The Urban Transports has recently confirmed the selection of 8 replicator entities that will benefit from a unique opportunity to learn from pioneer’s experience in the field of Sustainable Urban Mobility.

As part of the capitalisation and transferring activities of the Urban Transports, a mentoring program is now being launched to support Mediterranean cities in the design and adaptation of innovative solutions in the field of sustainable urban mobility. MedCities, as a lead partner, was highly engaged in the selection of innovative, effective and replicable solutions to showcase them on the MedUrbanTools portal.

Between March and December 2021, 8 replicators (public or private entities selected through a public call from across the Mediterranean area) will benefit from the support of a targeted external expertise and exchange knowledge with an experienced Mediterranean city, the Pioneers, on the lessons learnt and replicable features of the latter’s experience.

MedCities will coordinate the mentoring activities of Irbid Greater Municipality and Castelló de la Plana, the latter supported by Planifica, a local cooperative specialised in urban planning and mobility. Do you want to discover what brought these two candidates through the final selection? Read below:

One of MedCities new member, the Greater Irbid Municipality (912.000 inhabitants in 2017) is located close to the Syrian and Palestinian borders, being an important transportation and business hub in the region and at national scale. The city faces very important challenges related to traffic congestion and is committed to promote sustainable mobility to increase the city’s liveability and fight climate change. The city council will beneffit of the mentoring to push forward the redesign of a road axis that concentrates most of the traffic in the area and has great potential for socio economic development. For this, the city will learn and get inspired from the pioneer experience of «Participatory planning to redesign a central axis in Thessaloniki»  implemented by the Major Development Agency Thessaloniki S.A. (MDAT) and the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH).

MedCities will also accompany the city of Castelló de la Plana which is a 200.000 inhabitants city located at the centre of the Mediterranean coastline in Spain. The city has recently approved its SUMP and is aiming at promoting alternative low carbon modes of transport adapted to the needs and demands of its population. Castelló de la Plana will participate in the mentoring through the support of Planifica, a cooperative of architects and engineers working since 2019 in the analysis of the modal split of the city. Together, they will seek inspiration from the pioneer experience of the New Traffic Information System of the Municipality of Koper, Slovenia.

The Urban Transports from Interreg Med Programme promotes sustainable urban mobility planning in the Euro-Mediterranean region as an effective tool to reduce carbon emissions and improve the quality of life of the population and the environment.

MedCities is the lead partner of the Urban Transports Community Interreg MED Project, launched in November 2016 and renewed in October 2019 until June 2022.