The AGREE project is made up of the Department of the Environment, Territorial Planning and Housing of the Basque Government, in close collaboration, as partners in the project, of the Tecnalia research centre; Bidebi, the Basauri Town Council’s public town planning and housing company; the Vitoria-Gasteiz Town Council’s municipal town planning company, Ensanche 21; the San Sebastián Town Council’s municipal housing company, Donostiako Etxegintza; and Ihobe, the public environmental management company of Basque Government.
Partners
MINISTRY OF THE ENVIRONMENT, TERRITORIAL PLANNING AND HOUSING. BASQUE GOVERNMENT
As regards Housing, the Ministry’s task is to provide decent housing that meets the needs of people without the means to access it. This objective is guaranteed by law in the Basque Country. The Ministry therefore manages an extensive stock of privately- and publicly-owned housing, mainly used for social renting. It also implements measures to refurbish housing and regenerate degraded urban areas.
In the sphere of Territory, the Ministry is tasked with environmental conservation, ensuring that the economic activities and the use of natural resources are always sustainable and compatible with preserving the natural heritage. It is also in charge of spatial and urban planning in the Autonomous Community, in accordance with those principles.
Those tasks are implemented through the Basque Water Agency-Uraren Euskal Agentzia (Ura), the Environmental Management Agency-Ihobe, and the Basque Country’s Housing and (Visesa) and Rented Housing (Alokabide) publicly-run companies.
Further information: Website
TECNALIA RESEARCH & INNOVATION
TECNALIA Research & Innovation was formed as a result of the merger of Cidemco, ESI, Euve, Fatronik, Inasmet, Labein, Leia and Robotiker, giving rise to the first private centre for applied research in Spain and one of the most important in Europe, with a workforce of more than 1,400 people.
The TECNALIA motto “Inspiring Business” means knowing how to imagine. It is a synthesis of two concepts that go hand in hand: to imagine and to make things happen. For TECNALIA, “imagine” means having ideas that help our customers and society to achieve a better future. Ideas that create value. “Make things happen” means providing imaginative, technological and creative solutions. Solutions that produce real results. Creating ideas that can be turned into value, into competitive business opportunities for TECNALIA’s customers.
Further information: Tecnalia Research & Innovation
BIDEBI BASAURI
BIDEBI BASAURI, S.L., is a Basauri Municipal Council corporation, which is fully publicly-owned and specialised in the comprehensive development and implementation of urban planning. The corporation’s objectives include managing and implementing the urban planning operations envisaged in the General Urban Development Plan, Partial Plans and, in general, managing and implementing any plans, programmes and actions that the Local Council or its dependent bodies and entities entrust to the corporation in the deployment of the urban planning policy. It also seeks to promote, acquire, construct and manage, under any public protection, free or restricted price system, buildings, housing units and any other type of accommodation, premises and car parks on land acquired by any token. Bidebi is likewise tasked with giving impetus to leasing and refurbishing the built heritage.
Further information: Bidebi
DONOSTIAKO ETXEGINTZA
Donostiako Etxegintza, the housing public business entity within the municipal organisation of Donostia/San Sebastián City Council, is tasked with pursuing the housing policy.
Donostiako Etxegintza is tasked with promoting, allocating by lot and managing social and other protected housing, flats for young people and for the elderly, managing rented council housing, along with promoting the renting of empty private housing, through the Alokabide programme. It also manages the grants for refurbishing the buildings and housing of Donostia-San Sebastián (PARVISA).
Further information: Donostiako Etxegintza
ENSANCHE 21
Ensanche 21 Zabalgunea, S.A. is Vitoria-Gasteiz City Council’s municipal planning corporation. Its main aim is to work with the city council in the planning and management of the Salburua and Zabalgunea expansion areas, pursuant to the city’s environmental and urban development plan, to successfully complete its urbanisation and building, and manage those projects or programmes or implement the actions that the City Council entrusts in the deployment of its housing or land-use policy. It may likewise promote, design and execute any type of urban infrastructure or amenities commissioned by Vitoria-Gasteiz City Council.
Further information: Ensanche 21 Zabalgunea
IHOBE, ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT AGENCY
Ihobe is the environmental management agency attached to the Basque Government’s Ministry of the Environment. Ihobe’s purpose is to help the Basque Government to enable environmental policy and to spread the sustainability culture in the Basque Autonomous Community.
Ihobe works in the environmental areas of land, waste, biodiversity, local sustainability, eco-efficient industry, ecodesign, sustainable building, climate change, green public procurement, environmental education, etc.
Further information: Ihobe