Urdaibai: A New Model of Listening for Socio-Ecological Transition
On March 31, ALC appeared before the Basque Parliament’s Committee on Industry, Energy Transition, and Sustainability to present the findings of the listening process in Busturialdea-Urdaibai. This latest appearance before the Basque Parliament follows the one held on March 11, when ALC presented to the Committee on Democratic Quality the methodological foundations of collaborative governance and the necessary connection between institutions and citizens.
On this occasion, ALC has brought the conclusions of the listening process in Urdaibai to the Parliament, following the public release of its final report in January 2026. After ten months of work and the collection of thousands of individual accounts, the findings confirm that the social debate has moved beyond the museum’s expansion to focus on the need to drive a genuine socio-ecological transition in the region.
The current challenge is not to bring the debate to a close, but rather to reignite the discussion to prevent the project’s stagnation from leading to paralysis, by reinforcing the current strategic plan with cross-cutting initiatives in housing, transportation, employment, and environmental protection. ALC proposes maintaining the listening process as an active, stable strategic tool that allows for the continued incorporation of diverse voices, fosters intergenerational dialogue, and simulates new balanced development scenarios, thereby consolidating Urdaibai as an international benchmark for this type of transition.