Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan of Prato, Italy

Prato, with a population of 191,000 inhabitants and a density of about 2,000 inh /km2, is Tuscany's second largest city; it lies 15 km north-west of Florence, in the center of a densely populated and highly industrialized plain.

Prato’s Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan has been the first drawn- up and  approved sustainable urban mobility plan in Tuscany and one of the first in Italy. Prato’s Sustainable and Urban Mobility Plan took as reference methodology the EU guidelines. It outlines the vision of mobility in the city for the next decade.

​Prato’s Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan has been recently approved and first actions are currently under implementation. However, the ex-ante assessment of the Plan forecasted the range of effects that are (by 2025): - a 20% decrease in overall distance covered by private vehicle. The Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan process has been widely based on citizen, association and stakeholder. Over 1,500 people participated and answered to the on- line survey aiming to detail urban and regional mobility demand.

​For more information: click here.

CIVITAS SUMPs-Up project launches 1st call for planning authorities

CIVITAS SUMPs-Up is an EU-funded project with a focus on helping cities develop Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs) - strategic long-term planning documents that integrate all transport modes and balance environmental, social and economic factors.

A SUMP's central goal is improving the accessibility of urban areas and providing high-quality and sustainable mobility and transport to, through and within the urban area. It regards the needs of the 'functioning city' and its hinterland rather than a municipal administrative region. The project assists mobility planning authorities, especially in countries where there are few SUMPs, to overcome the barriers that stop or make it difficult for them to implement the plans.

​The CIVITAS SUMPs-Up project is recruiting planning authorities for its Innovation Pilot Pool (IPP), a select group of transport and urban mobility planning practitioners who will develop innovative tools and services to help SUMP development in European cities. The current call seeks 40 participants for the Expert Group and 10 participants for the Leadership Group, who will participate for six months and three years respectively.The remaining 50 participants in the IPP scheme will be selected via similar calls for applications opening in 2018 and 2019.

Apply to the first CIVITAS SUMPs-Up call for planning authorities by 24 May 2017 here.

The European Commission is working closely with the Member States to ensure the SUMP concept is adapted to the specific requirements and existing planning practices in each Member State and actively promoted at national level in order to reach hundreds of cities in Europe.

For more information: click here.

Funding for the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan of the Municipality of Heraklion

The Municipality of Heraklion is funded by the Green Fund for the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan. The Municipality submitted a detailed proposal for the development of a modern plan for sustainable urban mobility. The proposal was positively assessed and the funding amount was up to 155,000 Euros, the second largest amount given to a city of Greece, after Athens.

On Friday 24th March 2017, the deputy Mayor of Technical Services, Mr. Yannis Anastasakis, signed the funding agreement for the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan of the Municipality. The Plan aims to promote changes in the behavior of the daily commuting of people and goods by promoting walking, cycling and public transport, as key components of urban mobility.

​In the long run, active ways of mobility such as walking, cycling and public transport, which prove to be beneficial for all ages and the environment, will be enforced. The emphasis given to the organisation of the daily traffic routes, for example the bicycle paths and pavements’ design, promotes a healthier life for all social groups, as well as a safer urban environment.

For more information: click here.

How sustainable mobility contributes to the win of the European Green Capital Award?

“Ljubljana - winner of the Official European Green Capital Award - will from today act as ambassador for sustainable urban development, sharing its local, best practices and encouraging other cities across Europe to become greener, healthier and more sustainable” – source European Commission’s Facebook page

This post was the motivation for raising various queries, such as “What is the European Green Capital Award?”, “Which are the criteria for winning it?” and “Which actions and changes, regarding sustainable mobility mainly, had to be done by Ljubljana’s authorities in order to win the award?”