The Xirivella City Council participated in the international conference of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), focused on advancing from crisis to recovery and improving territorial resilience against future disasters. The event, held at the Caixa Forum in Valencia, included a specific session on projects funded by the Ministry of Territorial Policy, where the project for the new El Pozo de Xirivella building was presented.
The Councilor for Urban Planning, Guillermo Garrido, highlighted that "the selection of the El Pozo project for an international OECD forum highlights the work we are doing in Xirivella and our commitment to urban planning that meets citizens' needs. We are planning reconstruction with a future-oriented vision, to have better infrastructure, strengthen municipal services, and make Xirivella a safer and more prepared municipality."
With an approximate investment of 4.3 million euros, the El Pozo project involves transforming the building to house various municipal services and, notably, an emergency control and management center. This initiative enhances Xirivella's capacity to respond to extraordinary situations.
The inclusion of this project in the international conference allows for the presentation of a model to experts and representatives from different territories, where reconstruction after a catastrophe becomes an opportunity to improve preparedness for future emergencies. The DANA (Mediterranean Storm) of 2024 underscored the need for municipalities to have spaces, resources, and coordination systems to act swiftly during extreme weather events.
The El Pozo project addresses this need, converting a municipal infrastructure into a space prepared for coordination, prevention, and emergency response, integrating this resilience perspective into municipal planning. "The DANA taught us how important it is to have adequate spaces and resources to coordinate an emergency. With El Pozo, we are responding to that need: a center from which to organize municipal resources, facilitate the work of teams, and improve our response capacity to protect our residents," explained the Councilor for Urban Planning.
The objective is to build a municipality better prepared for the future, going beyond simple reconstruction. The El Pozo project represents one of the initiatives through which Xirivella aims to transform the DANA experience into a permanent policy of municipal prevention, protection, and resilience. The councilor added that "this way of working extends to all the projects we have underway," such as the new CEIP Gregori Mayans and the actions within the Pla Obert d’Inversions, which also aim for safer, more accessible, and better-prepared spaces.
The OECD, an international organization comprising 38 countries, analyzes and compares public policies. Xirivella's participation in this conference means its municipal action is entering the international debate on reconstruction, prevention, and resilience against disasters. Guillermo Garrido noted that "this project at an international meeting is an opportunity for Xirivella's experience to serve other municipalities and also to learn from their solutions."
