Matosinhos becomes the first UN Resilience Hub in Portugal
The city joins the Province of Potenza (Italy) as the newest role models for the Making Cities Resilient 2030 initiative
The city recently installed the 200th water point in the metropolitan area
SMAT, Turin’s public water supply company, reported on 13 August that it has already installed 200 water points on the territory of the Italian metropolis. The latest such addition now stands proudly in the Casabianca hamlet, to the northeast of the main city.
The water points in question are the tools through which Turin is trying to change the water consumption habits of its residents. Taking a page from ‘locally sourced’ food trends, the authorities are trying to send a message that it is just as important to drink local, or as they call it ‘zero kilometre’, water.
The environmental benefits of this are vast and consumers will not be shortchanged. In fact, the water points offer three types of water: room temperature, chilled and sparkling, so no one can complain.
Each of the „Punto Acqua” water distribution points is a two-metre-tall hexagonal kiosk equipped with three taps: one for still water, one for chilled still water and one for chilled sparkling water. Cleanliness and hygiene of the water are guaranteed by a UV sterilizer installed at the taps. The average deliverable chilled water is 180 litres per hour.
Still water – whether at room temperature or chilled – is free of charge. 1.5 litres of sparkling cold water costs 5 cents. However, the practice is to provide the sparkling water for free for the first two weeks after the installation of a new water point. The scheduled operation of the water distribution points is programmable.
The project carries significant social and environmental importance as it contributes to CO2 emissions reduction, plastic consumption reduction, improving people’s quality of life, creating new habits and also having an economic value both for the community and for the environment. The latter is possible because it reduces the costs for water supply and ensures better air quality.
After all, what makes more sense? Buying packaged water, which was bottled (often in another region or country) and then delivered through (likely) polluting transport means or quenching your thirst with free, or cheap, local water knowing that you are also saving the environment? It seems like a simple answer, yet Western societies still need some time to get to it.
The demand for affordable housing is still quite high, coupled with rising construction material prices, land purchase prices and a labour shortage
The partnership initiative was launched during the ICLEI World Congress Summit
Apart from car lanes, the 130-metre-long structure also features a 4-metre-wide bike lane
The Portuguese city is one of the participants in this exciting global initiative
The Smart City Alliance has been quietly building functional tools for both citizens and authorities since 2016
Part of an ongoing trend among these institutions to increase convenience for users
The Siberian flying squirrel is an endangered species whose biggest threat is forestry
They will develop or reconstruct cycle paths and pedestrian bridges
The partnership initiative was launched during the ICLEI World Congress Summit
The Portuguese city is one of the participants in this exciting global initiative
The demand for affordable housing is still quite high, coupled with rising construction material prices, land purchase prices and a labour shortage
Those between the ages of 9 and 13 can attend workshops to learn how to work with wood
These will be spread across 11 EU countries and will serve to support the EU Missions
The European Commission has accepted to develop the idea
An interview about AYR, one of the 2021 New European Bauhaus Prize winners
An interview with Nigel Jollands and Sue Goeransson from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
An interview with the President of the City of Athens Reception & Solidarity Centre
A talk with the Mayor of Malmö on the occasion of the city’s UN Resilience Hub status