Vilafranca del Penedes

Vilafranca del Penedès, located in Catalonia, Spain, with 40,000 inhabitants, is the capital of the Alt Penedès region and the wine capital of Catalonia. It is one of the most important medium-sized towns in in the region due to its strategic location and good means of communications, only 60 km from Barcelona and Tarragona.

The strong winemaking tradition and its production have shaped the city's character, culture and traditions. Vilafranca has ably combined mediaeval nobility with the new tendencies typical for a modern commercial, cultural and services centre. Vilafranca is also known as the city of human towers.

Vilafranca del Penedès will focus its objectives into:

Quality of people’s lives:

Provide social / affordable housing.
Promote renting rather than buying by the increase of number of apartments for rent (so far just 15 % are for rent).
Stimulate young people to buy/rent flats and live in their original neighbourhoods.
Regulate price/rents of the housing market.

Quality of our city:

Safeguard the heritage values of the buildings. The refurbishing of the inside construction of old buildings which have historic or artistic qualities.
Improve image of the neighbourhoods to reduce the risk of the development of marginal areas, where buildings decay.

Responsibility of living in a sustainable way:

Ensure the sustainable growth of the city. The Urban Master Plan of the city preserves new areas for the growing of the city, physically and economically, but this development has to be logical and sustainable.
Improve energy efficiency and habitability standards of old buildings and flats.