Adeje is a municipality in the south of the island of Tenerife and one of the most important tourist destinations in the Canary Islands. Urbanization projects are regulated by an Urbanization Ordinance, which requires an annex that governs the parameters of sustainability and resilience to climate change.

The scope of the ordinance focuses on the municipality’s tourist areas. The ordinance is developed based on a matrix that links different spatial typologies (squares, promenades, beaches, streets, infrastructures, facilities, resorts, urban furniture, roads, and parking areas) with four categories: Design, Users & Communities, Ecology & Metabolism, and Development & Innovation.

The design block refers to the functional, spatial, and landscape aspects of sustainable urban planning. The Users & Communities block regulates issues related to citizen participation, mobility, accessibility, health, and safety, among others. The Ecology & Metabolism block governs environmental, energy, and material aspects such as rainwater, waste, and soil, which, within the sustainability framework, must always be considered limited resources to be preserved and recycled. The Development block regulates aspects related to project content and the supervision of construction works.

Finally, the Innovation block promotes more ambitious indicators in exchange for exemptions from taxes and building permits, making it worthwhile to exceed the average level of sustainability regulated by the Ordinance. The Ordinance concludes with a glossary of terms and references that serve as a guide to familiarise stakeholders with the new theoretical and technical framework of sustainable urban planning.