The ARCH local launch event in Valencia, third kick-off event in the ARCH pilot areas, took place on 23 July 2020. The online event was organized by Las Naves, the Innovation Centre from the Valencia City Council, and counted on the participation of Tecnalia and the support of ICLEI Europe. The ARCH project was presented to local stakeholders, with emphasis being placed on the specific characteristics of the local work in Valencia, particularly, its focus on the Huerta and Albufera  areas, which are not only millennial heritage culture of Valencia, but also key elements of its green infrastructure.

Within the framework of the project, the ARCH team aims at making progress towards revaluing, protecting and strengthening those peri-urban agricultural and natural areas to face climate change, by means of the co-development of methods and tools to assess and improve the resilience of these historic areas. Another objective of the local work within the project is gaining more knowledge about how the Huerta and Albufera areas help to mitigate the effects of climate change in the urban environment in Valencia. Other activities to be carried out in Valencia include the development of an Action Plan on responsible tourism, the systematisation and management of the local knowledge on climate change and agriculture, as well as the development and implementation of a climate adaptation awareness raising campaign.

All those activities will be developed in collaboration and cooperation with diverse stakeholders. Educational and information activities for the general public will be carried out too. To this end, the event triggered the start of the creation and launch of the Valencia local partnership. It will be supported too by a first online consultation, which will guide the formation of specific working groups for the development of ARCH activities in Valencia.

To know more about the cultural heritage sites of Valencia targeted in ARCH, read Deliverable 3.3. ARCH City Baseline Report here.