As cities and regions respond to the COVID-19 pandemic with new and innovative transport solutions, what are the lessons for long-term sustainable mobility planning?

Sustainable urban mobility planning (SUMP) is a strategic and integrated approach to dealing with the complexity of urban transport.

Across Europe, local authorities and their private operating partners are striving to create sustainable solutions for passenger transport and freight that foster accessible, safe and affordable mobility, while aligning with European Green Deal emissions reduction objectives.

As part of the CIVITAS SATELLITE Coordination and Support Action, and supported by projects from the CIVITAS Initiative, the Topic Guide, “Planning for More Resilient and Robust Urban Mobility” has been compiled.

Drawing on lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic, it exhibits possible avenues for accelerating the transition towards more resilient and sustainable urban mobility systems and increasing preparedness for any future crises that arise.

Urban transport systems must be able to endure and respond to crisis situations, from pandemics to climate change. An immediate crisis can cause further long-term changes and increase the impact of other major trends, such as climate change. Managing such fundamental change processes is a key challenge for urban mobility practitioners to integrate into their plans.

Transitioning toward more sustainable and resilient solutions requires comprehensive changes in transport systems, expanding active travel, public and shared transport and electromobility infrastructure.

Cities’ and regions’ responses to COVID-19 exhibit that change is possible. From pop-up cycle lanes to parklets, transport options have been transformed and extended to build resilient and robust mobility services which are embedded in SUMP agendas.

The Topic Guide introduces the concept of resilience in urban mobility and presents the importance of integrating it into the SUMP process.

To read the Topic Guide, click here.

Earlier this month, the European Commission released its Europe's Beating Cancer Plan, setting out a new EU approach to cancer prevention, treatment and care.

The plan will be supported by actions spanning across policy areas from employment, education, social policy and equality, to transport, cohesion policy, and taxation.

The plan aims to tackle the entire disease pathway and is structured around four key action areas where the EU can add the most value: prevention; early detection; diagnosis and treatment; and quality of life of cancer patients and survivors. Urban mobility plays an important role in addressing the key action area of “prevention”.

Under the plan, the European Commission will seek to promote investment in active mobility infrastructures, as well as initiatives such as EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK, which this year focuses on health issues under the theme Safe and Healthy with Sustainable Urban Mobility.

The plan also calls for the revision of the Urban Mobility Package in 2021, to support sustainable and healthy transport and mobility.

For more information about the plan, click here.

Applications are now being accepted from cities across Europe for the opportunity to host the CIVITAS Forum Conference 2021.

The CIVITAS Forum Conference serves as the main event of the CIVITAS Initiative, and is one of the leading conferences on sustainable mobility in Europe. The conference provides an opportunity for exchange among key stakeholders in the field of urban mobility. Past hosts have included Graz (Austria), Umeå (Sweden), Torres Vedras (Portugal), and Ljuljana (Slovenia).

This year will be the 18th edition in the conference series, which began in 2003. The proposed time windows for the conference this year are either the week of 27 September – 1 October, or the week of 18 October – 22 October 2021.

Hosting the CIVITAS Forum Conference 2021 offers an excellent opportunity to a city hoping to demonstrate and share its successes in the field of sustainable urban mobility with the wider world. Past hosts have used the conference to exhibit local sites, showcase their clean urban transportation initiatives and innovations, and share cultural and historic heritage.

As the current COVID-19 pandemic brings some uncertainty to the planning of an event of this size, a degree of adaptability is required of the selected host city. Currently, a hybrid event is planned, which would see a physical event with a restricted number of attendees (200-250), combined with an online event.

In order to apply, cities should submit a completed application form by 15 February 2021.

Download the form here. This should be sent to the CIVITAS Secretariat by email – secretariat@civitas.eu – in a compressed file (.zip) alongside any supporting documentation. Any additional documents that applicants feel will add to the quality of their application are welcome. Find these in a guidance document.

Applications are particularly encouraged from cities situated in eastern and southern Europe that have not hosted the Forum before.

Click here to read more about previous CIVITAS Forum events.

On 9 December, the European Commission launched its Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy together with an Action Plan of 82 initiatives that will guide its work on mobility over the next four years.

The strategy shows how the EU transport system can become green, digital and more resilient to future crises. As outlined in the European Green Deal, the result will be a 90% cut in emissions by 2050, delivered by a smart, competitive, safe, accessible and affordable transport system.

Speaking about the strategy, Commissioner for Transport Adina Vălean said: “As the backbone that connects European citizens and business, transport matters to us all. Digital technologies have the potential to revolutionise the way we move, making our mobility smarter, more efficient, and also greener. We need to provide businesses a stable framework for the green investments they will need to make over the coming decades. Through the implementation of this strategy, we will create a more efficient and resilient transport system, which is on a firm pathway to reduce emissions in line with our European Green Deal goals.”

Some of the milestones and actions identified in the strategy include: helping 100 European cities reach climate neutrality by 2030; engaging with cities to ensure that all large and medium-sized cities that are urban nodes on the TEN-T network put in place their own sustainable urban mobility plans (SUMPs) by 2030; and improving and expanding bicycle infrastructure.

The above – and more – will be further developed within a revised EU Urban Mobility Strategy, planned for summer 2021. It will be based on the results of the evaluation of the 2013 Urban Mobility Package, which is due to be published in early 2021.

To read the Strategy in full, click here.

What role do you both play in the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK campaign?

As national coordinators, we are responsible for promoting EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK in Turkey, informing municipalities about the campaign, and supporting them with registration.

To meet this aim, we organised a EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK introductory meeting for local municipalities on 19 June. During the meeting, we provided participants with information about EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK and answered their questions on registration.

Throughout the year, we were available 24/7 to address questions or problems from local municipalities, including information via e-mail, phone and face-to-face meetings.

In addition, we published a EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK booklet containing national and international good practice examples and contact information. We also prepared a registration guide in Turkish to help municipalities register for EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK.

Turkey had a record-breaking year in 2020, with 551 towns and cities participating in EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK. In addition, Turkey registered the highest participation numbers overall, and the highest number of Car-Free Days. What caused this huge increase in participation compared with 2019?

This year, we prepared very well for EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK. In order to encourage our municipalities to register and participate in the campaign, we offered a free bicycle to municipalities that registered and signed up. In addition, we launched a website – hareketlilik.tbb.gov.tr – to share information with municipalities on registration and participation in EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK.

We also organised a competition for ideas and projects in the area of bicycle transportation, to provide good solutions for municipalities. Within the scope of this competition, monetary support was provided to municipalities that put forward sustainable and permanent projects across two stages – idea and implementation.

In order to promote EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK among the general public, we made videos with ministers, mayors, and high-level representatives of public institutions, and shared these on social media.

Alongside the EU Delegation to Turkey, we organised many events promoting EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK to different municipalities. These included bicycle tours and live broadcasts, with the participation of metropolitan mayors, NGOs, and other relevant parties.

We also organised national EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK Awards to identify and promote participating municipalities and share best practice examples.

One of the reasons a higher number of municipalities registered for Car-Free Day is because of the COVID-19 restrictions. As Car-Free Day celebrations are held on a single day, many municipalities were able to organise events with strict physical distancing that complied with COVID-19 restrictions.

What do you think Turkish cities and towns gain from taking part in EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK?

Turkish municipalities have become increasingly aware of sustainable transport thanks to EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK. People in many municipalities were encouraged to use public transport, to cycle, walk, or try out different transport options such as scooters, especially during Car-Free Day and during the focal week of EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK.

As a result of awareness-raising campaigns undertaken by municipalities and organisations in Turkey, such as the Turkish Union of Municipalities, and the EU Delegation to Turkey, people are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of zero emission mobility. In turn, more Turkish municipalities are working to implement zero-emission public transport.

Did COVID-19 pose a challenge in getting towns and cities interested and engaged in EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK in Turkey?

Unfortunately, some of our events were cancelled due to the pandemic, because some governorships had introduced curfews. As a result, many municipalities organised awareness-raising campaigns through social media. In addition, many activities, such as bicycle tours, were adapted to physical distancing requirements, with a smaller number of people allowed to participate.

What are your hopes for the 2021 campaign in Turkey?

First of all, we hope that Covid-19 will be under control by September 2021. Secondly, we started our work on EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK rather late in June 2020 due to pandemic restrictions. Therefore, we hope to start our work earlier in 2021.

Thanks to our successful work in 2020, more municipalities are aware of the importance of EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK. We hope to build on this success in 2021.

In addition, we plan to highlight the fact that municipalities can invest in campaign activities not only during the focal week of EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK, but also throughout the year by improving their permanent infrastructure.