The city of Saragossa is a national and international referent that has become a model of the collective effort for the efficient use of water to all social sectors.
On the one hand, it concentrates a varied critical mass of companies linked to the water integral cycle, covering different activities related to the efficient use of water (supply, treatment, products, green areas, etc.). On the other hand, Saragossa concentrates public administrations the path of which is outstanding as far as water quality improvement and water demand reduction are concerned. Likewise, it is the seat of research and training centres linked to water and energy efficiency having an important international tradition and, finally, the demonstrative project “Saragossa, Water Saving City” is developed in the city since 1997, the purpose of which is to save water and to use it efficiently in the city through a change of both habits and technology. Thus, the city becomes a space of permanent demonstration and innovation from the creation of projects related to the use of urban water.
To this well-known experience it is worth mentioning that the city was the venue for the Expo Saragossa 2008 exhibition, which had the motto “water and sustainable development”. It contributed largely to reinforcing the brand of the city related to the efficient use of water.
In 2009 several organizations fostered the creation of an Urban Cluster for the Efficient Use of Water, focused on boosting the innovative business sector linked to the efficient use of water in the urban scope, so that it can create employment in the city. In addition, a new variable to this initiative is to be introduced: the energy efficiency linked to the urban cycle of water.
Two external global trends guarantee the timeliness of this initiative:
The cluster was set up on April the 22nd, 2010 with the purpose of consolidating the city of Saragossa as a setting for knowledge, demonstration and experimentation for the efficient use of water, enabling local companies to be more innovative and, therefore, more competitive and making the city able to attract the innovative activity of actors belonging to this sector and coming from the rest of Spain and the rest of the world.
