Istanbul Environment Friendly City Award (IEFCA): La Spezia on the podium with the Environment Friendly City Award 

Istanbul Environment Friendly City Award (IEFCA): La Spezia on the podium with the Environment Friendly City Award.

Spice. Our city has positioned itself at the third place to the prestigious award Environment Friendly City Award (IEFCA) of Istanbul established pursuant to COP 22 Decision IG.19/19 for the protection of the Mediterranean Sea from the risks of pollution. A legal and operational instrument of United Nations Action Plan for the Mediterranean (MAP), which the contracting parties have adopted for concerted action aimed at realizing the vision of a healthy Mediterranean sea and coast that supports sustainable development in the Mediterranean region.

“A prestigious result that confirms how La Spezia is becoming a point of reference in Europe for environmental protection – declares the Mayor of La Spezia Pierluigi Peracchini - Many actions have been carried out by this Municipal Administration with the La Spezia Green project for a more sustainable city: waste management which has led to reaching almost 80% of separate waste collection, obtaining the title of "Recycling Municipality" several times; important interventions on the sewerage network such as the 8.782 linear meters of pipes and participation in the "Clean sea, no more discharges into the sea" project; specific European projects to prevent and manage the risks deriving from climate change and for the protection of the sea and the marine ecosystem; the “Blue Flag” agreement, interventions on urban mobility with the new electric trolleybus network; the energy requalification of more than 35 public buildings including schools, offices and museums and the important result of the stop to coal at the Enel power plant. We must continue to follow this path to deliver an increasingly environmentally friendly city to our children."

La Spezia is therefore a Smart City that guarantees economic sustainability, trying to allow all citizens an excellent lifestyle and to meet every type of need. Transport, waste, mobility, safety and public maintenance are the fields of action on which the Municipality of La Spezia worked to ensure a better quality of life.

Since 2017 the municipal administration has worked hard to improve the quality of the entire “system” of the City of La Spezia, understood as a synthesis of environment, territory and relationships between people. Over the last few years there have been significant improvements in almost every area: waste management, water cycle management, water and sewage quality, protection of the sea and the marine ecosystem, air quality, mobility, energy requalification of municipally owned buildings, public lighting. All activities aimed at aaddress the city's environmental critical issues to have a city more efficient, cleaner and increasingly ecological.

In addition to the aspect of environmental protection, La Spezia also stood out for its great dynamism in the social sphere given that in 2020 La Spezia was, among the provincial capital municipalities, the 1st in Liguria for social spending intended for minors, disabled people and the elderly. The project was also highly appreciated by the judging commission.La Spezia Fortand" aimed at redeveloping the history of the City of La Spezia, divided into several initiatives of tourist-social value among which emphasis was given to the redevelopment and recovery of the nineteenth-century walls of La Spezia.

The last aspect that led to this prestigious result was the ability of the Administration to involve citizens through various information campaigns on environmental issues using all communication tools. For some years the Municipality has been doing its own access to digital channels to interface with the public, renewing its institutional communication strategy to get closer to young people and promote knowledge of the City and of the change underway among public opinion, leveraging both the traditional communication tools as well as on social networks. This new approach has allowed us to establish a more direct relationship with citizens, especially with the new generations, involving them and updating them on projects for the City.