How can we boost SUMP take-up across Europe?
The event opened with an introduction on the status of SUMPs in Europe. The total number of adopted SUMPs has grown significantly since 2013, although the situation varies greatly across countries. At the national level, an increasing number of countries (compared to 2011) provides a more structured framework for sustainable urban mobility planning that includes legal definition, guidance, assessment scheme, or other types of support.
Later, the draft recommendations for the improvement of SUMP take-up were presented and discussed with the audience. The recommendations highlight the key role played by cities experienced in SUMP development and implementation for sharing awareness and methodologies at the national level. It also stresses that entrusting one single national body with SUMP control and monitoring is a fundamental step to further encourage SUMP take-up. At the EU level, the recommendations focus on the need to secure funding for further development and update of SUMPS in the 2021-2027 programming period, with a view to assisting EU countries that have limited resources to invest in sustainable mobility.
A final version of the recommendations will be available in the Autumn.
Background
SUMPs-Up is one of the three projects related to sustainable urban mobility plans under the European Union's CIVITAS 2020 initiative. It brings together eight partner organisations and seven partner cities, all of whom are seeking to help European cities to introduce cleaner and more sustainable mobility.
The project assists planning authorities to overcome the barriers that prevent or make it difficult to implement SUMPs: capacity building, tailored information, and support during development and implementation phases will equip them with the necessary knowledge and skills to do so.
For more information, visit the project website.