How sustainable urban mobility interventions can generate growth and improve liveability

On 11 October, the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency organised together with the support of Eurocities and UITP, a participatory session during the European Week of Regions and Cities in Brussels, on how European funded research and innovation projects in the field of urban mobility can generate growth and reap environmental and social benefits in our urban areas.
Inspiring insights were provided from three champion cases, on three topics, in three cities. The three topics covered the decarbonization of last mile deliveries (case of Mechelen, Belgium), shared-space measures to support active mobility (case of Turku, Finland), and measures to improve public transport efficiency and acceptability (case of Bologna, Italy). The city presentations set the ground for a World Café discussion across thematic tables.

Participants in the interactive session included city and region authorities’ representatives, transportation engineers and planners, researchers, and policymakers. The main outputs from the event included:

1. Decarbonising Last-Mile Deliveries: Participants explored innovative methods to make parcel deliveries more environmentally friendly by placing lockers for parcels and utilizing (e-)bikes for deliveries. Case studies that were brought up during the session illustrated that by encouraging and facilitating co-design processes for implementing lockers throughout a city can ensure the viability of these systems. Delivery companies along with city authorities, associations (e.g., constructors) can all work together to define the location of lockers in an optimal way. The potential for cost savings, reduced pollution, and the creation of new economic opportunities have been confirmed across the discussed pilots.

2. Active Mobility and Creating Space for People: The need to allocate road space for walking, cycling, and socializing and in turn, the need to prioritize citizens over cars, was discussed in parallel with the challenges of taking space from cars. The session emphasized how allocating space for pedestrians and cyclists can revitalize city centres, boost physical and mental health, and foster stronger communities, and improve road safety. To successfully re-allocate road space, experience shows that cities need to start small and evaluate: close a street for a few months, collect data in order to measure the impacts on various aspects like the number of people walking and cycling. Additional KPIs, to measure and assess liveability, economical growth (e.g., number of new restaurants after street closure), were also found important during the discussion as well as the importance of communication; cities should mention that road space is reallocated for children instead of mentioning the reduction of parking spaces.

3. Public Transport Interventions for Equity and Social Growth: The third table explored the vital role of public transport in promoting equity and social growth. Participants discussed strategies to ensure accessible, affordable, and reliable public transportation for all residents. They underscored that a well-designed public transport system can create opportunities, reduce social disparities, and enhance the overall quality of life in small and medium-sized cities. Success stories from the session demonstrated that by focusing on equity, cities can experience sustainable growth and prosperity.

In conclusion, the World Café session shed light on the immense potential of urban mobility interventions to transform small and medium-sized European cities. By decarbonizing last-mile deliveries, prioritizing active mobility, and implementing equitable public transport solutions, these cities can not only generate growth but also enhance liveability for their residents. The outcomes of this session serve as an inspiration for the Cities Mission, CIVITAS communities, and Horizon Europe Research on Urban Mobility, showcasing how collaborative efforts can drive positive change and realize a sustainable future for Europe's urban centres.

“Involvement in EU projects has brought us a myriad of benefits – not only the financial support, but also the time to 𝒕𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒔, to 𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒊𝒏𝒏𝒐𝒗𝒂𝒕𝒆, to 𝒃𝒖𝒊𝒍𝒅 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒔𝒆 and 𝒗𝒂𝒍𝒖𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒏𝒆𝒕𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌𝒔” Veerle De Meyer, City of Mechelen.

Check out the CINEA project brochure on Green Urban Mobility for more on EU support on the topic in the link below