Local Solutions for Global Challenges - Insights from Puerto Rico and Las Rozas de Madrid

In a world undergoing rapid urbanisation, developing more sustainable and smarter cities has become a pressing global challenge. However, just as every city’s historical, social and economic background is unique, so are their ability to innovate and improve. How can we address global challenges in the local context, when the solutions proposed might not fit every urban context?

To better understand the way cities can tackle the same issues in different ways, BABLE Smart Cities and Red Española de Ciudades Inteligentes (RECI) (The Spanish Network of Smart Cities) have partnered in a series of interviews that pair Spanish cities with international cities to foster new cooperation opportunities and knowledge sharing between the countries and cities. You can listen to the full interviews on Smart in the City – The BABLE Podcast. 

This time, travel with us to Puerto Rico and Las Rozas de Madrid, Spain, for the third of these interviews with Eileen Velez-Vega, PE, Secretary of the Department of Transport and Public Works of Puerto Rico and José de la Uz Pardos, Mayor of Ayuntamiento de Las Rozas de Madrid and President of Las Rozas Innova.  

Sustainable Mobility and Innovation: Two Dimensions of the Same Challenge

Puerto Rico: Challenges of Recovery and Transformation  

Puerto Rico, battered by recent natural disasters such as Hurricane Maria and Hurricane Fiona, as well as earthquakes, has experienced traumatic moments that have marked its most recent history. It is, therefore, in a stage of recovery and transformation of great importance, which is being made possible in part by the economic support of federal funds from the United States. This constitutes the region’s present challenge as it moves forward. 

Eileen Vélez Vega stated:

"Our biggest challenge is to meet this recovery by maximising all the funds we have available, which is historic. There are more than 80 billion dollars for reconstruction of road infrastructure, electrical infrastructure, the electrical grid suffered a lot from the hurricane, housing, all sectors are being transformed. So, our biggest challenge is the capacity of human capital".  

This situation requires the country to invest heavily in human capital, recruiting professionals (engineers and others...) in the sectors most affected by the aforementioned disasters. This recruitment and incorporation of the best human capital is being developed in Puerto Rico through strategic alliances with neighbouring countries and language affinity such as Spain, the Dominican Republic, Mexico and Colombia.  

"Because we are definitely working on active construction, and we are going to be there for 10 to 15 years. So, it's a wonderful time to be importing talent in Puerto Rico, but we need the human capital to be able to accomplish all that we are doing."  

The challenges the country is facing also require taking the opportunity to address urban mobility gaps. In this regard, work is being done with the Planning Board, which, together with other agencies and the private sector, is concentrating on recovering its entire road infrastructure. Urban mobility, and especially the mobility of the elderly, is one of the priority public policy actions for Puerto Rico.  

"So, part of the public policy of the government's priority is to improve the mobility of older adults, because our population in many years is going to be the elderly, it is going to be that community that has other challenges and other needs."

Las Rozas: Digital Twin - Embracing Technological Innovation and Digitization for Informed Decision-Making 

José de la Uz Pardos, Mayor of Las Rozas, shared with us his firm commitment to technological, digital transformation, sustainable mobility and innovation, with the constitution of the public company Las Rozas Innova, which was founded 3 years ago. In fact, the municipality has become a national reference in Smart City transformation projects and one of the main catalysts for this vision of the future is the population of Las Rozas, which has a leading percentage of professionals, graduates, doctors, engineers and researchers in Spain:   

"[When you have] a population that is asking you to implement a global strategy for the transformation of the city, you need an entity for governance that is capable of attracting talent that the public administration does not have, and that is why Las Rozas Innova was created."

It is, therefore, a conscious and determined support for talent, entrepreneurship and innovation, which will have an impact on the quality of life of its citizens.  

The focus of mobility challenges in Las Rozas, as part of its general plan, is currently on internal mobility and last-mile logistics solutions. Initiatives like economic incentives for electric scooters and bicycles, coupled with a determined commitment to carpooling with electric vehicles (a pioneering experience in Spain), aim to promote sustainable mobility and successfully meet the set challenges. 

"Las Rozas is the city in the Community of Madrid that has the most start-ups, besides the capital. We love to support the entrepreneurs and the startups so that they can test their technology in the city. With Las Rozas Innova and the City Council, we have been helping them. For example, in this case with carpooling, not car-sharing, an electric vehicle that can circulate and that you take from Las Rozas Innova and leave in Pozuelo or Alcobendas or in Madrid, subsidising the petrol and the cost of the service."

The institution's approach is grounded in testing innovative and disruptive technologies in the city from startups with differential and innovative proposals. 

The new urban planning of Las Rozas revolves around digitalisation to model and make decisions digitally, transferable to real-life situations. The Digital Twin of the municipality's mobility, together with the exploitation of the data obtained from the different IoT sensors deployed throughout the city (air quality sensors, noise sensors, video surveillance cameras...) should facilitate the implementation of multiple Low Emission Zones tailored to the municipality's specific characteristics.

Both Puerto Rico and Las Rozas exemplify the localised responses needed to tackle global challenges. Together, these stories underscore the importance of tailoring solutions to the unique circumstances of each community, recognising that the path to global progress is often paved with diverse local initiatives. 

This podcast episode featuring Eileen Velez-Vega, PE and José de la Uz Pardos reinforces the notion that effective solutions emerge from a deep understanding of local needs, aspirations, and capacities. Ultimately, Smart in the City – The BABLE Podcast catalyses a collective learning experience, fostering a global dialogue on the dynamic interplay between local contexts and the overarching goal of creating smarter, more sustainable cities for the future. 

Listen to the podcast episode "#50 [Spanish] Puerto Rico & Las Rozas de Madrid: Movilidad Sostenible e Innovación":