Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - Prosperity (Prosperity through innovation and promotion of Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans)

Teaser

For decades the common practise followed the ‘predict and provide’ approach. The consequences of this approach were longer journey times and congestion, increased greenhouse gas emissions, poor air quality, poor health, car dominated city centres and neighbourhoods and...

Summary

For decades the common practise followed the ‘predict and provide’ approach. The consequences of this approach were longer journey times and congestion, increased greenhouse gas emissions, poor air quality, poor health, car dominated city centres and neighbourhoods and many accidents. A pure expansion of infrastructure has proven to be insufficient.
In response to this, a new planning philosophy has been developed – the Sustainable Urban Mobility Planning - and with the Urban Mobility Package, the EC reinforces its supporting measures. The ANNEX of the policy paper ‘Together towards competitive and resource-efficient urban mobility’, focuses on ‘A CONCEPT FOR SUSTAINABLE URBAN MOBILITY PLANS’.
CIVITAS PROSPERITY follows exactly the SUMP philosophy. The main aim is to support local and national authorities to improve the quality and uptake of SUMPs.
This should be achieved through the involvement and interaction of the national level administrations, at the same time addressing their cultural differences. This is due to a gap between the needs & demands of the cities that should develop SUMPs and higher administrative institutions who should prepare the ground / provide programmes to encourage cities.

The objectives are as follows. CIVITAS PROSPERITY will:
1. Produce a culture shift in the organisational culture of transport planning.
2. Get ministries and national agencies to play a leading role.
3. To provide mechanisms and tools for ministries to take this lead role.
4. Analyse the problems with the take-up of SUMPs and understand from the cities involved why they are not taken up, and then help cities to address these barriers.
5. Get more cities to take up SUMPs.
6. Ensure that these SUMPs will lead to implementation of more innovative transport measures.
7. Build capacity that reflect the spirit of the EU SUMP Guidelines, rather than being mandatory documents written to fulfil a requirement linked to major transport infrastructure documents.
8. Deliver a measurable impact.
In short, these objectives will be achieved in 12 member states and across a broad and active network of partner cities by means of a four-pronged approach:
1. NAT. PROGRAMMES - Activating cities by strong involvement of the national level:;
2. LIVING LABS - A support system for PROSPERITY partner cities;
3. TOOLS & GUIDELINES -Improvements of SUMP tools and guidelines to provide support to cities
4. CAPACITY BUILDING - Innovative capacity building, led as much by cities as by expert trainers, informed by the experience and participation of Champion SUMP cities tailored to the needs and context of each country where it takes place

Work performed

\"Innovation:
• Analysis of the major SUMP innovation areas based upon interest of target cities
• Development of 16 Innovation briefs
• Innovation WS with project partners and representatives of the National and regional authorities with the Champion cities.

Policy & SUMP programmes (cooperation with SUMPs-Up):
• Analysis of the status of national SUMP programmes in EU member states. Result is D3.1 \"\"Higher Levels of Government – their Support for SUMP in the EU\"\".
• International peer-to-peer experience exchange between national level representatives, 2 virtual meetings and 5 face-to-face meetings were organized
• Recommendations on national and regional government programmes to encourage SUMP (D3.2)
• Summary of new/enhanced programmes to encourage SUMP in countries and regions (D3.3)
• Development of a SUMP Policy Paper
• Development of 3 SUMP Guidelines on Shared Mobility, Health & SUMP and National supporting frameworks
•
Capacity Building:
• Analysis of the current situation regarding SUMP and identification of the specific support needed in each Partner City
• Identification of training needs: Result: D4.1. “Country / city specific, tailor-made recommendation documents on training needs”
• Update and improvement of SUMP tools and guidelines
• 8 training topics: (0) General introduction to SUMP, (1) How does SUMP mesh with statutory land use plans, (2) Communication & stakeholder involvement, (3) Urban Transport Roadmaps tool, (4) Monitoring & evaluation, (5) Adopting the SUMP approach in small and mid sizes cities, (6) Achieving political and internal buy-in, (7) Use of public space, (8) Freight transport (city logistics).
• Country-specific training programs in 10 countries. Trainings in LT CY, RO, SI, HR, HU, BG, CZ, PL and PT. Each training lasted 4 days, including site visit(s) as well as presentation of good practices/lessons. Each training has allocated one practitioner from one of the Champion Cities from Vienna, Sint Niklaas, Dundee or Vitoria Gasteiz - incl one Alderman. Additional trainings were carried out in PT, PL, HU and CZ.
• Carrying out a support / coaching programme for each PROSPERITY Partner City. Based on the analysis which identified each partner city’s SUMP related needs, a city support / coaching programme was started.
• 6 webinars.

Evaluation, monitoring and quality assurance:
• D5.1. Indicators, monitoring and evaluation plan and guidance and D5.2: Quality assurance guidance delivered
• D5.3. Final monitoring and evaluation report
• All reports, materials, articles, processes and services are quality assured.

Communication, Dissemination & Exploitation:
• A dissemination strategy was delivered (D6.1)
• A project website was programmed and a joint (with other SUMP projects) materials (leaflet, roll-up display) were developed
• The 4th SUMP Conference was organised in Dubrovnik, HR (ca 400 participants). Other piggyback presentations were held
• Launch of the national SUMP supporting program with SUMP Task Forces and Roadmaps in each country of focus.
• 26 Interviews with SUMP ambassadors were published.
• Development of several flyers, folders and the final project brochure.
• A video on the training approach of PROSPERITY was published.
• 3 videos on activities of SUMP Champion cities were published.
• Several publications / articles were published.
• 56 presentations of project results at international conferences.

Ethics requirement:
• Ethics requirements were taken into consideration at each step.\"

Final results

Objective: Ministries play national leading role on SUMP Get more cities to take up SUMPs
Key output / impact: 7 internat. exchange of experience meetings of Ministries dealing with SUMP. Result: all participating countries have a national SUMP programmes (2 of them have a roadmap). 59 national task force meetings between Ministries and city representatives.
Objective: Understand clearly reasons for (lack of) SUMP take up.
Key output / impact:18 country / regional reports as parts of the D3.1 - Higher Levels of Government – their Support for SUMP in the EU.
Objective: Build cities’ capacity
Key output / impact: Development of 8 training materials and sessions and 10 country-specific training programs in local languages (plus 4 additional ones) plus 6 webinars.
Objective: Mechanisms and tools:
Key output / impact: Development and test of a pilot national SUMP assessment scheme, further development & translation of the Urban transport roadmapping tool
Objective: Culture change in environment for SUMPs in participating member states
Key output / impact: Setting up of 13 three-year programmes on tailor-made national SUMP promotion activities. 10 PROSPERITY partner cities act as a living lab.

Website & more info

More info: http://sump-network.eu/.