The Mayor of La Laguna, Luis Yeray Gutiérrez; the Councillor for Universities, Science, Innovation and Culture of the Government of the Canary Islands, Migdalia Machín; the local Councillor for Cultural Heritage, Adolfo Cordobés, and the Director General of Culture and Cultural Heritage of the Canary Islands Government, Miguel Ángel Clavijo, today explained all the details of this collaboration.

The mayor thanked the councillor for her “commitment to the protection and dissemination of the heritage values of the historic city”, the only one on the Islands to have received this recognition from Unesco, and stressed that “this generous contribution will allow us to promote fundamental aspects of a new roadmap, the result of the analysis of these 25 years of experience and which will be agreed with all the citizens”.

In this regard, Gutiérrez recalled that “we are working on the tender for the first Management Plan for the Historic City, which will be developed through various master plans, such as this Lighting Plan, and the updating of the Special Protection Plan for the complex, all to reconcile the needs of a modern city with the protection of heritage, avoiding gentrification, solving the risks detected and preserving its Outstanding Universal Value to pass it on to future generations”.

“This instrument for the executive planning of street, commercial, ornamental and ephemeral lighting in the city, which will last for a decade, is extremely important for the municipality, as it not only promotes aesthetic issues of proven importance for local economic activity, but will also allow us to guarantee the safety of the installations”, added the councillor.

Migdalia Machín said that the project presented by the Town Council for the drafting of the lighting project and its implementation in the municipality is coherently integrated into the framework of actions planned in the investment programme linked to the rehabilitation of historic urban spaces and their dissemination and public knowledge.

Environmental sustainability

“The initiative has a high value, combining heritage conservation with environmental sustainability and the dissemination of historical heritage, emphasising the subtle lighting of monuments, maintaining their historical and cultural character, and establishing guidelines for commercial lighting to avoid intrusive elements,” said the Councillor for Culture.

Machín also explained that the adaptation of the lighting of La Laguna’s cultural heritage, with a unified aesthetic, “will result in an increase in local economic activity, and will also contribute to the wellbeing of residents and the promotion and aesthetic improvement of the Canary Islands’ cultural heritage”.

As established in the project for which this 400,000 euro grant has been awarded, the lighting plan responds to a priority public interest, preserving the historical and visual integrity of the city in compliance with the regulations for the protection of cultural heritage, promoting an appropriate and respectful use of the night-time space.

In addition, the project is aligned with the light pollution control protocols established by the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC), of high scientific and cultural value, thus ensuring that any intervention in urban and commercial lighting in La Laguna does not interfere with the natural environment. It also fulfils the function of heritage dissemination and awareness, offering a unified and respectful visual experience that enhances the historical value and improves its cultural accessibility for residents and visitors.

Although its objectives include the implementation of actions for the gradual enhancement of heritage and emblematic buildings, the selection for the first phase will be the result of the contributions made by the citizens and the different sectors of the locality during its drafting.

In fact, the objective set by the municipality is that this document and all the plans to be drawn up this year should be the result of broad participation, which is why work is already underway to identify all the operators present in the city. The aim is to ensure that all needs, experiences and knowledge are taken into account during the drafting process, but also to get the population involved in the conservation and promotion of respect for heritage in the long term.

The municipality is already preparing the tender for the drafting of the Plan and the execution of the actions that are foreseen and contemplated in the final document will correspond to various areas of the City Council.

25th anniversary events

Another of the aspects addressed by the mayor and the councillor was the grant of one million euros awarded by the Government of the Canary Islands, which will finance, over the coming months, all the events to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the inscription of La Laguna on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

This action is part of the promotion and dissemination of the cultural heritage of the Canary Islands, recognising the exceptional universal value of the city of La Laguna and guaranteeing its cultural, educational and tourist projection at regional, national and international level.

These activities, included in the planning of the City Council of La Laguna, cover cultural events, exhibitions, publications, educational programmes, and other initiatives aimed at promoting the heritage value and raising public awareness of the historical assets of the municipality.

In this context, the grant to the City Council of La Laguna makes it possible to finance a wide range of activities related to the celebration of the anniversary. The planned dissemination actions and production of audiovisual materials contribute to projecting internationally the image of La Laguna as a cultural destination of reference, increasing its visibility and attracting quality tourism.

These actions consolidate its position as a benchmark in world heritage management and promote economic and social sustainability by strengthening the cultural and tourism sector.