Tag Archive: Sustainable Urban Mobility Planning

  1. UK charity launches guidance on transforming car parking spaces for alternative uses

    Comments Off on UK charity launches guidance on transforming car parking spaces for alternative uses

    Source: Zag Daily

    The UK climate charity Possible has introduced new guidance aimed at facilitating the implementation of repurposed car-parking spaces – parklets – across England and Wales.

    These resources seek to help communities and local authorities convert car parking spaces into functional public areas, such as bike parking, seating spaces, and neighborhood hubs.

    Parklets toolkits for communities and local authorities

    As part of this initiative, Possible has released two “Parklets Toolkits,” one tailored for local communities and another designed for local government authorities. These toolkits provide step-by-step instructions on the installation of parklets, covering aspects such as project planning, obtaining permissions, and securing funding.

    Encouraging active travel and sustainable urban spaces

    Carolyn Axtell, Kerbside Greening Campaign Manager at Possible, emphasized the importance of such initiatives in promoting active travel. “We would like to see more local authorities adopting solutions like these to make it easier for families to switch to active travel,” Axtell told Zag Daily. “If councils are serious about encouraging modal shift, they need to enable the repurposing of car parking spaces for bike and cargo bike parking, and parklets can be one part of the solution.”

    Community toolkit: Guidance on implementation

    The toolkit for communities, developed in collaboration with the Parklets Campaign and the London boroughs of Lambeth, Hackney, and Waltham Forest, provides guidance on selecting appropriate locations for parklets and fostering engagement with local residents. Additionally, it details the necessary permissions from local councils, offers design and funding advice, and presents case studies of successful parklet projects across the UK.

    Axtell highlighted the utility of parklets for cargo bike parking, noting that two Waltham Forest residents applied for parklets specifically to address the lack of secure cargo bike storage. “Community parklets can be a great solution for cargo bike parking, and two Waltham Forest residents cited the need for cargo bike parking provision as their impetus for applying for parklets,” she explained.

    Local authority toolkit: Policy frameworks and case studies

    The second toolkit, intended for local authorities, focuses on developing policy frameworks that support community-led parklet projects. It also outlines strategies for collaboration to ensure parklets meet local needs, provides design and accessibility standards, and showcases examples of successful council-led parklet programs.

    The origins of parklets

    The concept of parklets originated in 2005 in San Francisco, where the art and design group Rebar transformed a parking space into a temporary public seating area by paying for a single day’s parking fee. This initiative demonstrated how repurposing parking spaces could encourage greater use of public spaces for social and transportation purposes.

    Parklets in the UK: A growing trend

    In the UK, the first official parklet was introduced in Hackney in 2015. Developed by Hackney Council in partnership with Sustrans and Cyclehoop, it featured bike racks, benches, and solar-powered lighting. The initiative was well received and became popular among cyclists and pedestrians alike.

    Expanding the use of parklets

    Possible’s new guidance aims to expand such projects, encouraging more communities and councils to reimagine urban spaces for public benefit. By providing structured support, the charity hopes to facilitate wider adoption of parklets as a tool for promoting sustainable transport and enhancing local environments.

  2. Eltis City SUMP Database – contribution call

    Comments Off on Eltis City SUMP Database – contribution call

    Source: Eltis, H. Figg.

    Eltis calls for stakeholders and city authorities to update their listed Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans and help refresh the resource.

    The Eltis City Database is an information repository featuring Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs) and Transport plans from across Europe. To retain relevance the database requires regular updates; Eltis is now undertaking a comprehensive overhaul of the database’s structure and usability.

    The end goal of the City Database is to include accurate SUMP information for all European cities, with 1,313 cities already covered. At this scale, the assistance of stakeholders and city authorities is incredibly useful.

    Eltis has opened the call for subject experts to add and amend submissions. Find the full details here.

  3. Feedback call: Integrating Mobility Management into SUMP

    Comments Off on Feedback call: Integrating Mobility Management into SUMP

    Source: Eltis

    The latest draft Sustainable Urban Mobility Planning (SUMP) guide aims to provide guidance to urban mobility practitioners, policymakers, school management, and both public and private employers who wish to implement mobility management measures in their jurisdictions.

    The latest SUMP guide from Eltis is currently in draft form and will focus on five main areas where transport planning can better include mobility management: urban developments, public authorities, companies, the education sector, as well as the tourism and leisure sectors. Each sector will be fully explored, outlining key recommendations, and examples of excellent practice from across Europe.

    “The first draft of the Topic Guide has been developed by the Policy Support Group of the CIVITAS ELEVATE Coordination and Support Action, which consists of experts from five organisations (European Platform on Mobility Management, Klimaaktiv mobil, Tisséo Collectivités, Alba Iulia Municipality, Gdansk Municipality), the CIVITAS Policy Advisory Committee, TRT (Trasporti e Territorio), and a group of stakeholders from the mobility management sector.

    The public is warmly invited to participate in the consultation process. Public consultation is an important step of the process, as it allows stakeholders to contribute to the development of the Guide, as well as ensure that it is relevant to all urban mobility actors.”

    To contribute to the SUMP Guide’s public consultation, visit the Eltis website, here. The window for feedback is open until Tuesday 13 December 2022.

  4. SUMP Topic Guide for smaller cities and towns: Hungarian translation now available

    Comments Off on SUMP Topic Guide for smaller cities and towns: Hungarian translation now available

    Source: Eltis, H. Figg

    Sustainable urban mobility planning (SUMP) provides an approach to dealing with the complex urban transport problems across Europe. The new guide offers insight to planners in cities with a population of less than 100,000 and is now newly published in Hungarian to increase accessibility further.

    Translated and published by Magyar CIVINET, the guide will support cities in developing more and better SUMPs. Eltis shares, “Smaller cities and towns often have fewer resources and expertise for strategic mobility planning, making it more difficult to develop SUMPs. They also tend to have a stronger car dependency and weaker public transport, which can make it feel even more daunting to pursue a sustainable vision. On the other hand, smaller cities and towns often have well-connected social communities and more walkable and bikeable distances, offering ideal opportunities for sustainable mobility.”

    The original release can be accessed, here.

    The Hungarian translation can be accessed, here.

    Other SUMP topic guides can be found, here.

  5. Sustainable Urban Mobility Awards – Winners announced

    Comments Off on Sustainable Urban Mobility Awards – Winners announced

    Source: Eltis, Hannah Figg

    Four European sustainable mobility champion locations were recently unveiled in Brussels by Matthew Baldwin, Deputy Director-General of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Transport and Mobility.

    The four awards and victors were; European Mobility Week Award 2021 for larger municipalities, Kassel (Germany); European Mobility Week Award 2021 for smaller municipalities, Valongo (Portugal); the 10th annual Award for Sustainable Urban Mobility Planning (SUMP), Tampere (Finland); and the EU Road Safety Award, Rethymno (Greece).

    European Mobility Week is an annual event, running from 16-22 September. Cities and towns across Europe can take this opportunity to trial new ideas, promote infrastructure and technologies, and track their own air quality. Residents become involved with and begin discussions surrounding sustainable mobility, heralding a social change towards a greener world. The event saw record-breaking levels of participation in 2021 with over 3,100 towns joining the scheme.

    Adina Vălean, European Commissioner for Transport, commended the award winners’ and finalists’ achievements, sharing:

    “I would like to extend my congratulations to the winners of the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK Awards as well as to all finalists. These cities have taken concrete actions to tackle transport emissions, noise, and congestion through innovative actions. With the new EU Urban Mobility Framework, we will support better planning of sustainable urban mobility, putting public transport, walking, and cycling at the core of local authorities’ efforts to improve people’s everyday lives.”

    For the full list of finalists, and an in-depth overview of their efforts toward sustainability mobility, view the Eltis coverage of the awards here.

Campaign success

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.

Member profile

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.