Guimarães will assume, for the next four years, the presidency of the Urban Sustainability Thematic Group of the Atlantic Axis of the Northwest Peninsula. The election, by unanimity, took place at the Centro Cultural Vila Flor, as part of the group’s meeting and the public presentation of the report “Urban Public Space Planning for the Improvement of Human and Environmental Health,” according to a press release.
According to the same source, for the president of the Guimarães City Council, Ricardo Araújo, this choice represents “a sign of confidence and recognition for the municipality’s work in the area of sustainability,” reinforcing Guimarães’ role in strategic decisions for a better urban future.
“It is with pride and a sense of responsibility that we assume the presidency of this group, one of the most relevant forums of cooperation between municipalities in Portugal and Spain. There are 41 municipalities involved and the unanimous election reinforces the credibility of the path we are, together, building,” says Ricardo Araújo.
The leadership of the group will be entrusted to the Councillor for the Environment and Sustainability of the Guimarães City Council, Alberto Martins, who highlighted the meaning and the responsibility associated with this choice: “We cannot dissociate our political action from the work that has been developed. In a year of European Green Capital, taking on this thematic group is a source of pride, but also a great responsibility. I am sure that we will be up to the new challenge that Guimarães now embraces.”
The announcement of Guimarães’ presidency of the Urban Sustainability Thematic Group of the Atlantic Axis of the Northwest Peninsula was made in the presence of the Secretary-General of the Atlantic Axis, Xoán Vázquez Mao, and Francesc Cárdenas, technical director of Science and Urban Ecology of the Atlantic Axis and author of the report presented.
For Xoán Mao, the choice of Guimarães represents “a recognition of the work done by the municipality,” underscoring that the Urban Sustainability Thematic Group is “one of the most dynamic of the Atlantic Axis.” These groups execute, at the operational level, the directions of the entity’s General Assembly and propose new strategic initiatives.
Health as a central criterion in urban planning
The meeting was also marked by the presentation of the report “Urban Public Space Planning for the Improvement of Human and Environmental Health,” which advocates a paradigm shift in the design of cities. Human health should cease to be a consequence assessed a posteriori, and should become a structural criterion of urban policies.
The document, promoted by the Atlantic Axis, warns of the growing impacts of climate change, notably heat waves. Among the recommendations are the creation of more green spaces and climate refuges, the reorganization of urban mobility to reduce emissions, adaptation to the new European directives on air quality, and the integration of the concept “One Health” (One Health), which recognizes the interdependence between human health, ecosystems and environmental quality.
