This month, ICLEI Members at the forefront of sustainable urban mobility – including Ghent (Belgium), Ljubljana (Slovenia), Stockholm (Sweden), and Vitoria-Gasteiz (Spain) – have had their successes shared and recognised through the release of two mobility publications, announcement of mobility award winners, and convening one of Europe’s most prominent mobility events.
One catalyst for this month of landmarks was the CIVITAS Forum, the flagship event of the CIVITAS Initiative. Each year it gathers leading policymakers, city representatives, academics and other stakeholders working in sustainable urban mobility.
The 2019 edition took place in Graz (Austria), which also hosted the first Forum in 2003. The city and field of sustainable mobility are vastly different today as compared to 2003. Under the theme of “back to the future,” Forum participants reflected on what has changed in the past 16 years, why it has done so, and the role of CIVITAS in this.
In examining changes in the field since 2003, the importance of Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs) became clear. SUMPs contribute to the realisation of key European mobility goals, such as better air quality, improved accessibility and mobility, increased road safety, decreased traffic noise, higher energy efficiency, and enhanced quality of life. A state-of-the-art SUMP is increasingly seen as a must-have for aspirational cities. Indeed, in the six years since their release, SUMPs have become an indisputable success story.
As Matthew Baldwin, Deputy Director-General, DG MOVE, European Commission, commented, “Over 1,000 [SUMPs] now exist in Europe and we need to ensure this number continues to grow – every city has the capacity to benefit.”
The increase in SUMP implementation has occurred alongside dynamic developments in urban mobility. New business models like “Mobility as a Service” and technologies like driverless vehicles have appeared; user habits have started shifting towards vehicle sharing and active mobility; and a new political climate has emerged in which local governments are bolder, openly restricting car access and prioritising other forms of transport.
These realities and the new wealth of SUMP experience necessitated a comprehensive revision of 2013 guidelines that had served as the key reference point for mobility practitioners developing SUMPs. At the Forum, this resulted in the launch of the new edition of the “Guidelines for Developing and implementing a Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan.”
The revised version resulted from an intense one-year stakeholder engagement process, which comprised a large-scale survey, conference sessions, and numerous workshops – over 300 contributors in total. This included feedback from diverse cities and regions, accessed in part through networks like ICLEI.
In addition, numerous ICLEI Members provided good practice examples, and ICLEI Europe coordinates the CIVITAS SUMPs-Up project, which led the guidelines’ authorial process.
A series of complementary topic guides and practitioner briefings are available alongside the Guidelines.
Looking “back to the future” also illuminated one thing that has stayed consistent over the years: ICLEI Members continue to be among those leading the way. The trailblazing work of Ghent, Ljubljana, Stockholm, and Vitoria-Gasteiz was not only featured in the revised guidelines, but also led these cities to be recognised in a new CIVITAS Success Stories publication, and, in Stockholm’s case, to win a prestigious CIVITAS Award.
The Success Stories booklet, authored by ICLEI, provides an overview of how cities have used and been inspired by CIVITAS in the transformation of their urban mobility systems.
Ghent’s use of mobility data and testing of new solutions – supported by CIVITAS ELAN – has led to the creation of permanent car-free zones. This has resulted in improvements in air quality, and a shift in the city’s modal split in favour of more sustainable modes, including a 30 percent increase in the number of cyclists in the city centre.
Ljubljana’s mobility success has led to vast increases in walking in the city (as a share of the modal split), car-free zones, and a dramatic decrease in local pollution levels. Central to this shift was the decision to prioritise people in the fundamental reimaging of the city centre.
Public transport is also vital to sustainable urban mobility. Vitoria-Gasteiz began a full redesign of its public transportation network in 2009, and improvements continue today. Its impact is clear: the city has seen an 89% increase in public transportation users between 2008 and 2018. This work has been complemented by Vitoria-Gasteiz integrating mobility measures into the “superblock” model that underlines their SUMP.
Stockholm’s electric vehicle charging infrastructure and information campaign, which forms part of its work in CIVITAS ECCENTRIC, was featured as a CIVITAS Success Story and contributed to the city winning the prestigious Legacy award at the recent Forum.
Stockholm received this award in recognition of its “clean mobility package,” which includes a comprehensive electric vehicle charging infrastructure masterplan; bold steps in support of low- and zero-emission vehicles; and safe walking and cycling paths. Extensive CIVITAS involvement, spanning from the TRENDSETTER project in 2002 to its current involvement in ECCENTRIC, has aided this work.
Other CIVITAS Award winners this year included ICLEI Members Antwerp (Belgium) and Bremen (Germany), who took home the Citizen and Stakeholder Engagement award and Transformation award, respectively.
In reflecting on the example set by CIVITAS Award winners, Herald Ruijters, Director, Directorate General for Mobility and Transport commented, “These inspiring successes show that Europe can lead the way with bold, ambitious action in sustainable mobility and clean transport…Europe is home to people who can move and connect in a high-quality environment in a manner of their choosing. These stories from around Europe show that we want that quality of life for everyone.”