Harnessing and understanding the impacts of changes in urban mobility on policy making by city-led innovation for sustainable urban mobility

Topic Description

Urban mobility is in transition. This is a result of, for example, changing user needs; emerging transport technologies; new transport services using new business models; and new institutional and financing structures. Greater data availability provides new opportunities for evidence-based policy and policymakers aim at an ever-increasing integration of urban mobility policy with other sectorial policies. The impacts of this change will go far beyond the transport sector and influence other sectors that are transport-reliant.

The policy impacts, individually and in combination, of new solutions, which are at different levels of maturity, are not clear yet. There are many open questions about how policymakers should react and how Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs), and other sectorial policies that affect urban mobility, should respond and adapt to these potential disruptive changes. Therefore, research is necessary to improve the understanding of the impacts of new urban mobility solutions on policy making.

This topic covers passenger transport and freight transport. It covers urban and peri-urban areas. Special attention should be paid to the needs of vulnerable groups and users with different cultural backgrounds taking into account gender issues; and to the specific context of areas that are undergoing rapid economic change.

This topic will be implemented through two sub-topics with different types of actions: Proposals should address one of the two.

A) Research and innovation actions: This sub-topic asks to examine the impacts of new mobility solutions, addressing the changing mobility patterns and set up of mobility services, including possible negative effects, and covers all relevant transport modes (including active modes) and vehicle types. City-led proposals should address one or more of the following aspects:

• investments in and management of the transport network, with attention for facilities for recharging; transport system resilience; and transport demand management tools (such as pricing; low emission zones; parking management; one way traffic);
• the specific challenges in areas undergoing rapid economic change, for example in institutional setup; policy coherence; policymakers mind-set; outdated or incomplete legislation/methodologies; and data/statistics;
• new operating and business models in collective public and private transport;
• pathways to tackling congestion and reducing levels of car use through decoupling economic growth and high mobility from traffic growth;
• implications for and interaction with urban planning and design including inputs for developing SUMPs.

Proposals should incorporate new data-driven planning approaches.

The actions will also deliver at least three validated test cases (small pilot projects with quantified objectives in which public stakeholders and economic actors participate) that take into account different political and socio-economic contexts. The active participation of a small number of representatives from authorities of small and medium-sized cities in proposals should be ensured.

B) Coordination and support actions: This sub-topic addresses the facilitation of knowledge exploitation and support to the cooperation between projects and stakeholders involved in the projects under the first sub-topic, and from across CIVITAS 2020. This Coordination and Support Action should also consolidate the common ‘CIVITAS Process and Impact Evaluation Framework’ and ensure the continuity of a ‘CIVITAS Secretariat’ as well as financing of CIVINets.

Proposals should present innovative approaches for all of the following needs:

- local capacity building and training in deploying innovative mobility solutions;

- networking cities and engaging with stakeholders working at the local level, overcoming language and contextual barriers;

- reinforcing the involvement of the CIVITAS cities from different CIVITAS-Phases in the CIVITAS network;

- partnering with industry and civil society in navigating through transition and change;

- implementing a communication and dissemination strategy with high impact actions.

In order to maximise impacts, and in the context of CIVITAS 2020, all projects funded under this topic and other relevant topics (for example dealing with SUMPs) shall work together and exchange information and practical experiences

In line with the Union’s strategy for international cooperation in research and innovation^[1] international cooperation is encouraged, especially with the USA, China and India

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 2 to 4 million each for Research and Innovation actions, and of up to EUR 3 million for the Coordination and Support Action, could address this specific challenge appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Proposals addressing sub-topic A) above, will produce new, practice-based knowledge on how to navigate urban mobility policy through transition taking into account legacy systems and the need to integrate new solutions that are at different levels of maturity. They will provide added-value inputs and contribute to evidence-based policy making at local, regional, national and EU levels. Proposals should demonstrate how their work will support effectively mobility policies in the cities' efforts to follow a viable transformation path towards sustainable mobility.

The results of the actions will feed into future EU initiatives, for example on Sustainable Urban Mobility Planning (SUMPs); cooperative-ITS; travel and traffic information; low-emission logistics; and future infrastructure networks, including links to the TEN-T and can help improve Air Quality Plans.

Proposals addressing sub-topic B) will help to promote the take up of innovation that leads to more effective and efficient transition of urban mobility systems by strengthening the mechanisms for urban mobility policy making and planning. A ‘CIVITAS Secretariat’ will be continued. Capacity building; engaging; partnering; and communication and dissemination actions will aim at a maximum impacts and reach of target audiences.

This results in a developing knowledge-base, technical capacity, harmonised evaluation activities, and support for up-scaling and knowledge transfer which is available to cities and other interested parties. Clear commitments and contribution from the action's participants to Europe-wide take up are expected. The Coordination and Support Action must ensure both continuation of CIVITAS support activities and also support for future CIVITAS-type actions.

Gender
Socio-economic science and humanities
RRI

[1]COM(2012)497