Today I introduce you to my hometown, Pontevedra. With these activities you will practice past tenses, vocabulary about the city and ecology, and you will learn about the lifestyle in this city. Are you ready?
1. Word cloud
Look at the following word cloud, what words do you know, and what topic do you think we are going to talk about today?
What is Pontevedra like?
Pontevedra is small, but very beautiful. Match the following images of places with their names:
City vocabulary
4. We speak
5. Interactive video: this is what life is like in Pontevedra
You are going to watch a video about the urban model of Pontevedra and its lifestyle. Answer the initial questions, watch the video and answer the comprehension questions.
6. A little grammar
Here you can see old and current photographs of Pontevedra. What was Pontevedra like before and what is it like now? How did people move around before? How do you think people used to live in Pontevedra?
When we use the present tense we are inside a current scene, we describe what is happening at this moment. With the imperfect we move to the past: we place ourselves in a past scene and describe what was happening at that moment.
When we refer to the total duration of an action (a week, a whole day, a long time…), then we are talking about a complete process and must use the indefinite.
7. Text: the city of Pontevedra, a benchmark for sustainable mobility.
You will read an adaptation of the article “La ciudad de Pontevedra, referente de movilidad sostenible” by Ecopalabras, where we talk about the different characteristics of this city.
Did you know that in 2014 UN-Habitat (United Nations Human Settlements Programme) gave Pontevedra the Dubai International Award for Good Practices to Improve Living Conditions?
Why do you think Pontevedra received this award?
The Galician city of Pontevedra (Spain) has managed to become a benchmark for urban sustainability. Through a management that has given priority to the quality of life of its citizens, it has been able to take advantage of its resources and particular conditions.
Over the last two decades, Pontevedra has implemented a sustainable mobility model that prioritizes pedestrian mobility over motorized traffic. To this end, various types of works were carried out. The historic center and streets less than 10 meters wide were pedestrianized, lanes were narrowed and sidewalks were widened on streets longer than 10 meters, the maximum speed was limited to 30 km/h, the use of bicycles was promoted, free parking lots were created on the outskirts of the city, etc. In addition, the historic center and other areas were recovered, the network of bicycle and pedestrian paths was expanded in Pontevedra’s natural surroundings, and waste management and the sewage treatment system were improved.
Pontevedra has experienced a recovery for citizens of the public space previously occupied by cars, which has translated into important benefits for the quality of life of its inhabitants. The following stand out:
- Reduction of motor vehicle traffic.
- Increase in sustainable mobility. Travel on foot has increased by 67% and by bicycle by 5%.
- Reduced fuel consumption as a result of less motorized traffic.
- Reduction of CO2 emissions to the atmosphere, about 500 kg of CO2 per person per year.
- Improvement of air quality.
- Increased biodiversity of tree and animal species.
- Reduction of noise pollution.
- Increased road safety.
- Increased accessibility of public spaces, promoting an inclusive and integrating city.
- Greater plurality of services and uses of public space for citizens.
- Recovery of the city as a meeting place, reduction of conflict and improvement of citizen coexistence.
This model of compact city and sustainable mobility, which prioritizes the use of public space by and for people, has been recognized internationally with several awards.
(Text adapted from Ecopalabras)
After reading the text, answer in your own words:
What is a sustainable city?
How did Pontevedra improve after reducing traffic?
What other sustainable measures can be implemented in a city?
8. Now you write:
9. To finish, a little music
In 2000, the Spanish musician and Galician bagpiper Carlos Núñez released his album Mayo longo, which included Aires de Pontevedra and reached number 1 on the most important radio stations. Carlos Núñez has been nominated and awarded with Grammy and Oscar prizes, being one of the most international Galician artists.
