One of the largest interventions was removing cars from the city centre, which is now a pleasant living area for everyone to enjoy. Since then, we have implemented more than 1,700 projects to improve quality of life for the citizens of Ljubljana. In its explanation, the Expert Panel stressed that we were the ones to have made the most changes in the right direction according to the sustainable development Vision Ljubljana 2025, which was determined in 2007. We were placed among the best, since we are the first and for now the only city in the Central and Southeast Europe awarded this prestigious title. Together with my colleagues, we have proved that by implementing sustainable projects we can be a role model for many European cities, becoming the European Green Capital 2016. “I am proud of the changes and success over the last decade in Ljubljana, which for me is the most beautiful city in the world. In Ljubljana, inhabitants drink tap water that is not treated with technological processes but remains of outstanding quality.Ljubljana is the first European capital to be part of the Zero Waste Europe network with a Zero Waste Strategy. Ljubljana is the European capital with the largest share of separately collected waste (65% in 2015).By 2020, the city plans to reduce CO2 emissions by 30% and achieve balanced mobility distribution – 1/3 public transport, 1/3 walking and cycling, 1/3 private cars.The city has introduced numerous measures in the field of sustainable mobility, such as electric car sharing and on-call electric transport.In 20, 12,089 colleagues from the city family (city administration, public companies and institutes) planted a tree in the tree-planting campaign.More than 46% of the city area is covered by native forests, almost 75% by green areas of which over 20% are protected (Natura 2000 areas represent 16.5% of the surface). Ljubljana has as much as 542 m2 of public green areas per inhabitant.According to the European Commission's survey EUROBAROMETER 2015, 92% of citizens are satisfied or very satisfied to live in Ljubljana.The first hour of use is free (which comprises 98 percent of total journeys). The 24-hour bike-sharing system BicikeLJ (introduced in 2011) has exceeded all expectation, with more than 3.7 million journeys made. It has significantly impacted the air quality of existing transport routes in the city: black carbon concentration has decreased by 70 percent with no increase in the surrounding streets. The city has modified the traffic regime on the main traffic artery (Slovenska Street) by limiting motorised traffic and giving priority to pedestrians, cyclists and public transport. Walking distances for pedestrians have been shortened with the installation of new bridges and the introduction of free of charge electric vehicles. The local government recently closed the city centre to motorised traffic, creating an extensive Urban Ecological Zone that has been gradually expanded so that today it covers more than 100,000 m2. To reach the city’s sustainability goals, Ljubljana has adopted a number of strategic sustainability documents, among them the Municipal spatial plan, which directs 83 percent of city development towards the renewal of existing developed areas and brownfields, the Environmental Protection Programme, the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan, the Sustainable Energy Action Plan, the Local Energy Concept and Electromobility Strategy, and the Zero Waste Strategy. The award is a European Commission initiative and is bestowed upon the city that has achieved the highest environmental standards and that is committed to implementing ambitious goals to further environmental protection and sustainable development. Ljubljana won the prestigious title of European Green Capital 2016. Urban Governance, Participation & Social Innovation.Infrastructure, Buildings & Construction.Climate Change Adaptation & Urban Resilience.
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