Page 9 - U4SSC Factsheet, Valencia, Spain, June 2020

Valencia: Key Findings from across the KPIs

• To further optimize a smart, sustainable ICT infrastructure, Valencia could utilize Recommendation
ITU-T Y.4901/L.1601: ‘KPIs related to the use of ICT in smart sustainable cities’ and Recommendation
ITU-T Y.4902/L.1602: ‘KPIs related to the sustainability impacts of ICT in smart sustainable cities’.

• Public sector procurement is achieving the desired benchmark, as are the city’s e-procurement
opportunities and systems.
• To foster innovation, utilize community resources and drive economic growth, Valencia can examine
the factors behind its current rate of youth unemployment, and could consider partnering across
public/private sectors and academia to invest in research and solutions to youth unemployment.
Furthermore, promoting R&D and innovation, ensuring access to technology and introducing
digitalization could be key drivers of SME productivity in Valencia, which will drive long-term growth.

• The city could continue to control its rate of non-revenue water through the employment of best-
practice water-loss accounting methods and through policies that mandate conservation of the
city’s water resources.
• Valencia's electrical supply management is effective, with little interruption, and ongoing monitoring
via widespread installation of smart electricity meters and the prevalent use of ICTs to monitor the
electrical supply systems. The city could also consider reporting the level of electricity supply ICT
monitoring and implementing demand response and energy storage capability.
• The city could investigate the use of sustainability certification programmes for ongoing building
operations. Valencia may consider implementing Recommendation ITU-T L.1370 ‘Sustainable and
Intelligent Building Services’, and contributing to the development of draft Recommendation ITU-T
L.SP_OB ‘A methodology for improving, assessing and scoring the sustainability performance of
office buildings’.

• For public transport, Valencia could encourage more usage and incentivize vehicle-sharing services
and carpool programmes as alternatives, along with greater use of electric vehicles and increased
numbers of charging points.

• In urban planning terms, Valencia has reportedly implemented all five principles (compactness,
connectivity, integration, social inclusiveness and resilience to climate change), which makes it
a sustainably planned city, although there is still a high reliance on cars. Urban planning can be
optimized by creating pedestrian zones and deploying measures to encourage foot traffic.

• An integrated approach to climate change and air pollution should be considered to reduce the
risks of applying climate change measures with significant negative impacts on air quality. Valencia
could utilize Recommendations ITU-T Y.4207: ‘Requirements and capability framework of smart
environmental monitoring’ and ITU-T Y.4700/F.747.2: ‘Deployment guidelines for ubiquitous sensor
network applications and services for mitigating climate change’.
• Across the KPIs for public space and nature, environmental quality, noise exposure can continue to
be mitigated as part of the city’s sustainability strategy, with a comprehensive approach to noise
management recommended. In water consumption terms, the city can reduce its reliance on
freshwater and encourage greywater re-use in homes. On the business and industry side, Valencia

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