CaixaForum València hosted institutional representatives, professors, unions, and economic agents this Thursday to debate one of the decade's major challenges: how to transform the mobility of people and goods in a context marked by climate emergency. The Local Council of València, promoted by Levante-EMV, under the slogan "Mobility and climate change: people and goods moved sustainably", also served as a prelude to the III Economic and Social Forum of the Mediterranean to be held in Barcelona from June 16 to 18.
The event began with an institutional welcome from the mayor of València, María José Catalá, who focused on rethinking our territory and how we want to live in the coming decades. "The major problems cities face require metropolitan-level responses. Neither mobility nor housing can be addressed from a strictly municipal perspective; the response must be metropolitan," she stated. Catalá highlighted that the València City Council is working with the University of València to develop a metropolitan master plan, emphasizing collaboration and consensus-building.
The Minister of Science, Innovation, and Universities of the Spanish Government, Diana Morant, celebrated Prensa Ibérica's focus on mobility. Morant recalled the historic "Valencian little train" as a symbol of "sustainable progress even before the concept existed." The socialist leader criticized policies "based on improvisation" and argued that "listening to science" is the way to build a shared future, advocating for the Valencian Community's capacity to lead "the green transformation of the European Mediterranean".
The emeritus professor of Human Geography at the University of València, Joan Romero, introduced the Local Council's conclusions, presenting a diagnosis of the mobility challenges facing Mediterranean metropolitan areas. He stressed that air quality in the metropolitan area, home to two million people, shows negative values due to the reliance on private cars because of deficiencies in public transport. "We are facing a strained, unequal, and unsustainable model," he stated, highlighting the dependence on private vehicles that harms those with fewer resources.
Romero detailed nine specific actions for València and ten for the metropolitan area, emphasizing the need for investment and "long-term political will." He proposed the creation of a single metropolitan transport entity, as mobility, housing, and employment are interconnected axes that must be addressed together.
The event included debate panels with experts such as Carmen Zornoza (UV) and Tomás Ruiz (UPV), discussing the need to integrate urban planning and mobility, and to strengthen public transport, especially in the metropolitan area. Representatives from the CEV (Vicente Lafuente), UGT-PV (Tino Calero), CCOO-PV (Ana García), and the València Chamber of Commerce (Amadeo Aznar) also participated, highlighting how mobility issues generate inequality and affect health and the economy.
The first vice-president and Minister of Housing, Social Services, and Equality of the Valencian Government, Susana Camarero, assured that the regional government shares the vision of the challenges and will translate it into public policies and investment. She emphasized the importance of collaboration and consensus to achieve goals and advocated for the Mediterranean Corridor.
Furthermore, Camarero announced that the 2026 Generalitat Budget Accompanying Law will include new measures to enhance control and transparency in the allocation and access to public housing (VPP), introducing "rootedness" as a priority criterion to ensure that young people, families, and workers can continue living where they have built their lives.
