CH4LLENGE project tackles the key challenges of Sustainable Urban Mobility Planning

The challenges that cities and communities face in the search for sustainability and better quality of life are increasingly significant. Cities of different sizes have a crucial role in contributing to EU 2020 targets aiming to improve the efficiency of energy use and to cut down CO2 emissions.  Urban transport is a major source of energy consumption and green house gas emissions and can thus make a big contribution to meet these goals, but also to ensure the attractiveness of our cities. Cities, with a well-functioning and sustainable transport system, are not only environmentally friendly places, but are also attractive and good places to live and work. 

European Commission has underlined in many of its policy documents that strategic and integrated approach to transport infrastructure planning is needed but also to policy making in order to link transport better with environmental protection, healthy environments, land use planning, housing, social aspects of accessibility and mobility as well as industrial policy.  There is a wide consensus that Sustainable Urban Mobility planning contributes to a better quality of life in an urban area and is a good way of tackling transport-related problems in urban areas more efficiently. 

CH4LLENGE supports cities with Sustainable Urban Mobility Planning

Recently launched CH4LLENGE project, funded by the IEE-programme,  is one of the initiatives supporting cities in the preparation and implementation of SUMPs. 

By building on previous experiences and lessons learned from past and current national and European SUMP initiatives, CH4LLENGE has identified common challenges which pose significant barriers in the wider take-up of SUMPs in Europe. 

During the 3-years project CH4LLENGE will develop innovative and transferable solutions to:

1.    Overcome challenges related to the participation of stakeholders.
2.    Provide transferable strategies for institutional cooperation.
3.    Elaborate a solid approach to identify SUMP´s effective measures and measure packages.
4.    Present methodologies for the monitoring and evaluation of SUMP processes and measures.

The nine participating cities represent the diverse cultures in sustainable urban mobility planning in Europe. Those cities spearheading the new planning paradigm are; Amiens (FR), Dresden (DE), Gent (BE) and West Yorkshire (UK), followed by Brno (CZ), Budapest (HU), Krakow (PL), Timisoara (RO) and Zagreb (HR), who all have strong commitments towards the advancement of their own SUMP processes.

In addition the project will support 30 European cities at different stages of working with SUMP and offer them guidance and training possibilities to develop or further improve their SUMPs. From UBC network Turku and Kotka from Finland, Gdynia from Poland, Kaunas from Lithuania and Tartu from Estonia and Kalmar from Sweden will be closely involved with the CH4LLENGE project.

 

Based on the results and experiences of CH4LLENGE cities, the project will develop practical SUMP challenge kits consisting of ‘quick facts’ for decision-makers, a measure option generator, manuals and e-learning courses covering the four defined SUMP challenges. The kits are aimed at local practitioners working with mobility and transport in European cities and regions.

UCB EnvCom coordinates the dissemination and communication activities in the project. 

For more information, please contact:

The CH4LLENGE website www.sump-challenges.eu will be launched in autumn 2013. For the moment, more information can be found at UBC EnvCom website. 

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Text by: Maija Rusanen, Project Coordinator at UBC EnvCom

100 participants to discuss sustainable transport in UBC Joint Commission meeting in Tallinn 10-12 April 2013

Several topics were embraced and questioned at the Joint Commission meeting in Tallinn including, optimizing cycling, public transport and maritime under the overall theme of sustainable transport in the Baltic Sea Region.

The great variety of planning tradition from the region was on display in Tallinn, where it was made clear that there is not only on, but several, ways to succeed in planning for sustainable transport.
Tallinn opened the meeting with a presentation of the various positive aspects that has entailed their free public transport initiative for Tallinn citizens. Several presentations and discussion later, participants had received a thorough introduction to this bold political decision and its technical challenges and solutions. Tallinn si considered a frontrunner of free public transport in Europe and is therefore also one of the founding cities of European Network of Free Public Transport

The meeting participants are in front of Tallinns brand new bus which will be taken into use tomorrow.
They are going to visit the Sea Plane Harbour museum, Lennusadam

Deputy mayor Taavi Aas and Deputy Mayor Arvo Sarapuu presented the financial figures behind the initiative as well as the unforeseen benefits of letting the citizens of Tallinn use the public transport for free. Only three months after implementation, it is clear that this initiative will be followed closely in the future by the whole region and beyond. 

UBC member cities Gdynia, Ålborg and Halmstad also presented their sustainable transport measures in relation to EU funded projects including QUEST and CIVIT@S DYNAMO. The projects proved that there are several ways to go for more sustainable transport in our cities. As a last input the Baltic Sea Region Covenant Club hosted presentations and discussion on Sustainable Energy Action Plans and their potential synergies with Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans.

As the Baltic Sea is a common denominator for all UBC countries also maritime transport was on the agenda with the SNOOP Policy Forum. Experts from all over the region were discussing policies affecting the maritime industry and the sector’s contribution to CO₂ emissions.

The two intensive days provided the participants with various practical and theoretical aspects of sustainable transport and food for thoughts for their daily activities within their member cities.

Towards better living environments and healthier citizens

The societies of today are highly car dependent and dominated. The growing traffic flows begin to be a severe problem in many cities having negative impact on the environment, causing problems of pollution and noise and taking space away from other functions in the city such as leisure and recreation.

Ambitious targets to reduce CO₂ emissions have been set at European level and also at the local level. This requires a shift from car traffic towards lighter and less polluting modes of transport. Recently, policy efforts made by many European cities have been increasingly targeted to reduce the amount of cars rolling on our streets. However, still a lot have to be done in order to support the more sustainable and healthier modes of transport such as biking and walking. 

We often tend to forget that the cities encouraging walking and biking and aiming to reduce the number of cars, besides more attractive and pleasant living environments, they get healthier citizens. The more people move using their muscle power, the healthier they are. The domination of cars in today’s society has decreased the daily movement made by bicycle or foot. Already small children are used to that their parents take them everywhere by car. There is a huge potential in many cities to reduce especially the amount of short trips made by car within the city area.

The improved health of citizens can also bring large saving in the social and healthcare sector. It has been calculated that each kilometre biked causes a saving of 0,16 euro, compared to a car that causes instead a loss of 0,10 e per kilometre for the society. According to WHO, every new cyclist produces a saving of 0,70 e per kilometre. It has been calculated in France that every cycling commuter decreases the costs for healthcare sector by 1200 euro per year. Source.
 

How can we then encourage people to choose a bike instead of car?

City planning is a way of creating such living environments that encourage people to take care of their daily tasks such as going to shops, work, schools and services by foot or by bike. An attractive living environment with well-functioning bike and walkway network, makes it easier for people to leave their car home. 

Sustainable Urban Mobility planning is a one way of creating attractive living environments and quality public spaces.  A Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (SUMP) is a strategic plan designed to satisfy the mobility needs of people and businesses in cities and their surroundings for a better quality of life. It builds on existing planning practices and takes due consideration of integration, participation, and evaluation principles.

The basic characteristics of SUMP are: a participatory approach; sustainability to foster economic development, social equity and environmental quality; the integration of policy sectors; clear, measurable objectives and clear evaluation plans and value for money. In other words, SUMP introduces a new people-focused planning approach.

It’s time to start planning the cities for people not cars!

Kirsi-Marja Lonkila and Maija Rusanen from UBC EnvCom gave a presentation on the concept and benefits of Sustainable Urban Mobility plan in a conference Wellbeing municipality focusing on the daily mobility of people. The seminar was organised by KKI-programme in Helsinki on the 15th of November.

Text by: Maija Rusanen