A delegation from Arequipa (Peru) recently visited the City of Granada (Spain) to deepen their IUC city-pairing cooperation and learn about the management of historic spaces and water systems.

The visit took place from 16-19 December, supported by IUC Latin America and the Caribbean (IUC-LAC), and marked the second in-person exchange between the cities. The Peruvian delegation included prominent city representatives, such as the Mayor and high-level staff from the Studies and Projects department, Municipal Planning Institute and the Peruvian Technological University.

The trip was focused on the renovation and rehabilitation of urban historic centres, and on sustainable water management spanning from drainage systems to water warehouse management. These are topics for which Granada is an excellent reference.

The visit began with an initial meeting, in which the Arequipa team was introduced to the 2031 Granada Tourism Plan, developed by the city's Mayor. Additional meetings, including with the mayor's urban planning team, explored various urban renewal projects in the neighborhoods of Santa Adela and Albaicín.

The next day, the delegation met with Emasagra, the Granada water company, and visited the Southern Granada Biofactory, a powerplant where power is generated from water processing. And, in the days that followed, meetings were held with the Granada municipal transport team and with the University of Granada.

The study visit was highly productive, deepening the inter-city collaboration. In addition, an agreement was initiated between the University of Granada and the Peruvian University of Technology to work together on urban planning issues.

The cities look forward to continuing to deepen their partnerships moving forward.

Header image by IUC-LAC.