Becoming prophets in one’s land
After achieving a people-first city with first-class public spaces, the province of Pontevedra is now rolling out a pioneering program to expand good practices to its full territory. That is not an easy job, dare we say – so, how do you turn dangerous rural roads into safe, beating hearts of community life? Laura Babío gives us answers.
The Spanish city of Pontevedra, located in the north-west of the Iberian Peninsula, is well known for its traditional charm. It has also made a name for itself in the field of urban mobility, gaining a range of international awards for its urban planning and mobility policy.
After having reduced road fatalities in the city consistently since 1999 and impressively achieved zero road deaths between 2011 and 2018, last year Pontevedra added the first European Urban Road Safety Award to its trophy shelf.
Their achievement is no fluke. Over the last decade, the city implemented a range of measures to rebuild city life around safe and appealing public spaces. Raising access restrictions, reducing parking and speed limits, you name it – Pontevedra seems to carry the full catalogue of sustainable mobility measures.
But that is, actually, the City of Pontevedra, and not its much larger province, also called Pontevedra.
A province with a challenge
The Pontevedra Province has a population of over 940,000 inhabitants, a large part of which (around 60 %) resides in smaller towns and villages connected and crossed by rural roads, sprinkled along the Atlantic coast and inner areas of incredible beauty.
As Uxío Benítez, Deputy for Alternative Mobility and Public Spaces at the Provincial Government of Pontevedra and Cross-Border Cooperation and EGTC Río Miño, explained to the POLIS Working Group for Safety & Security, “these rural roads are the ‘streets’ of our territory, they must be safe for walking and cycling”. The problem is, they are not.
And that is why Uxío, conceived a pioneering capacity building program called “Ágora” (the classical Greek word for ‘meeting place’), and set out to challenge a centuries-old biblical saying, that goes “no one is a prophet in their own land” (Luke, 4:24).
How are they doing it?
At the heart of the Ágora program lies a powerful idea – to build a permanent network of municipalities committed to regaining public space as a fundamental right of citizenship.
Ágora’s Ten Principles - Credits: Pontevedra
To make that clear to those who ponder joining the challenge, and to guide the actions of those who do join, Ágora stands on a set of ten clear principles.
The provincial program is promoted and coordinated by the area for Alternative Mobility and Public Spaces of the Deputación de Pontevedra. However, it is a truly joint effort with municipalities working in tandem to create urban spaces built around citizen wellbeing and safety.
To encourage local officials to engage in this challenge, the program includes:
- An Advisory Council – a participatory body including renowned experts and representatives from various groups;
- A channel for additional financial assistance, including seed money for developing projects that will give public spaces back to people;
- Several learning opportunities, one of the most interesting being the Ágora Academy, a training course in public space which will bring, among others, Jan Gehl, Francesco Tonucci, Carlos Moreno and Jeff Speck;
- Peer support, including work sessions with political and technical representatives from each member municipality, to share experiences, problems, and solutions.
Not a ‘beauty contest’
It is important to point out this is not a public space ‘beautification program’. Ágora focuses, first and foremost, in giving public space back to citizens, which implies, among other things, lowering speed limits, changing traffic flows, and establishing viable alternatives to private cars by improving pedestrian and cycling infrastructure, and prioritizing alternative, more sustainable transport options.
In short, it is a complete reimagination of urban space – and rural roads! One where the public right-of-way is not simply a channel for cars to travel from A to B, but rather a communal safe space enabling a diverse range of movement and social life.
When it comes to safety, sharing really is caring. The project typifies the benefit of peer-to-peer exchange and collaboration. By working with surrounding regions, Pontevedra is establishing not just a city-wide, but a regional-wide answer to road safety challenges.
Capacity building – together
Presentation of the capacity building program “Ágora”
- Credits: Rafa Estévez
This is capacity building at its best, establishing the practical tools, resources, and know-how to translate ideas into practice. Such collaboration models are at the top of the agenda of POLIS’ work in Road safety.
As Pedro Homem de Gouveia, POLIS Coordinator for Safety & Security, commented during the Working Group meeting, “if we looked at traffic fatalities and serious injuries as the result of a virus, we would see that the vaccine has been invented. We would also see that the real challenge is scaling up and accelerating the distribution of the vaccine, training the professionals administering it, and overcoming the resistance of those who cling to outdated beliefs instead of trusting Science.”
From Pontevedra (the City) to Pontevedra (the Province), progress is on its way. And following on the footsteps of a Prophetic city, a whole province is about to show the old biblical saying does not apply everywhere – or at least, not in Galicia.
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About Ágora’s Ten Principles
- Public space as a Right
People living in an urban area of any size have the right to have a high-quality public space to develop their lives and interact with others safely.
- People first
The aim will be to ensure pedestrian mobility over other means of transport.
- Inclusive mobility
Public space is the only space that belongs to us all, regardless of race, gender, age, social background, physical or mental abilities.
- Children’s autonomy
Create safe school routes (as a first measure to regain space for children), encourage children’s autonomy in the streets and squares, and establish channels for children's participation in local life.
- Alternative mobility
Natural and active mobility shall be promoted (as opposed to motor vehicles) in both urban and rural areas.
- Safe spaces
Traffic calming policies such as raised pedestrian crossings and speed lowering devices. All local roads in urban or rural areas will have maximum speeds of 30km/h. In pedestrian-priority public spaces, authorized vehicles will be allowed to drive at a maximum speed of 10km/h.
- Healthy environment
Promote initiatives to encourage healthy habits and activities among their citizens, such as walking or cycling.
- Friendly and high-quality spaces
Municipal Councils are committed to ensure that all public space projects include a friendly and high-quality pedestrian space.
- Local economic activities
The promotion of high-quality public spaces and the presence of people in the streets will help to promote local businesses.
- Sustainable mobility
Public space shall be free or almost free from environmental pollution.
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About POLIS Safety & Security Working Group
POLIS’ Safety and Security Working Group convenes regularly to examine the key issues of transport safety, explore solutions and hear from member cities and regions who are implementing pioneering new safety practices.
By showcasing such tangible projects – like Ágora – the group provides clear and accessible advice for others seeking to revise their safety regulations and infrastructure.
Learn more here.
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About the author
Laura Babío is Traffic Efficiency Cluster Lead & Just Transition Co-coordinator at POLIS Network.
Credits: Rafa Estévez