Antonio Gutiérrez: “We are at the best time to convey to citizens the importance of their participation”

Valoriza's General Manager of Urban Services starred in one of the dialogues of the #Future4Cities day, organized by Equipamiento y Servicios Municipales

Madrid, May 25, 2024.

Valoriza Servicios Medioambientales was present at the #Future4Cities conference, organized by the magazine Equipamiento y Servicios Municipales, whose first edition was entitled 'Towards a new paradigm of urban services for the cities of the future'.

Thus, one of the morning's dialogues was led by Antonio Gutiérrez Canalejo, general manager of Urban Services of the company. He shared his perspective on the present and future of urban services, identifying a clear positive trend towards the digitalization of services, with new technologies and innovations that are revolutionizing the sector.

Among them, he highlighted the commitment to Artificial Intelligence (AI), present for example in the Tristrash Project, which will begin already in 2019, in which through the use of cameras located in vehicles, thanks to AI, it is possible to identify where bags are outside the containers so that the subsequent review is given only where it is necessary. In this way, an increasingly efficient service is achieved, while at the same time being able to locate the most problematic areas or places where it is necessary to collect bags.

It is a project that has already been tested in places such as Madrid, Santa Cruz de Tenerife or Barcelona, with an algorithm already fully trained to implement it anywhere.

Likewise, he asserted that “we are at the best moment to involve citizens and transmit the importance of their participation”, and proposed the establishment of economic incentives and sanctioning measures.“The fact that people do not comply has two direct consequences: the citizen will have to pay more and will receive a worse service,” he argued.

Finally, he showed his optimism regarding the future for cities “with a better quality of life for citizens, where public transport is prioritized, green infrastructure plays a central role and selective collection is strictly complied with”.