“The urban forest in Viseu is rich in range and quality and we’re preparing to improve and expand it. In due time we’ll have conquered yet another urban park,” Fernando Ruas, president of Viseu council has said.

Ruas was referring to the Serrado woods, which “should be available on the 1st of June” and are located in Viseu’s city centre, having been a private farm in the past. The woods will join “a green corridor that wraps around the city that includes Santiago Urban Park, Aguieira Urban Park, the City Park, Viriato’s Fortress, Fontelo woods, and the river Pavia linear park.”

The mayor was speaking about this in Paços do Concelho during the reception of the mayors of the CENCYL City Network, composed of Viseu, Almeida, Aveiro, Coimbra, Figueira da Foz and Guarda in Portugal, as well as the Spanish cities of Ciudad Rodrigo, Salamanca and Valladolid.

The mayors will be discussing the theme “Urban Forest! What are the challenges?”, part of the broader “CENCYL Green Transition” project which celebrates 10 years since the signing of the treaty that officially created the organisation.

“Our cities today have an urban way of life that is nothing like what existed in the past and I have no doubts that CENCYL was a driving force in this evolution,” Isabel Damasceno, president of the Centre Regional Coordination and Development Commission, declared.