisation targets and shorten the timeframe for achieving carbon neutrality. In this context, Zaragoza's goal is to achieve climate neutrality by the end of this decade. The city has defined a target of 80% emission reductions by 2030 (compared to its business-as-usual expected progression) in the main sectors that will lead to a systemic transformation of the city. Natural sinks such as urban forests or renaturalization of spaces will offset the remaining residual emissions. 

 

 

Zaragoza has analysed the current state of play regarding the city's emissions and has identified three priority pillars for action, around which the systemic changes and strategic interventions that need to be addressed in order to reach the goal of climate neutrality by 2030 are articulated. These three priority pillars are as follows: 1. sustainable and intelligent mobility 2. renaturalisation and circular economy 3. energy and efficiency 

Key Learnings

Zaragoza case studies - Intelligent Cities Challenge

The Intelligent Cities Challenge (ICC) is a European Commission initiative bringing together 136 cities to achieve intelligent, socially responsible and sustainable growth through advanced technologies. This resources includes case studies from the city of Zaragoza, Spain related to: Adapt Your Schoolyard: transforming schoolyards into greener spaces Citizen Forest of Zaragoza: making the city greener and more resilient. 

National Platforms to Transform Cities Using Collective Experimentation and Scale: The Case of Sweden and Spain

Authors: Jaime Moreno-Serna, Olga Kordas, Julio Lumbreras, Åsa Minoz, Nayla Saniour and Harald Rohracher (Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Spain; KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden; Linköping University, Sweden) Published by: Emerald Publishing Limited This text is based on the content of Chapter 8 of the book “Higher Education and SDG11: Sustainable Cities and Communities” and, analyses the unique role of universities in the creation and consolidation of national platforms of cities working to become healthier, more liveable places while achieving climate neutrality. With the overarching need for deep urban transformations worldwide, national platforms for cities have been emerging over the past few years in several European countries as a useful framework to support and unify the work that cities have been doing individually. In particular, Sweden and Spain have been two of the first countries where a National Cities Mission Platform has emerged, namely Viable Cities and citiES 2030. This chapter explores the emergence of these convening and intermediary vehicles, the key enablers that allowed its formation, and the rationale that consolidates it. It also delves into the distinctive value proposition of these platforms and their role in reinforcing multi-level and multi-stakeholder collaborations, facing silos in a national context, promoting cross-city stable interactions, aligning national and European initiatives toward the Cities Mission, and co-creating and consolidating the “next practices” of climate urban transitions.

Zaragoza: towards climate neutrality - NEUTRALPATH city profile

NEUTRALPATH has produced a series of case studies to showcase the ambitious goals set by cities to achieve climate neutrality and provide a more sustainable future for their citizens. At the local level, Positive and Clean Energy Districts (PCEDs) are playing a key role in the energy transition and contributing to the achievement of the zero emissions targets.
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Latest updates from the city

Pilot project spotlight
Visit Zaragoza City Website Read Zaragoza Climate City Contract Cologne City Profile (Twin City) Soria City Profile (Twin City)

External projects

City involvement in related European initiatives