Educating Cities: Local Actions, Global Values

Sorocaba is a Brazilian city with approximately 600,000 inhabitants. It is located in the hinterland of the State of Sao Paulo. Its economy is based on industry, trade and services. It is amongst the Brazilian cities with the greatest economic potential.

The City Council of Sorocaba, in order to improve the quality of life and promote the health of its population, integrated the principles of Healthy and Educating Cities in its strategic government plan, involving different departments and establishing citizen participation as a framework for action.

Amongst the many actions there was included a proposal for urban transformation, using the Sorocaba River, which runs through the entire city, as the structural axis, along with the revitalisation of public spaces through different activities that foster healthy lifestyles.

Work began with decontamination and recuperation of the banks of the river where observation areas, walking paths and bicycle lanes were built. The goal now is to connect the different neighbourhoods of the city to a length-wise park with 100 kms of bicycle lanes. Parks have also been built in degraded areas, giving the city new recreational and meeting spaces.

Entre las actuaciones desarrolladas se encuentran:

• The “Walking Project”, thanks to which permanent groups have been formed at the primary health care centres and sport centres in the city. These groups meet to go on walks, a sporting activity that can be done by most people;
• “Gimnasia en el parque” que consiste en la programación de clases diarias de gimnasia en los principales parques de la ciudad impartidas por profesores de educación física;
• El programa “Vía Viva” que reúne cerca de 6.000 personas cada domingo en una de las principales avenidas de la ciudad, la cual se cierra al tránsito y se abre a la población, transformándose en un gran espacio para el ocio, la cultura y el encuentro ciudadano;
• Los “Mega plantíos” y “Mega plantíos escolares” que consisten en la recuperación de áreas protegidas con la plantación de miles de árboles de especies autóctonas. Plantados en diversas zonas de la ciudad, ayudan a mejorar las condiciones medioambientales y el confort y el bienestar de la ciudadanía.

Todas estas acciones van acompañadas de campañas de información y sensibilización sobre la importancia de adoptar hábitos de vida saludables y sobre la necesaria implicación de la ciudadanía en el cuidado del entorno urbano y natural.

Los resultados de las políticas de promoción de la salud empiezan a visualizarse en Sorocaba. Así por ejemplo, según datos del Ministerio de Salud de Brasil, se ha conseguido reducir en un 15% los ingresos hospitalarios ocasionados por infarto agudo de miocardio y en un 70% los de pacientes con diabetes, enfermedades entre cuyos factores de riesgo se encuentra el sedentarismo.

Charter of Educating Cities: principle eight

La planificación urbana deberá tener en cuenta el gran impacto del entorno urbano en el desarrollo de todos los individuos […] La ordenación del espacio físico urbano atenderá las necesidades de accesibilidad, encuentro, relación, juego y esparcimiento y un mayor acercamiento a la naturaleza.

Located at the estuary of the Tagus River, Lisbon is the capital of Portugal. It has 550,000 inhabitants, while its greater metropolitan area has a population of almost 3 million, one third of the country’s population. It has an ageing population; 25% of the population is over 64, while the Portuguese average for this age group is 17%. The Lisbon region is the wealthiest in Portugal, and its economy is based on services and industry.

The City Council of Lisbon, concerned for the academic training of its 10,000 workers – around 50% had not completed the 9 years of compulsory education –, began a project in 2002 entitled “Adult Education and Training (EFA, original acronym)” basically in order to enhance the qualifications of its employees. The project sought, moreover, to foster a greater equivalence between qualifications received and the skills acquired during one’s life, and to strengthen personal skills in the use of information and communication technologies, as well as increase the motivation of workers and the quality of the services offered to citizens.

The Training Service of the City Council of Lisbon started up this initiative initially for its workers and afterwards opened to all citizens, after having prepared a study of the non-formal educational offerings available nationally, under the auspices of a New Opportunities Centre (CNO, original acronym). The CNO team makes the diagnosis and monitors all the persons registered, offering them the best technical/pedagogical counselling so that each candidate can achieve their personal, professional and training-related goals.

The priority target public of Lisbon City Council’s CNO is made up of municipal workers in different job categories such as city gardeners, cleaning personnel, clerks, fire-fighters, local police, etc.

A team of professionals informs, guides and leads each person towards the itinerary best-suited to their profile. There are three possible itineraries:

1.- Direct Access to the Recognition, Validation and Skills Certification Process (PRVCC) in order to access to primary or secondary level certification.

2.- Short-term training in specific areas, before or during the PRVCC, in which the candidate has shown difficulties in the diagnosis phase, in order to facilitate their acquisition of key skills.

3.- Access to other educational and training programmes, such as adult education and second-chance schools, technological specialisation courses, etc.

The PRVCC consists of a series of collective and individual sessions that seek to facilitate self-discovery, thought and the creation of an autobiographical narrative. Through this narrative, the goal is for each candidate to prepare their own Learning and Reflection Portfolio where he can describe and illustrate their skills and the learning he has acquired during their lifetime, based on key skills.
The success of this project is reflected in the fact that more than 2,700 workers have registered and that 1,000 diplomas have been given out.

Charter of Educating Cities: principle one
All the inhabitants of a city have the right to enjoy, in liberty and equality, the means and opportunities for education, leisure and individual growth that the city offers. […] The educating city constantly recommits to the lifelong education of its inhabitants in the most varied ways. And to make this possible, all groups, with their own particular needs, must be taken into account.

The Argentinean city of Rosario has nearly 1,000,000 inhabitants and is located in the south of the Province of Santa Fe, in a geo-strategic location vis-à-vis Mercosur. The greater metropolitan area of Rosaria generates 53% of employment in Santa Fe and makes up 5% of national PIB.

In order to improve the quality of life of the population and foster environmental conservation, the City Council of Rosario set up the program “A Cleaner Rosario” in 2009. The goal was to deal with the waste management from a cross-disciplinary, participatory perspective, opting for a cultural change in order to push forward solutions to the problems of cleaning the city, to make more efficient use of public resources and foster a feeling of empowerment and belonging to the city itself.

“A Cleaner Rosario” is a comprehensive program that is structured into three areas: regulation and control of the process of city cleaning; increase in awareness and participation of the citizenry, and social inclusion and organisation of the activity of urban waste collectors.

Through this program, the municipality gave a stiff boost to the waste collecting services, while the prosecution of those breaking the law increased. Moreover, actions addressed to the citizens for them to become aware of their active participation in the problem and to get involved collectively in solving it, as participants in cultural change, have been set in motion.

En este marco, se elaboró un decálogo de acciones responsables como herramienta de comunicación y se implementaron juegos, dinámicas de discusión y comunicación en torno al tema en escuelas, espacios públicos, eventos culturales y deportivos y vía internet.

Today a great deal of work is being carried out in the care of public spaces and the reduction of waste by fostering selective waste separation and recycling. The recyclable waste is used by social projects, thus closing the cycle of cultural, environmental and social sustainability.

Citizen participation is also being promoted through volunteers. The citizens get involved in cleaning the squares and parks as well as in educational and awareness actions. To this commitment we can add that of businesspeople, who give their employees time off to work as volunteers as well as providing space for the collection of recyclable materials.

The City Council has also involved its workers in waste collection, showing appreciation for their work and making them aware of the importance of the role they play in taking care of the city.

“A Cleaner Rosario” continues to work to make Rosario the cleanest city; not by being the one that is cleaned the most but by being the one that is dirtied the least, by establishing a cultural change capable of reversing behaviour that is today socially and environmentally unsustainable.

Charter of Educating Cities: principle eleven

The city must guarantee the quality of life for all its inhabitants. This requires creating a balance with its natural surroundings, providing the right to a healthy environment, as well as the right to housing, employment, leisure and public transportation, amongst others. At the same time, the city shall actively promote health education and the participation of all its inhabitants in the best practices of sustainable development.

Located to the south of the Island of Santiago, Praia is the capital of Cape Verde. In the last decade the city has undergone major demographic growth. With 140,000 inhabitants, it has 27% of the country’s population and is the most densely populated city. It has a very young population; more than half the country is under 25 years old, and the households where the women are the bread-winners represent 43.6% of the total. The tertiary sector is dominant in the economy; the unemployment rate is around 23%, reaching 57% amongst young people from 15 to 24 years old.

There was a great interest in the city to do sport, but on many occasions the existing facilities did not meet the minimal conditions necessary. In the face of this situation and in order to reduce the rate of urban violence, the City Council of Praia decided, through the project called “Sport for All”, to invest in the refurbishing of existing facilities and to build new ones, as well as to create sport initiation schools, which would allow for the democratization of access to sport and offer alternative recreation to young people, as well as fostering sport practice among women.

Included in the new facilities and services for the city we find: the refurbishment of 6 sports centres, the construction of 9 others and the creation of 10 street-basketball courts, 17 fitness parks, 3 football fields, and another 3 7-man-football fields. To build these facilities local neighborhood young people were hired; the idea here was to give them a chance to work and encourage them to take care of the facilities once construction was completed.

Moreover, in order to make the citizenry feel that the facilities are theirs, the latter are managed though neighborhood committees, whose members are involved in local development associations and are elected by the community. One of the criteria of the committees is that they all have a woman in charge of encouraging and stimulating women’s sport, as well as a member of the city council who can ensure the link between local government and civil society.

The committees are responsible for planning schedules as well as the different sports and cultural activities that take place at the facilities: sports tournaments, musical competitions, lectures, etc., and seek sponsorship for their organization from companies, as well as local and government institutions.

“Sport for All” is, without a doubt, a city project through which, in addition to improving infrastructures, we can encourage the positive values of sport, harmonious coexistence in the neighborhoods, and the health of the entire population through these new spaces managed by the citizenry.

Charter of Educating Cities: principle ten
The municipal administration must equip the city with spaces, facilities and public services that are suitable for the personal, social, moral and cultural development of all its inhabitants, paying special attention to children and youth.

Paysandú is one of the major cities in Uruguay, with a population of around 100,000 inhabitants. It is the capital of the Department of the same name, and is an industrial and commercial centre in the region. It is located on the eastern shore of the Uruguay River. The city is connected to Argentina by the General Artigas Bridge, and receives a continuous influx of tourists from all of Latin America. It is a city that is characterized by the diversity of cultures that make it up and which contribute great wealth to the culture of the Department.

In order to spread the cultural offerings of the city, the City Council of Paysandú, through the Culture Division, set up an initiative in 2010 called “Cultura eN PLAZA” (Culture in the Square), in collaboration with different cultural institutions and actors in the city, such as the House of Culture, the Community Centres, the museums, libraries and different cultural groups.

The initiative consists in taking to the public squares different cultural manifestations through interactive exhibitions, in order to stir the interest of citizens of all ages, incentivize their participation and have them appreciate the work of the cultural agents and institutions.

Thus, for one or two days there are workshops in painting, drawing, ceramics, graffiti, and artistic make-up; chess games are organised, along with plays, dance classes and performances of different Latin American rhythms and different cultural origin groups, amongst other activities. There are also performances by the Music School and different local groups that reflect the diversity of styles in the Department, as well as exhibitions where neighbourhoods exhibit their crafts. All these activities take place simultaneously, giving continuity and movement to the square.

The first time this initiative was put on it was made to coincide with National Candombe Day, a traditional cultural expression that is very rooted in Uruguay, whose origin goes back to the arrival of African slaves, and has been recognized by the UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Activities ended with a large parade through the entire city to the sound of drums, which was joined by musical and local cultural groups, attracting the attention of the citizenry.

The large turnout and the positive feedback of “Culture in the Square” led the city council to decide to continue the project and expand it to the different neighbourhoods in the city and inside the Department, holding it twice per month. The project has also fostered access to culture by the population in the most underprivileged neighbourhoods where the Community Centres play a crucial role; these centres offer educational and cultural opportunities that can facilitate social and cultural integration as well as job-finding for the participants.

The results of the project include, of special note, the involvement of cultural actors and the citizenry as it shows the fact that activities of cultural institutions and the number of participants have doubled. Moreover, working in groups and by neighbourhood has reinforced identity and a feeling of belonging to the city, in a decisive action of the city council to conserve and publicise the culture and belonging to Paysandú. It is through the recognition of this rich cultural history that Paysandú is moving towards a better future.

Charter of Educating City: principle two

The city will promote education in diversity as well as understanding, international solidarity and cooperation and world peace. This is an education that fights against any form of discrimination. […] It will also avail itself of both avant-garde initiatives and those of popular culture, no matter what their origin. It will contribute to correcting inequalities that arise from cultural production based solely on mercantile criteria.

Gandía es una ciudad de 80.000 habitantes de la Comunidad Valenciana (España), capital de la comarca de la Safor. La principal base de la economía local es el comercio y los servicios. También es un importante destino turístico de playa, por lo que en verano la ciudad triplica su población hasta llegar a los 320.000 habitantes. Por franjas de edad, las personas de más de 50 años representan el 32% de la población.

In a society that is constantly changing, lifelong learning has become a necessity in order to be able to participate actively in the world around us. The Universitat dels Majors (the Seniors University) is an initiative addressed to persons over 55 years who are still interested in learning. It began in 2007 and its goal is to contribute to active ageing, thus allowing this segment of the population to continue developing as individuals and improve their quality of life while fostering their social participation.

Los estudios se centran en un itinerario de Humanidades y Ciencias Sociales y se estructuran en dos ciclos: uno básico de una duración de tres años y uno superior de especialización de dos años. Dado que esta educación no está destinada a la preparación profesional de los participantes, se prioriza en todo momento un ambiente de reflexión. A su vez, la obtención del Diploma Universitario Sénior se basa en la asistencia y participación en las diferentes materias.

This initiative is the result of an intensive relationship of cooperation between the International Gandía Centre of the Universitat de Valencia and the City Council. It also has the collaboration of the Association of Retired Professors of the Universitat de Valencia which gives some of the specialization seminars.

The Seniors University is, therefore, a privileged space for this segment of the population which can learn about subjects such as Geography, Health, History, Art, Psychology, Economics, Literature, Philosophy, Law, Sociology and Music, and gain wider knowledge in a specific area through the preparation of, or participation in, a research project or intervention on the territory.

The experience has been very positive not only for the elderly and the University, which is now a meeting place for different generations, but also for society in general by having more educated and involved citizens. Moreover, the success of the initiative and the need to satisfy the expectations of a growing demand for lifelong learning has led to an increase in the number of subjects offered.

Charter of Educating Cities: principle four
Las políticas municipales de carácter educativo se entenderán siempre referidas a un contexto más amplio inspirado en los principios de la justicia social, el civismo democrático, la calidad de vida y la promoción de sus habitantes.

Bethlehem is located in a region that has been wracked by violent conflict for many years. It is a city of great social diversity; of profoundly different political convictions and religious beliefs coexisting in the same space.

Bethlehemites use their differences to strengthen their mutual understanding and respect as a way of building peace, harmony and solidarity.

The Bethlehem Municipality plays a basic role as a mediator in solving the social problems within the community of Bethlehem. To that end, the Municipality has a committee composed of members of the City Council which is entrusted to follow up and mediate in the day-to-day problems and conflicts that arise among citizens. The City adopted these procedures in conflict resolution as a supportive measure to guarantee the security and the stability of the community.

Beyond the City’s action, the social structure of Bethlehem also includes conciliators who intervene in conflictive situations or attacks on personal honour. Their judgments are based on traditions and customs handed down by elders from generation to generation. The rules operate as real social laws regulating the relationships between families and clans. It is not the isolated individuals who are subject to legal responsibility, but rather the social groups to which they belong.

These mediators are appointed by the elderly, whose wisdom is recognized by the social entities and the Bethlehem city council. The conciliators are not substitutes for the legal authorities; instead, their involvement is seen as an element that reinforces social stability. They work together with government agencies to maintain peaceful coexistence between the different social sectors in Bethlehem.

Another important means of administering justice in Bethlehem is through application of the tenets of the Islamic Religion, widespread in Palestine due to the long history of nomadic and immigrant populations in the region.

These systems of justice, to which people can directly relate, carry on ancient formulas for redress of grievances.

The traditional code of justice in effect in Bethlehem is a clear example of how the most everyday conflicts in the city are resolved. Incompatible goals or different perceptions between individuals or social groups require the presence of a third party capable of fostering peaceful coexistence.

Justice mediation, the application of traditional wisdom and the City of Bethlehem’s initiative are the best guarantees of respect and social peace.

Charter of Educating Cities: Second Principle.

The city will promote education in diversity as well as understanding, international solidarity and cooperation and world peace. This is an education that fights against any form of discrimination and fosters freedom of expression, cultural diversity and dialogue in equal conditions.

In keeping with the Senegalese government’s decentralization policy, the political authorities in the capital city of Dakar addressed the issue of citizen involvement in city management decisions.

Para establecer las bases de esta nueva relación, a finales del año 2002, técnicos del Ayuntamiento de Dakar se reunieron con representantes del mundo asociativo de la ciudad en el curso de unas jornadas de trabajo fruto de las cuales surgió El pacto para el Civismo y la Ciudadanía.

The main point of this agreement stressed the need to work together in a transparent manner on a shared project agreed upon by all of the citizens with the final aim of achieving harmonious, stable and sustainable city development.

En este nuevo marco de relación, se acentuaba el rol de los dos grandes pilares del movimiento asociativo dakariano: el Colectivo de Comités de Desarrollo Local (CCDL) y la Unión de Movimientos y Asociaciones de Desarrollo (EMAD). Ambas organizaciones son marcos de reflexión, concertación y acción a nivel de barrio en el seno de las cuales se integran actores institucionales y organizaciones comunitarias barriales.

The mobilization and significant participation of local actors in community projects has given life to numerous citizen initiatives and projects.

Examples of these are the preventive health campaigns against diseases such as malaria and the AIDS virus. In this regard, the CCDL and EMAD, in coordination with City Hall departments and neighborhood associations, have organized numerous forums, concerts, conferences and caravans to inform citizens of the different methods for the prevention of those diseases.

Likewise, they carry out community mediation actions to resolve conflicts within the community and to encourage citizens’ participation in local management issues.

The Civic Action and Citizenship Agreement is a fundamental element in legitimizing municipal action and encourages growing understanding of the roles and functions of social players. The active citizen participation in the consensus of this agreement is an indication of the extent to which the city needs the involvement of each and every one of its citizens.

Charter of Educating Cities: Eighteenth Principle.

The city will encourage the formation of associations as a form of participation and civic co-responsibility, in order to channel action that provides service to the community and to obtain and divulge information, material and ideas in order to promote the social, moral and cultural development of the individual.

Budapest is the capital of Hungary, a Central European country that was devastated by the two world wars and following that underwent repeated changes of its political system. After the restoration of democracy in the country, the marks left by many of those conflicts still remain but have never been brought out in the open and examined.
This situation triggered the idea of using theatre as a powerful instrument of expression, learning and social cohesion. It wasn’t just seen as an outlet through which young people could express their concerns and wishes, but also as an ideal means of encouraging intergenerational dialogue.

KOLIBRI THEATRE
The Kolibri Child and Youth Theatre was created as a space in which to rehearse and carry out theatrical projects targeted both to children and young people and to the adults in their lives. Therefore, the actual performances have been, right from the start, as important as the conversations that followed.

The aim is to provide resources allowing adults and youngsters, with different life experiences, to find common ground by sharing artistic experiences that address collective problems. It is about transforming the audience’s individual reactions into a shared experience. To accomplish this, it is vitally important that the theatrical programming be genuine.

Su área de influencia supera las propias paredes del Teatro y abarca la totalidad de los espacios públicos, incluidos aquellos dedicados directamente a la educación. Todo espacio es, pues, susceptible de acoger representaciones teatrales.

The Kolibri Theatre programming includes 28 performances covering a range of subjects from interactive musical pieces to puppet shows or short readings. There is additional didactic material provided with each performance.

The City of Budapest’s Departments of Education and Culture recognize the important role theatre plays in young peoples’ social integration. As a result, theatrical training has expanded into all areas. In addition to the Kolibri Theatre, the City Council supports thirteen other theatres.

The presence of theatre in public spaces, festivals, celebrations, etc., extends beyond the actual city limits. The fact that theatrical events can be programmed both in large open spaces and in small classrooms alike, is proof of the City of Budapest’s commitment to educating.

Charter of Educating Cities: Fourth Principle.

The municipal policies of an educational character shall always be understood as referring to a broader context inspired by the principles of social justice, democratic community spirit, quality of life and the edification of the individual citizen.

Public space is where a horizontal and broad communication can be established among citizens. It is a place that generates democracy, culture and education. Experiencing the city offers the opportunity to continue building it and restoring it to revive the values of each of the communities within it.

LA VÍA RECREACTIVA (THE RECREATIONAL ROUTE)

La Vía RecreActiva—Recreational Route— is a program developed by the City of Guadalajara (the capital of the Mexican state of Jalisco) with the primary aim of improving coexistence, communication and social cohesion among its citizens.

The route extends 25 kilometers along the length of the city’s main avenues and crosses the city from east to west through numerous communities of varying socioeconomic levels. It also connects with three other cities in the larger metropolitan area: Tlaquepaque, Tonalá and Zapopan.

The Recreational Route involves freeing some of the city’s main streets of traffic on Sundays, turning them into recreational areas where pedestrians can ride bicycles, skate, walk and enjoy educational and entertainment activities offered in the nearby squares. An average of 120,000 people use the route every Sunday. The municipal government’s aim in creating the Recreational Route, is to recover public space, foster democratic values and mutual respect among citizens, promote social action, create an inclusive space and a sense of belonging to the city, and encourage alternative means of moving around the city.

The different city departments organize coordinated interactive activities such as traveling book and toy libraries, interactive science exhibitions, family-focused workshops, concerts, etc.

Les diverses dependències municipals organitzen de forma coordinada activitats interactives com ara un programa de biblioteques i ludoteques mòbils, exposicions científiques interactives, tallers enfocats a la integració familiar, concerts…

The use of this route has also led to programs focused on improving the urban landscape, as in the case of San Jacinto Park, a recovered green space more than 25,000 square meters in size, and the “Green City” Project for developing green areas on the sidewalks along the city’s Route 1.

The use of public space as an instrument for social inclusion has extended to other projects such as “Guadalajara on a Bike” and “Sports in the Street,” the latter of which organizes sporting events in Guadalajaran communities that have no sports infrastructure.

These initiatives always take into consideration how, why, and for whom they are being carried out. The city does, and must, belong to its citizens.

Charter of Educating Cities: Eighth Principle.

The organization of the city’s physical urban space shall meet the requirements of accessibility, encounter, relations, play and leisure as well as a greater closeness to nature.

Tampere, located between the Näsijärvi and Pyhäjärvi lakes, became an important industrial center in Northern Europe during the mid-19th century, the so-called Manchester of Finland. Today the city is still one of the driving forces of the Finnish economy, thanks to the active role played by its IT industry and university research.

Within this framework, the Tampere City Council is aware of the importance of guaranteeing the city’s entire population access to the Information Society. To accomplish this, the local administration has opted to develop programs using new technologies to promote social cohesion; projects that go beyond the formal educational system.

In keeping with this political approach, the Tampere City Library organizes free training programs in new technologies, open to everyone in the city and particularly targeted to the elderly, immigrants and the unemployed.

Thus, the library offers an ongoing training service on Internet basics—two Netsquares– to anyone who requests it. In addition, it has created an itinerant version of the same, called Internet bus. It provides the same service on wheels and makes it possible to learn in places where there are no fixed ICT classes.

The broad outreach of these programs not only encourages individual learning of these new technologies, but also strengthens connections among people. The teachers play a fundamental role in sparking interest in the new forms that the information society is constantly taking.

Learning to use a computer is a slow and sometimes difficult process for some people. That difficulty underscores the importance of gentle teaching methods and teamwork that is encouraged by the libraries.

The positive response to this program has led to activities aimed at individuals who have mastered the basic skills. Thus, groups of people with shared interests can develop their own projects in cooperation with the city’s cultural institutions. Two examples of this are the “Astronomy for All” project, developed in conjunction with the local astronomy society, and the “Digital Story Workshop”.

The new technologies that can be seen as factors leading to social fragmentation can become, in the hands of the local administrations, one of the elements that most strengthens social cohesion among citizens.

Charter of Educating Cities: Nineteenth Principle

The municipality must guarantee sufficient, comprehensible information and give incentives to its inhabitants to inform themselves of what is going on. […] At the same time, the city shall establish programs for training in information and communications technology for all ages and social groups in order to fight against new forms of exclusion.

The Huasco River, that ties together and gives life to the terraced valley of the same name, has attracted a variety of settlements along the shores of its long course, with the city of Vallenar situated in the heart of the valley. When Vallenar began to take shape as a city, the river was not seen as a space to be integrated in this urban environment, where there was already a serious scarcity of green areas and parks for recreational use. In the mid-1990s, the city government decided to develop a project to address this issue.

THE RIVERSIDE PROMENADE

The project’s aim was to take over the river space as a basic part of a new urban development plan that would encourage the use of its banks as a place for social gathering and recreation, ridding the riverside of its image as an abandoned space.

Incorporating the river into the city meant setting aside a public space in which citizens could gather and interact, that would respect and foster respect for the environment, promote outdoor cultural, sports and recreational activities, and attract tourists to the area.

The specific aims set out by the designers of the riverside promenade were to:
a) Channel the river, reinforcing its banks with stone abutments in order to protect against the rises in the river.
b) Order the riverbank using walls built out of natural materials.
c) Use river water for the park watering system.
d) Place sports courts of various types along the edges.
e) Rehabilitate a series of natural pools to create a spa for people in the community.

That is how a multi-purpose green space of over two thousand linear meters complete with sports and recreational equipment was created, offering the entire community a broad range of outdoor leisure activities.

From the outset, the community participated in this ambitious project to transform the riverside, providing input on the initial plans and, at the same time, gaining awareness of the importance of the surroundings and of respecting the environment. As the work progressed on the project, citizens were able to voice their concerns and needs directly to the municipal authorities.

Today, the Huasco River, newly-revived as the central core of an ecosystem and integrated in urban life to the citizens’ benefit, is a focal public space in the City of Vallenar.

In order to know and understand a city and certain attitudes of those who live there, it is necessary to appreciate the sum total of its symbols, legends and customs. This intangible heritage can be moving and evocative at the same time that it reinforces a sense of belonging to a city. In addition, a community’s collective expression of its identity can serve as a tool for building citizenship based on democratic values and for fostering dialogue in conflict resolution.
The City Council and the people of Granollers–a city in the Barcelona metropolitan area with a rich industrial history–are well aware of this.

MAY 31, 1938: THE BOMBING OF GRANOLLERS
Seventy years after the city was bombed during the Spanish Civil War, high school students and their teachers gathered together with survivors of that tragic event to commemorate it and to make a clear statement of commitment to peace. Since then, this event has been repeated every year. Peace is not just something to be preached, it must be built.

THE CITY’S FESTIVAL OF THE “WHITES” AND “BLUES”
The city of Granollers’ main annual festival was created around an age-old competition between two tile makers to see who was the fastest at his job. That anecdote served as the inspiration for the recreation of an invented rivalry among two heterogeneous groups of citizens–the whites and the blues–that carry out a friendly competition to win the right to organize the opening ceremonies for the following year’s festival.
The competition revolves around a program of activities aimed to strengthen the sense of belonging to the city and to encourage an encounter between long-standing tradition and contemporary innovation. This city festival is a confirmation of the creation and transmission of a legacy.

THE GRANOLLERS SOUP POT
In 1982, the Neighborhood Association for downtown Granollers suggested reviving and updating an old tradition known as L’Olla dels Pobres (Soup Pot for the Poor). Ever since then, on the Saturday before Christmas, the association invites the people of the city to a bowl of escudella (a traditional Catalan stew) in a centrally-located downtown square called, most appropriately, Soup Pots Square. In addition, association members visit the schools to teach young children about the tradition.
People were so taken with this unique cultural event that citizens later got together to create a monument to the escudella. Since then a cooking pot is permanently stored beneath the square and is brought out for the city’s main culinary festivals. The popular saying, “Granollers is a grand soup pot” is an apt reflection of the city’s tradition of hospitality.

Carta de Ciudades Educadoras: Séptimo principio

The city must know how to discover, preserve and display its own complex identity. This will make it unique and provide the basis for a fruitful dialogue with its inhabitants and with other cities. Its customs and traditions must be compatible with international ways of life.