Madrid officially signs up to Climate KIC’s Deep Demonstration of Clean & Healthy Cities
Madrid City Council has agreed to join Climate KIC in its Sustainable and Healthy Cities Demonstrator, which will tackle the transformation of this European city into a climate-neutral future. Thus, the councillors of all the partiesrepresented in the municipal assembly have approved the incorporation of the city to this European initiative.
In addition to the support of our partners, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM), Ferrovial, the City Council is also working with Matadero Madrid, Distrito Castellana Norte, our collaborator Iberdrola and other different organizations and citizens’ movements, to implement actions related to mobility, urban renaturalization or the recovery and improvement of neighbourhoods and housing, among others in a participatory co-creation process that meets the common interest of the citizens of Madrid.
The city of Madrid, a pioneer in Europe
In 2019, Madrid was selected as one of 15 demonstration cities to become carbon neutral in 2030, within the framework of the Climate KIC Deep Demonstrations of Healthy & Clean Cities programme.
This formal adhesion with Climate KIC as challenge owner to be carbon neutral through this demonstrator, means expanding the space for political, economic and social collaboration for the implementation of a portfolio of connected projects where the triangle of knowledge (Business, University and Research) is integrated for greater impact and speed in implementing the best solutions.
One of the first initiatives was launched last May between the Community of Madrid (Regional Government), Madrid City Council, UPM and the El Día Después platform to promote sustainable mobility by coordinating teleworking and flexible working hours in different public and private organizations in Madrid.
European mission for climate-neutral cities
In order to make sure that these social and environmental innovation projects and initiatives are not isolated elements, the European Commission and the European Parliament decided last year to define five missions to drive the EU research programme for 2021-2027 (Horizon Europe). One of them is aimed at making 100 European cities climate-neutral by 2030.
Madrid has thus become one of the first cities committed to this transformation movement, combining knowledge and technology with business, financing, regulation and public-private and social collaboration models.
Furthermore, it is in line with the expectations created by the European Green Deal and the Reconstruction Plan, where cities are seen as the greatest pole of attraction for investments in the world for the next decade, to invest in sustainability, mobility and digitalization solutions.