In a new video interview released by the NEUTRALPATH project, Víctor Serrano Entío, Councilor for Urban Planning, Infrastructure, Energy and Housing at Zaragoza City Council, highlights how the city is accelerating its path toward climate neutrality through concrete, scalable and citizen-centred actions.
Through Zaragoza City Council and Zaragoza Vivienda, NEUTRALPATH project is enabling the city to test and implement innovative solutions in mobility, green infrastructure, water management and building renovation, all aimed at reducing the city’s carbon footprint and empowering local communities.
Serrano explains that Zaragoza has strengthened the electrification of public services, including its entire bus fleet, while its tram system has already contributed to a 12% reduction in city traffic. New measures supporting personal mobility complement these efforts.
In parallel, the city is undergoing a major digitalisation of the entire water cycle, supported by European funding. This process will improve leak detection and prevention, significantly increasing efficiency and reducing water losses.
Zaragoza currently boasts 11 million square meters of green spaces and nearly 100 urban parks. The ambitious “Bosque de los Zaragozanos” initiative aims to grow the city’s tree population from 200,000 to 700,000 by 2030, enhancing biodiversity and climate resilience.
Building renovation and clean energy production
A central component of NEUTRALPATH is the renovation of two residential buildings in the Actur district. Zaragoza Vivienda is upgrading the building envelope, including windows, glass, and insulation and integrating photovoltaic panels into the rainscreen cladding, enabling clean energy generation and improved monitoring of consumption. Accessibility improvements will also be introduced.
A second part of the project, led directly by Zaragoza City Council, focuses on installing renewable energy infrastructure in four public facilities, producing 100% green energy and contributing to a significant reduction in the district’s carbon footprint.
Serrano emphasises that Zaragoza’s Climate Neutral Laboratories are “spaces of knowledge” where cities and stakeholders exchange needs, experiences, challenges and best practices. The goal is to ensure that solutions tested in Zaragoza are scalable and replicable across Europe and beyond.
“This project is one that Zaragoza City Council and Zaragoza Vivienda are particularly committed to and proud of,” Serrano concludes, noting its importance in improving living conditions for residents while contributing to Europe’s climate neutrality goals.
Watch the video interview here
Image credits: David Vives from Unsplash
