Through several meetings with representatives of the Aranda City Council, including the mayor himself, fifteen entrepreneurs from various European countries have contributed ideas, brought from their countries and places of origin, to improve Aranda and the Ribera in terms of mobility, green areas and local commerce. The entrepreneurs have been in Aranda from last September 29th until today October 24th thanks to the European program “the break” (*). In addition to developing their own projects with the help of mentors, they have worked with the City Council and citizens on three key challenges in our town: promoting active and sustainable mobility (on foot and by bicycle), expansion, interconnection and better use of green areas and promoting local commerce.
To this end, on October 6, the “breakers” held a first meeting with Carlos Medina and Guillermo López, councilors of the City Council, who put on the table the problems or difficulties that the city and the council itself face when it comes to moving forward on the aforementioned issues.
As a second event, last Friday (20 October) a co-creation workshop open to the general public was held at Ribering Coworking, which was attended by Mayor Antonio Linaje and Councillors Carlos Medina, Guillermo López and José Antonio Fuertes on behalf of the City Council. The entrepreneurs presented a series of innovative ideas to boost the local economy, always in collaboration with the merchants themselves, such as “local consumption” cards to build loyalty with discounts in associated shops; community breakfasts in green areas on weekends; or bringing Christmas markets to parks as well.
In terms of mobility, there was talk of improving public transport connections between Aranda and the towns of the Ribera; or of closing some streets to traffic at weekends, as is already done in many European cities, in order to show the reduction in pollution, the improvement in quality of life and the reduced real need to use the car. This has been confirmed by children, mothers and fathers of some schools affected by the current works in the area around the Jardines de Don Diego. Works that can also reduce and calm traffic permanently (always offering good alternatives), and expand and improve urban natural spaces with more biodiversity.
Across the board, the need to raise awareness about respect and care for nature, the inclusion of all people and groups, especially children, and to make room for local art and culture to attract the public and liven up the environment was highlighted. In addition, during the debate, a possible umbrella initiative emerged: a network of ambassadors who, from their own area or neighbourhood, coordinate work groups on the challenges that affect them closely.
As a result of this process, the entrepreneurs leave with a sense of satisfaction given the presence and interest of the municipal government, which has obtained fresh ideas to evaluate, adapt to our territory and work with the rest of the social and economic agents through inclusive citizen participation.
Thus, by learning from other places, collaborating, expanding the common good and taking advantage of opportunities, we can undoubtedly move towards a flourishing Aranda with small businesses, more walkable, cyclable, green and healthy for everyone. Let's go for it!
(*) The Break is a European programme funded by “NextGen”, coordinated by the School of Industrial Organization (EOI), and with the technical assistance of “The Break Alliance”, a joint venture led by Impact Hub Madrid, together with mentorDay and Startups.st, winner of the public tender that was put out to tender in December 2022.
