Valenciaport has positioned itself as a benchmark in the relationship between the port and the city, favoring harmony around the port to make it closer to the city with milestones such as the transfer to the city of Balcón al Mar 2013 or newer. the Special Plan of the Southern Zone 1 for the area of Nazareth. The Port Authority of Valencia (PAV) was invited by the World Bank to present its good practices in port-city relations, digitalization and decarbonization as an international reference in the framework of the “Green Transport in Turkey” program held in the city. in Izmir (Turkey).
The head of Strategic Planning and Innovation of PAV, Juan Manuel Díez Orejas, explained in this forum that “our management model is oriented towards dialogue and the search for initiatives that enhance the complementarity of the Port and the City”.
In this regard, it is worth emphasizing the creation in 2015, at the suggestion of the President of the Port Authority of Valencia, of the Advisory Committee of the ports of Valencia, Sagunto and Gandía. These bodies are led by the mayors of each of these cities and combined into the Delegate Commission of the Council for the Promotion of Territorial Integration with the goal of effectively promoting the resolution of the issues faced by each city and achieving in a city consensus- actions to integrate the port. In addition, in the case of Valencia, it is worth highlighting the agreements between the City Council and the Port of Valencia in 1986, 1997, 2013 and 2018.
The result of this collaboration is the 2019 agreement on the Special Plan for South Zone 1, which will provide the Nazaret area of the city with new green, tertiary and sports spaces, with the location of the Levante UD sports city, an action to improve the economy of the area and the urban and social renewal of the neighborhood. This plan has great importance for the relationship between the city of Valencia and its port, because it considers the dedication for public use of an area of 230,000 square meters of port land equivalent to more than 40 footballs pitches.
During his presentation at the forum held in Izmir, Díez Orejas also highlighted the agreement between the APV and the Valencia city council in 2013, where the Port of Valencia handed over 1,200,000 square meters of the northern part of the port for the use of public. 600,000 of it for the America’s Cup and another 600,000 for the Balcón al mar.
In the case of Sagunto, the opening to the public of part of the port area, in the northern part of the port, is considered. The works for the project “New promenade in the northern part of the Port of Sagunto” have been implemented by the company COMSA at a cost of 5,523,650 euros. 5,523,650. In relation to Gandia, the work is progressing in two areas, one of them between the fruit stalls from 5 to 17, and the space located between its southern façade and the border of the commercial port area , and between the northern façade and the breakwater. Another area includes the Lonja building and square, and the platform south of Sant Nicolau church.
Other actions based on innovation and sustainability
The head of Strategic Planning and Innovation indicated that Valenciaport “is an asset for the development of the city in two key aspects of the present and the future: the transition to energy and decarbonization, and the promotion of innovation and digitalization to create jobs with high added value. and attract talent”.
In terms of environmental sustainability, the head of Valenciaport explained in this forum that the World Bank promoted the actions taken by Valenciaport in its goal of zero emissions by 2030. Among them, he pointed out initiatives such as the use of hydrogen in port operations, making the Port of Valencia a pioneer in Europe in the use of this clean energy, the projects to install photovoltaic plants in the Valencia and Gandia areas, and the promotion of connections to rail to get containers on the road.
Regarding technological change, initiatives such as OPENTOP, the open innovation center for the port logistics sector will serve as a lever to attract talent and develop new ideas and solutions for in the sector; or the Ports 4.0 Fund, coordinated by Puertos del Estado with other Port Authorities, which is the largest support fund for open innovation in Europe, should be promoted.
Díez Orejas also explained that Valenciaport is working on other actions in favor of the city-port relationship, in areas such as digitalization and interaction through Smart City and Smart Port tools in areas such as mobility, environmental protection and security.
He also recalled that Valenciaport worked with the Generalitat, Diputació de València and the City Council on a cruise offer that reached many municipalities and the position of Valencia as a place with many and varied activities that facilitate the moving and avoiding the saturation of destinations.
Source: Port Authority of Valencia
