Background European policies in the past years have focused on sustainable development as a strategic approach for social and economic growth. This principle is included in the Treaty of the European Union; European, national and local administrations have a shared responsibility on this issue. The 4th European Sustainable Cities and Towns Conference adopted the Aalborg +10 Commitments in 2004. These promote strategic activities that promote environmental values and actions to fight climate change. The city of Soria has a surface area of 272 km2 and 39 075 inhabitants. Natural and cultural heritage are important assets of the city. Soria signed up to the Aalborg commitments, which seek to create genuine sustainable urban development. The city is also committed to achieving the targets of the Kyoto Protocol. Objectives The Soria CO2Cero project aimed to improve the environment of Soria and to fight against climate change by carrying out a series of strategic and legislative measures. Central to the project would be the creation of a corridor crossing the city and connecting different elements of its environmental and cultural heritage. The CO2Cero corridor would become a reference of municipal good practice on environmental sustainability and ecological culture. The project planned to improve local urban environmental management in the project area through the establishment of a set of certifying criteria and the adoption of environmental sustainability as a transversal policy in planning in all local council departments. It will also establish a network of public administrations that collaborate with similar objectives. The beneficiary will moreover implement specific actions to improve the city’s environment, including the creation of pedestrian and bicycle connecting trails in public spaces; the drawing up of a new model of urban solid-waste management; composting; and the creation of ‘dry’ gardening programmes. All of these actions will be based on a participatory approach with local citizens. Results Overall, the main contribution of this project was to raise the awareness of citizens about the greening of the local regulation, helping Soria to take a step toward further sustainability. In this regard, the Soria CO2Cero project helped fight climate change and make Soria a more sustainable town by creating a corridor crossing the town and connecting its most meaningful environment, cultural and historical elements. In this way, the project contributed to the achievement of the objectives of the Sixth Programme of Environmental Action, the Aalborg Commitment and the Kyoto Protocol. In the area surrounding the CeroCO2 corridor, the city carried out a range of demonstration measure including the construction of a bicycle lane, the introduction of ‘xerogardens’, the establishment of a mobile recycling centre, the distribution of composting containers and the signposting of the Cero CO2 corridor. All these measures have been positively welcomed by citizens in Soria. The project calculated the CO2 emissions at the beginning (2011) and at the end (2012), successfully proving that these measures have helped reducing the missions of the city. The municipality also has modified several existing environment policies to include sustainability measures. Finally, as a consequence of a workshop on CeroCo2 Territories organised in May 2012, Soria will be included in the network of the Spanish Sustainability Observatory. Many communication and awareness raising activities have been successfully carried out and they have had a notable impact on the citizens of Soria. A brand Soria CO2Cero has been also created thanks to the project. Further information on the project can be found in the project's layman report and After-LIFE Communication Plan (see "Read more" section).