BILBAO: OLYMPIC CITY 2024

SUSTAINABLE URBAN PLANNING AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT

Bilbao is an important city situated in the north of Spain. It is the financial capital of the Basque Country. During a few decades, this city has been the economic motor of the north of Spain and it still is. In the last years, Bilbao has being transforming from an industrial city to a cultural one, always maintaining a very relevant financial area.

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Nowadays, Bilbao has become a metropolis where technology blends with culture, where the past values are still helping to the growth of a powerful capital. For all of this, I want to present Bilbao all over the world with a candidature to Olympic Games 2024. First of all, I am going to give some important reasons and achieves that supported this candidature and then I will include some challenges and goals that Bilbao need to improve for became the Olympic City of 2024.

REASONS FOR THE CANDIDATURE

The first important issue are infrastructures. In the last 10 years Bilbao has improved his own communication (subway, tram and buses) and also the communication with other areas of the region (train and highways). Beside this, the new entrance of Bilbao has been built and inaugurated this year. It has made for improve the communication inside the city and inside the metropolitan areas.

Furthermore, Bilbao has a good communication with his Airport. “La Paloma” airport is connected with cities around Spain and Europe (London, Milan and Paris for instance). The Port of Bilbao complete the connexion of the city, providing it with different resources and benefits that I think are crucial for guarantee a total transport system by earth, air and sea.

A second important issue, that is really relevant for this event, are Sports Equipment. Thus, it has been built in Bilbao during the last years the new football stadium: “San Mames Barria”. It is the new field for Bilbao´s football team called “Athletic de Bilbao”. This team is very important for citizens and has a huge implication in the society. The collaboration of the team in this event is crucial to ensure Bilbao´s candidature.

Another relevant item are cultural interests. In Bilbao we have some amazing tourist resources such as “Guggenheim Museum”, “Alhondiga Building”, “Euskalduna Palace”, “Bellas Artes Museum”, “Arriaga Theatre”… Those are only a few examples that give an idea of how is improving Bilbao´s image. In the last decades Bilbao is trying to be known around the world. And the last step is to be Olympic City of 2024.

Also I think that is important to be aware about the services that Bilbao can offer. Talking about this kind of tourism, health and wellness is necessary to mention “Domine Hotel” and “Melia Hotel” and the urban solutions such as the bridges around the city, for instance “Calatrava Bridge”. Those are only a few examples that enforce Bilbao as a good European capital.

Finally in my opinion, is important to talk about future investments that could probably be done if Bilbao becomes Olympic City of 2024. I am referring to the project of “Zorrozaurre” neighbourhood. This project consist in reform an industrial area of Bilbao and became a neutral area, providing it with effective communications and green areas in a sustainable way. The idea is to transform a waste zone in a potential area for the future and development. It would be the last important reform in the whole city.

GOALS TO ACHIEVE

After analysed all the strengths of Bilbao, now it is the time to focus on weaknesses. I identify two important debilities that could ruin the candidature of Bilbao.The first one is the lack of space. As I said before, there is no more space to build new infrastructures or equipment so it is imperative to use the tools that are already built.

The second problem, and probably the most transcendental one, is the transport inefficiency.Although there are good communication infrastructures, most people use their one car for going to work everyday. That provokes the collapsed of the highways and roads in the rush hours. The entrances and exits of the city are block when citizens more need them. Thus, I think that this problem is related with environmental education. For an environmental protection and to be become a city more sustainable is necessary to change the population behavior and the only way to do it is with meetings and acts for promote using of tools that protect environment and permit sustainable development in our cities. However, there are some important skills that government of Bilbao can support and follow.

The first one is to promote the CARPOOLING. Carpooling is a very useful transport method that consists in share the car with other people that have the same destiny. Due that in Bilbao most traffic is cause by people who come from closer towns to work, this system could decrease considerably the number of vehicles that enter to Bilbao and go out everyday. In fact, since 2012, there is one company that facilities carpooling services in Bilbao, called IBILKARI. As I said before, most of the tools that are needed to become an efficient city are already built. Nevertheless, the challenge now, is use them. The way to act is try to convince population to use this kind of systems to move and improve together our environment.

On the other hand, I have to mention that the use of bicycles is improving. There is design a bike path around the city that tourist and citizens can use easily. Anybody can take a bicycle in one part of Bilbao and leave in the other part, because the cycle´s stop are distributed almost all the city.

CONCLUSION

As a conclusion, I would like to add that Bilbao is an amazing opportunity for people that want a place where the past and the future live together and become stronger and efficient. This is a city that has learned from the past, has corrected the mistake and has turned in a model for others.

In this city, everybody follows the same team, under the same flag, speaks a different language and wants to improve as citizen. This is the city of Athletic Lions, this is my city, and this is the city where 2024 Olympic Games will take place. WELCOME TO BILBAO!

REFERENCES

• SPIM and LKS Consulting (2008), “Diagnóstico de la situación actual del transporte en la comunidad autónoma del País Vasco. El Transporte de mercancías en la CAPV”.
• Areso, I. (2009), “Bilbao´s Strategic Evolution. From the Industrial to the Post-industrial City. Town Hall, Bilbao.
• Noy, P. (2008), “Complementos al transporte colectivo. Carsharing-Bicisharing-Carpooling” Caleidoscopio. Innovación para la Sostenibilidad, Bilbao.
• International Study of the situation of ICT, innovation and knowledge in cities (2012), “Smart Cities Study: Bilbao”. The committee of Digital and Knowledge-based Cities of UCLG.

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