The Lanzarote and La Graciosa Chamber of Commerce, together with the Cabildo of Lanzarote, promoted the Socio-economic Activation Plan as a strategic initiative to rethink the territory’s development model. Publicly presented with broad institutional and social support, the plan arises from the need to address structural economic, social and environmental challenges through a technical, shared and long-term vision capable of providing stability and direction for the future of Lanzarote and La Graciosa.
The challenge
The main challenge was not only to define projects, but to build a plan that would transcend political cycles and align institutions, economic stakeholders and civil society around a common vision. The objective was to provide the territory with a clear, assessable and long-term roadmap that would allow investments to be prioritised, efforts to be coordinated and public decision-making to be guided towards a more balanced and sustainable development model.
Cumbre’s support
From Cumbre 8 we supported the Chamber of Commerce and the Cabildo in defining and structuring this strategic process, providing an independent, technical and long-term perspective. Our role focused on facilitating analysis, consensus and the articulation of a shared vision, helping translate diverse interests into a common framework that combined methodological rigour, economic viability and orientation towards the general interest.
The process
The plan was developed through a broad and representative participatory process involving city councils, political parties, economic and social stakeholders, as well as a significant sample of citizens who contributed their vision through surveys. This approach made it possible to integrate different perspectives and provide the plan with a solid social base, reinforcing its legitimacy and its capacity to become a shared reference for the whole territory.
Scope of the plan
The result is the largest strategic roadmap developed to date for Lanzarote and La Graciosa, with a ten-year horizon, 138 defined projects and an estimated investment of €646 million. The plan addresses key areas in an integrated way such as environmental sustainability, economic diversification beyond tourism, wellbeing and quality of life, strategic infrastructures, and the promotion of talent and innovation. It also incorporates a mixed financing model and a public monitoring model aimed at strengthening transparency and accountability.
Impact
The main impact of the process lies not only in the content of the plan, but in the change of logic it introduces in island planning: a way of organising the future based on technical and shared criteria, which facilitates coordination, reduces improvisation and brings stability to public decision-making.
Contributing to a better future for the Canary Islands
The Socio-economic Activation Plan for Lanzarote and La Graciosa is not just a roadmap, but a different way of approaching territorial planning in a fragile and complex context. Committing to a shared, technical and long-term vision means committing to a Canary Islands capable of deciding its own course and generating real opportunities with respect for the territory and the people who inhabit it.
From Cumbre 8 Islas we support this process as part of our commitment to more rigorous, collaborative and common-good-oriented public planning, convinced that only in this way is it possible to transform the present and build the future of the archipelago.
