The Livcom Awards 2005
The city of La Coruña is proud to host the finals of The International Awards for Liveable Communities 2005, after successfully taking part in previous editions. Both the city and the local government share the values upheld by the Awards, constantly looking to improve quality of life for both people who live here and those who visit us.
It was the great writer Wenceslao Fernández Flórez, born in La Coruña, who defined and compared the city to a huge transatlantic liner anchored in the sea. 250,000 people live on this boat, enjoying a unique coastline, surrounded by a promenade that brings us closer to culture and history. Walking round the coastline we come across the Tower of Hercules (the oldest working lighthouse in the world), the Archaeological Museum, the Aquarium and the Museum of Mankind, part of the city's interactive museum network.
The city is also proud of its environmental policies, best seen at the park that now covers the old landfill, sealed off and recovered for leisure purposes. Waste is now treated at the Plant of Nostián, which all the schools in the city visit once per year so that our children learn all about separation and recycling.
However, La Coruña is much more than buildings – it is made up of tolerant people who
openly show their solidarity. Community participation is evident here in many ways, especially in the collaboration of over 150 different entities making up the Coruña Solidarity Co-operation Network.
The walk around the promenade ends at the Congress Hall, in the port that will soon be moved out of the city. This is the largest engineering project in all Europe and will open up enormous areas in the city centre for residential, leisure and green zones – building the city of the future - greener, more
open and even more pleasant. This is La Coruña for future generations.
Francisco Vázquez OBE
Mayor of La Coruña