MedCities’ Secretary General, Mr. Josep Canals, opened the session by recalling the recently announced European new plans to reach a cut of 55% in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and stressed the important role urban sustainable mobility must play in it. In this regard, the Mediterranean is also compelled. The Mediterranean Cooperation Alliance in its 2019 statement made special reference to the relevance and validity of climate-related engagements in the frame of the 2030 Agenda and the aftermath of the SARS-CoV-2 global crisis. 

The Handbook on Sustainable Mobility Solutions in the Mediterranean area is a collection of innovative tools and solutions that was drafted by the MOBILITAS project. The Handbook is available in English. Ms. Valentina Ridolfi, project coordinator at the Rimini Strategic Plan Agency and chief editor of the guide presented what mobility officers can find in the guide “as food for thought and unveiled some of its main successes as a collaborative and community-based work in the frame of the MOBILITAS project”. She stressed how crucial is the promotion of a more sustainable and people-centered mobility for Mediterranean cities to face the particular challenges faced by Mediterranean cities: loss of welfare and of citizens’ accessibility, economic crisis, climate resilience, among others.  

Some of the most interesting solutions in the Handbook were briefly presented by their implementers. Mr. Fabio Tomasi, Area Science Park and partner of the Urban Transports Community, introduced the two main topics of the session: redesign the public space and reduce car-dependency; and promoting soft mobility for locals & tourists.

Furthermore, Ms. Anthi Tsakiropoulou, mobility engineer and executive officer at the Major Development Agency of Thessaloniki, Greece, shared the new road layout plan for the city, the result of a participatory process that draw the city’s new axes as more people-centered and safe. When it came to a concrete example, Ms. Carolina Navarro, Industrial Engineer working at Valencia Port Foundation, in Spain, talked about the port’s own SUMP and some of the soft mobility related solutions found to upgrade the experience of cruise passengers and better connect the area with the city. Finally, Ms. Zine Sarrakaraoui, President of the Integrated Urban Development Plan of the municipality of Sousse, Tunisia, shared an inspiring vision for a more liveable, accessible and economically sustainable city that puts sustainable mobility at the core of a holistic transformation. 

Speakers were asked by an engaged audience on how the Covid-19 crisis has impacted their sustainable mobility plans, of which the decrease of the use of public transports is the most concerning trend; and on the lessons learnt and advice they can give to cities launching their own transformation. Ms.Navarro stressed the importance of considering the particular conditions affecting the local contexts, and for this local governments are very well placed.

The session closed up with some details on the upcoming activities of the Urban Transports Community, including thematic webinars about sustainable mobility and a call for mentoring that will be launched mid-October (you can find the details here)

Did you miss this session last 28th September? Check the video-recording here and download the speaker’s presentations. 

To know more, please contact us. 

Pour lire les informations en version française, cliquez ici.

(*) Barcelona, Larnaca, Irbid, Eskisehir, Mahdia, Bizerte, Sousse, Sfax, Tunis, Nova Gorica, Al Zarqa