Villena hosts a conference to advance urban and social transformation action plans

Villena hosts the National Campus of Urbact cities from all over Spain this Tuesday and Wednesday. This initiative aims to advance the design of action plans for each of the programs, all of which are supported by the European Union's FEDER funds.

The mayor of the municipality, Fulgencio Cerdán, stated that this meeting aims to "coordinate the different teams of the cities participating in the various Urbact Spain programs, allowing us to create synergies and joint working methods that enhance the individual work of each municipality." One of the challenges for all cities, including Villena, is to finalize action plans and secure sufficient funding for their development. Specifically, the search for funds and financing is one of the main topics of the National Campus sessions taking place until Wednesday, November 13, at the Espacio Joven in Villena.

The mayor recalled that Villena participates in Urbact EcoCore with the goal of promoting the Logistics Node within the framework of the European Union. However, there are also other activities being defined through the Urbact Project, such as connectivity with the Dry Port, ensuring these are green, sustainable, and accessible for all groups. These proposals also represent a process of urban transformation and modernization for the city.

Regarding the Logistics Node, Cerdán announced that they are awaiting the Logistics Strategy proposed by the Generalitat, whose meetings were scheduled but have been postponed due to the DANA in the province of Valencia. The mayor also mentioned that they are already working on securing funds for both public and private initiatives, as well as mixed public-private funds, to advance a more sustainable logistics transport model that takes advantage of the Mediterranean Corridor passing through Villena.

Meanwhile, the head of Urbact Spain, Isabel González, commented that Urbact is a direct action program of the FEDER Funds that creates networks of municipalities with the aim of creating direct actions in cities, linked to the framework of sustainable development and social character.

For González, the working system generated by Urbact projects is to "learn and grow together, cities from different countries, through the exchange of experiences and, together, generate knowledge that can be put into practice."