by Brianna Crandall — January 7, 2013—Vitoria-Gasteiz, in the Basque country of northern Spain, recently passed the baton after spending a successful year as the European Green Capital, to Nantes, France, the 2013 award winner. The European Commission established the prestigious competition in recognition of the many environmental challenges that Europe faces as an urban society, and the important role that local authorities play in improving the environment, in order to promote and reward local efforts.
According to the award site, one European city is selected each year that shows a consistent record of achieving high environmental standards; is committed to ongoing and ambitious goals for further environmental improvement and sustainable development; and can act as a role model to inspire other cities and promote best practices to all other European cities.
Entrants are judged on twelve environmental criteria: Water consumption; Nature and biodiversity; Transport; Local contribution to the combat against world climate change; Sustainable land use; Waste production and management; Waste water treatment; Green urban areas; Noise pollution; Local ambient air quality; Environmental management of the municipality; and Program for the dissemination of experience and best practice.
Previous and future European Green Capitals are: Stockholm, Sweden (2010); Hamburg, Germany (2011); and Copenhagen, Denmark (2014). A list of the commendable finalists is also available on the Award Web site.
The historic and industrial city of Nantes, the fifth largest in France, is situated where the Loire River meets the Atlantic Ocean, and features the castle of the Dukes of Brittany. Home of the famed 18th century novelist and futurist Jules Verne, whose legacy (along with Leonardo da Vinci’s) inspired the city’s famous mechanical elephant, Nantes was long an important port and shipbuilding center. When its last major shipbuilding facility closed in 1986, the city chose to focus on a new identity: culture, then sustainability, according to a report by Kaid Benfield, director of the Sustainable Communities and Smart Growth program at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), of his trip to the region.
The Nantes metropolitan area is comprised of 24 municipalities and 600,000 current residents, with the population projected to grow by another 100,000 by 2030. Nantes has become an international leader for climate action, and its own climate action plan aims to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 30 percent (compared to 1990 levels) by 2030. Among its climate initiatives, the city reintroduced trams (streetcars and light rail) as a modern form of public transit, and has a dedicated busway and an extensive bikesharing system.
According to Benfield, the citizens of Nantes expressed the desire to “become more international, to seize upon its sectors of creativity and innovative technology, and to capitalize upon and expand its lively public spaces. Participants also stressed a need for more robust systems for renewable energy, ‘third spaces’ of serendipitous congregation in every neighborhood, and a local and self-sufficient economy.”
The Nantes 2013 Web site offers information on the city’s projects for its upcoming year as the European Green Capital.
