Sustainable Urban Mobility: What is it?

Sustainable urban mobility is an ideal transport system that not only reduces the impact on the environment, but also makes travel easy, fast and less expensive, benefiting the community and the region.

For some years now, thanks to an increased sensitivity to environmental issues and the possibilities offered by new technologies, large cities have been experiencing a period of radical transition: not only have effective projects related to sustainable mobility been launched, but a genuine and complete redesign focused on smart solutionshas been initiated.

Urban Mobility: Real Projects

Projects have varied from city to city and have been interpreted according to the characteristics of the area: car sharing, scooter sharing, carpooling, support for the switch to electric cars through a targeted taxation system, interconnected public transport systems, means for personal micro-mobility such as sharing pedal-assisted bicycles and scooters, and some experiments in road pricing, i.e. charging for entry into certain areas of large urban city centres; this list representing just some of the projects implemented so far.

Urban Mobility: Planning for the future

One of the most interesting initiatives related to the redesign of cities is withEIT Urban Mobility, a consortium of 48 partners from 15 countries aiming to drive technological innovation for the future of cities through a greener, more inclusive, safer and smarter urban mobility system.

It is a project initiated in 2008 by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) and represents the largest urban mobility transformation initiative in Europe. The resources available are significant: 1.6 billion euro from European funding, spread over seven years, to promote integrated mobility and increase competitivity.

Italy is also part of the project: the Municipality of Milan, Agenzia Mobilità Ambiente e Territorio [(AMAT) Regional, Environment and Mobility Agency] and Fondazione Politecnico di Milano [Milan Polytechnic Foundation] are among the partners of EIT Urban Mobility. The participation of these entities is linked to the redesign of urban mobility, both collective and individual in large city centres and small localities through the use of advanced technologies, which also promote social inclusion.

Appointments for exploration

The issue of sustainable electric mobility is, and will be increasingly, the focus of investment and policies, both at a national and European community level. Architects, local administrators, managers of energy service companies, mobility managers and more generally, all the businesses that operate in and around the sustainable mobility sectors have a selection of various appointments where they may meet and examine the solutions adopted in various countries around the world. Among the most important are:

Micromobility Europe (Amsterdam, June 2022)
Companies, thinkers and players from the world of micro-mobility meet in the city emblematic of non-dependence on the car. Two days of conferences on the mobility that has the fastest growth globally and that is able to radically transform our cities. https://micromobility.io/

World Urban Forum 11 (Katowice, June 2022)
Representatives of national governments, regions and local administrations, lecturers, entrepreneurs and urban planners will participate in WUF11, co-organised by the Polish Ministry of Development Funds and Regional Policy and the Katowice Municipal Office. The theme of WUF11 – Transforming Our Cities for a Better Urban Future – aims to provide insights into the future of cities based on existing trends, challenges and opportunities. https://wuf.unhabitat.org/

Tomorrow Mobility World Congress (Barcelona, November 2022)
A new global event organised by Fira Barcelona and focused on the design and adoption of new models of sustainable urban mobility. The event will feature world-renowned experts sharing their vision of future mobility, organisations and innovators presenting solutions, and an international audience looking for new business models to engage their companies. Barcelona is one of the European cities that stands out for its real and sustainable urban mobility project. Since 2016, it has been implementing the ‘Superblocks’ project, a rethinking of public space that takes advantage of the city’s particular street grid. One of the benefits of this solution comes from the concept of carving out public areas for new squares and green zones, by diverting through-traffic and channelling it to arteries outside the Superblock. https://www.tomorrowmobility.com/

Autonomy Paris (Paris, March 2023)
The world’s first trade fair for B2B (Business to Business) and B2G (Business to Government) mobility solutions. It combines physical and digital resources to help companies, start-ups, cities and NGOs connect and collaborate on the future of urban mobility. These resources will include physical events such as the annual Autonomy Paris trade fair, the Autonomy City Summits, hosted in iconic cities like Berlin and London, and The Urban Mobility Weekly, a newsletter designed to share key news. https://www.autonomy.paris/en/