The Universitat de València strengthens its commitment with knowledge and innovation in Gandía with the Chair of Territory Thinking Joan Noguera

## The Universitat de València strengthens its commitment with knowledge and innovation in Gandía with the Chair of Territory Thinking Joan Noguera

A snapshot of the Chair opening ceremony.

The Chair is a space for analysis, that will produce reports around socioeconomic factors of Gandía, la Safor and the Central Valencian Regions.

The UV Principal, Mavi Mestre, and the mayor of Gandía, José Manuel Prieto, presented on Friday the Chair of Territory Thinking Joan Noguera at the capital of la Safor. This Chair, which trajectory started thanks to a collaboration agreement between the Universitat de València and the City Council of Gandia, has as its goal the analysis, planning and management of the territory, at a local level in the region of la Safor.

In an ever more complex and competitive world, well-informed decision-making is key for the sustainable development and well being of societies. And the creation of a centre to observe social, economic and environmental indicators at a local level is presented as an essential tool to achieve these objectives. Thus, this Chair, which is dedicated to the Geography professor from Gandía Joan Noguera, is conceived as a tool through which the UV and the city of Gandía strengthen their commitment with knowledge and innovation.

During the opening ceremony, the UV Principal, Mavi Mestre, and the mayor of Gandía, José Manuel Prieto, said a few words. Afterwards, the Chair Director, Joan de Alcázar, and professors Adrián Ferrandis and José Vicente Sánchez presented the Observatory and the first Newsletter. At the act were present multiple town councillors from the Municipal Council, members form the university and a broad representation of the entrepreneurial and civil society of the city. As well as, of course, the family of Joan Noguera.

The UV Principal, Mavi Mestre, highlighted that, in over 500 years of history, the Universitat de València has always had an impact on the territory in order to “go beyond just training, developing knowledge”.

Additionally, she also highlighted the importance of making decisions based on data. “Knowledge and research help us to become better, to take better decisions based on scientific scrutiny. The Chair will provide a multidisciplinary overview of all the territory in any topic of study”. “The Chair that we present today is proof of knowledge transfer in any field. If the knowledge is not transferred to society, we will not be able to improve the life quality of all citizens.

Furthermore, José M. Prieto expressed his gratitude towards the involvement of the Universitat de València. “It is an institution with presence and roots in our city, and with this initiative, helps to strengthen the capital status of Gandía”.

About the Chair, Prieto explained that it will be an observatory of thought, which will produce reports with the objective of better guiding the decisions taken and improving the development and well-being of the cities. “The data helps with taking good decisions and guiding administrations and governments which, on occasions, do not have the analysis of the data in which they must act on in order to establish the direction of the cities”. At the end of the day, a tool which “will be at the service of the city, the society and the administration”.

Another aspect highlighted by the mayor is that the Chair also involves the recovery of the Social and Economic Observatory of the city. “Recovering the Observatory is good news for Gandía. We are not setting out an administrative unit, but rather a catalogue or resources with university experts that, other than decision-making, they will think about answers to the questions risen by the city council”.

**Tribute to Joan Noguera**

With the Chair, the Universitat de València and the City Council of Gandia pay tribute to professor Joan Noguera. Noguera was Associate Professor of the Department of Geography of the Universitat de València and Director of the Inter-university Institute for Local Development (IIDL) between 2012 and 2021. Noguera also contributed to consolidate the Gandia Internacional Centre of the Universitat de València (CIG-UV), of which he was the Assistant Director between 2008 and 2012. At the same time, he was the secretary of the Department of Geography between 2006 and 2008.

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