Pontevedra Audio Tours

Pontevedra was Galicia's largest city in the 16th century, a significant Atlantic port where one of Columbus's ships was built. The vessel that would become the Santa Maria was originally called La Gallega, built here on the banks of the Lerez. Then the river silted up, the harbor became unusable, trade moved elsewhere, and Pontevedra spent several centuries quietly holding onto its medieval stone center while larger cities around it sprawled and modernized.

In 1999, the city's government began systematically removing cars from the old town.

Not reducing, not managing. Removing. Speed limits dropped to 30 km/h across the city, then to 10 km/h in the center. The streets were pedestrianized in stages. CO2 emissions from fossil fuels fell 67 percent compared to 1999 levels. The population grew. Road accidents in the center essentially disappeared. Pontevedra now tours Europe as a case study in urban sustainability, collecting awards from the UN, the European Commission, and others. The Metrominuto map it created, showing walking times between points, has been copied by cities across the world.