Municipality's Sustainable Development Report 2020 reinforces Porto's positioning as a pivot for sustainable urban transformation
06 Dec 2021
The Sustainable Development Report for the year 2020 (available here) presented today analyzes the economic, environmental, and social performance of the Municipality, which has been reporting its sustainability performance, in line with international best practices and benchmarks. This is the fourth consecutive report prepared by the Municipality, which main objectives were to compile and process sustainability information in the municipal ecosystem, composed of its Organic Units and Municipal Companies; to involve stakeholders more actively; and to co-create an identity to communicate sustainability in the Municipality: Porto Futuro.
In a year strongly marked by the COVID-19 pandemic, facing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, the Municipal Sustainability Index of the Catholic University of Portugal places the city of Porto at 68.2 in compliance with the goals of the 2030 Agenda, on a scale of 0 to 100. Thus, Porto is in the group of 10% of municipalities with the highest overall index in the Northern region and at a national level. The year 2020 was also marked by the largest municipal budget to date, totalling 315 million euros.
Regarding the city management ("A Nossa Cidade "), we highlight the more than 16 million euros invested in 2020 in structuring projects such as the Bolhão Market, the Campanhã Intermodal Terminal and the Batalha Cinema. Also worth mentioning in this domain is the integrated management center, which involves several entities of the Porto municipal ecosystem, as well as the Municipal Strategy for the integration of homeless people, namely in the monitoring and support provided. Regarding the digitalization of the city, the innovative projects related to the contact with the citizen, such as explore.Porto and Linha Porto, also stand out. As for the globalization of the city, we highlight the investment of almost 1M€ in boosting tourism, and in all the initiatives carried out in the area of innovation and entrepreneurship.
In terms of the service provided to our citizens ("A Nossa Comunidade"), we highlight the support to associations and social entities of Porto and social intervention in the community. Health and well-being was, and still is, a core area, with emphasis on the expenditure associated with the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and on projects to promote sports and the health of our citizens. Still in the community sphere, the importance of culture stands out, with an investment of 13 million Euros, with thousands of spectators and visitors to the various municipal spaces and cultural activities. Youth was also in focus, not only for the development of the Porto 4.0 Youth Strategy but also for the investment made by this area in programs such as "Youth Up Porto" and "capacita.te". Closing this chapter, the importance that the Municipality attributes to knowledge is presented, with programs to promote and foster it from elementary school to higher education.
In environmental matters ("O Nosso Ambiente "), there is a strategy defined in 5 axes of action, which is reflected in all the work that the City has done in this area. In one of the areas in evidence, climate and energy, Porto was highlighted by the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) as one of the 88 world cities with the greatest progress, with the ambition of carbon neutrality by 2050. In order to fulfil this ambition, a set of measures is being implemented, among which we highlight: the consumption of 100% renewable electricity in the City Hall facilities; 9M€ invested in improving the energy efficiency of social housing; and the electrification of 70% of the municipal vehicle fleet. The management of the urban water cycle is also a core theme, highlighting the work done to improve the efficiency and quality of this resource. As for green spaces, we highlight the investment made in the new Asprela Park and waste management and the reinforcement of selective collection throughout the city.
In summary, the Sustainable Development Report 2020 compiles the work done by the various stakeholders of the municipal ecosystem of Porto and kicks off the communication of sustainability in the City Council, which now has an integrated tool to involve all stakeholders. Positioning the Municipality of Porto as an example and with clear commitments across all axes of Sustainable Development is one of the next strategic steps, establishing the clear motto that the Future is built by all and for all.
