Title
Session description
Urban mobility is at the forefront of sustainable urban development. Cities are shifting from car-centric to multimodal transport solutions, integrating public transport, walking, cycling and zero-emission logistics. This session addressed key challenges, from inclusiveness to urban-rural connectivity, while taking into account the forthcoming European Commission Recommendation on transport poverty.
The objective of the session was to provide participants with insights into the state-of-the-art developments in the field of urban mobility at local, regional and European levels. It brought together representatives of public administrations, as well as stakeholders from European bodies and organisations, such as Eurocities, the Cities Missions Board and EIT Urban Mobility. The session was structured in two parts that informed each other: a European project showcase - with presentations from International Building Exhibition in Munich Metropolitan Area, City of Reggio-Emilia and City of Krakow, followed by a moderated panel discussion.
Key insights
The initial interaction with the public acknowledged the tension between car-centric urban design and the need to reclaim public space. Concerns were raised about the dominance of parking areas and traffic congestion. This provided a solid base for further discussions.
The presentations provided good practice examples of innovative initiatives and projects in various contexts. They all stressed the importance of political support for mobility projects that go beyond the business-as-usual model, as well as the need to involve multiple stakeholders (from citizens, business owners, knowledge institutions and different governmental organisations).
Mobility needs to be planned on a broader scale, as it does not stop at city boundaries. This demands flexibility in thinking, good partnerships and broad public support and acceptance. Multimodality has been identified as a promising approach to urban mobility, with the caveat that there is no one-size-fits-all solution and that multimodality has different meanings in various urban contexts, necessitating tailored solutions that are adapted to city size and user demographics.
Key take aways
In a recent study performed between mayors, urban mobility ranked sixth in terms of importance among various urban policy areas. Within this domain, public transport and its integration with other modes of transport received the most attention.
Mobility and housing must be planned together – coined metaphorically as the "king and queen" of urban planning. Examples of urban sprawl were presented, illustrating the development of new neighbourhoods without supporting transportation systems.
The need to design public spaces that cater to an ageing demographic was emphasized, underscoring the importance of inclusive design in mobility planning. At the same time, understanding the needs behind simple answers (such as "we need wider roads and more parking spaces") is necessary to ensure that sustainable mobility solutions receive public acceptance – effective communication with citizens is key.
Conclusion
In advancing towards sustainable, inclusive, and safe mobility systems, cities need to be bold, experiment, showcase, and build on best practices, as this is critical for progress. While the transition in the field of mobility is underway, there is a clear need to accelerate the change to achieve the proposed targets. It was noted that we cannot transform the system while simultaneously perpetuating it.
Furthermore, the need to examine decisions in the urban mobility sector from the perspective of long-term return on investment has been stressed.
Inputs related to the EU agenda for cities
Multilevel governance is essential since many challenges can only be solved through this multilevel collaboration – for example, mobility in Functional Urban Areas, multimodality, and the complementarity of transportation networks.
In accelerating the transition in urban mobility, towns and cities should focus on collaboration with relevant stakeholders, collecting and utilizing data to inform mobility models, breaking down the silos between different municipal departments, fostering peer exchange through the sharing of practical tools and tender specifications, and allowing themselves the freedom to fail when experimenting with new approaches.
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