Status:
✅ Finalized
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Context
Valencia has about 830 000 residents and aims to reach climate neutrality by 2030. Its southern districts, including La Torre, El Forn d’Alcedo and Castellar-l’Oliveral, were severely affected by the flash floods (the ‘DANA’) of 29 October 2024, which damaged streets, buildings and public spaces, overwhelmed drainage systems and disrupted transport, homes, businesses and agriculture.
These districts were already relatively isolated from the rest of the city, with limited transport connections and physical barriers that constrain accessibility.
Specific problem
Residents of the southern districts have limited access to services and opportunities. Integrated mobility solutions are lacking, cycling infrastructure is fragmented and public transport is insufficient. The 2024 floods exposed the vulnerability of local infrastructure and increased the isolation of these neighbourhoods.
Everyday travel is also affected by thermal stress while waiting for public transport, overcrowding at peak times, few alternatives when services are disrupted, reduced evening services and poorly lit stops. Extreme weather makes access to transport less predictable, and many people find travel information hard to access and interpret.
Current situation and gap
Mobility, climate adaptation, energy and public space are closely linked in these districts, yet stakeholders identified a need for stronger coordination between mobility services, public spaces and climate adaptation measures. Shared mobility and information services do not yet operate seamlessly between Valencia and neighbouring municipalities.
Existing local programmes on water management, urban resilience and post-flood recovery address part of the problem. Neighbourhood-scale solutions that connect them with everyday mobility and public space, and that can be integrated into wider metropolitan and regional strategies, are still needed.
Specific need
Valencia needs integrated, neighbourhood-scale solutions that connect mobility, climate resilience and energy in its southern districts, so that residents can reach services reliably in everyday conditions and in extreme weather, and so that the districts are better prepared for future floods.
Expected outcome
– An integrated approach, supported by digital twin tools and existing urban data platforms, that combines coordinated mobility and travel-information services across municipal boundaries with climate-resilient public space (sustainable urban drainage, permeable surfaces, shaded routes) and local energy initiatives.
– The approach should allow shared mobility services to operate between Valencia and neighbouring municipalities, provide real-time information for seamless multimodal journeys, turn transport stops into comfortable, multifunctional community spaces, and involve citizens, particularly young people, in the design and regeneration of public space.
– Integrated service and design concepts, and neighbourhood-scale evidence on how combined mobility, drainage, public-space and energy measures perform in everyday conditions and during extreme weather.
Who would use the results
Valencia’s city services, infrastructure operators, utility providers and mobility stakeholders, to coordinate decisions on mobility, public space and flood resilience in the southern districts.
Expected impact
Could improve everyday accessibility and comfort for residents of the southern districts, reduce their isolation and strengthen resilience to extreme rainfall. Local renewable energy initiatives could also help reduce energy poverty, and successful solutions could be transferred to other areas of the city.
Space. The southern districts of Valencia, including La Torre, El Forn d’Alcedo and Castellar-l’Oliveral.
Scale. Neighbourhood scale, within the wider metropolitan area.
Data. Existing urban data platforms are available, and digital twin tools can support planning and decision-making. Data on travel, information use and drainage performance in the districts can be generated during experimentation.
Constraints. Solutions need to be coordinated with existing water-management and post-flood recovery programmes, to avoid duplication and to allow successful solutions to be transferred to other areas of the city.
Get in touch to express your interest or explore how you can contribute.
