Universities are the engines of innovation and knowledge in Europe. As centres of learning, exchange and ideas, they can help drive the world towards a better, more sustainable future. The U-MOB LIFE project is harnessing the power of European universities to support the development of sustainable mobility in Europe.

Universities are also major commuting poles in many European cities. By improving the mobility patterns of universities, the transportation system of an entire city can benefit. To this end, the U-MOB LIFE project partners (including four universities in Rotterdam, Krakow, Bergamo and Barcelona) will gather best practices from universities across Europe. In addition to making university campuses more sustainable, there is a great potential to influence the travel habits and tendencies of students, which can have a big impact on the mobility practices of future generations.

To read the full article, visit the ACTION in the Spotlight page.

The European Commission has revealed the finalists of the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK Award 2016 and 5th Sustainable Urban Mobility Planning (SUMP) Award on urban freight. The winners of the two awards will be announced by Violeta Bulc, European Commissioner for Transport and by Daniel Calleja, Director General of DG Environment during an award ceremony to be held in Brussels on 20 March 2017.

The EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK Award

The finalists are Lisbon (Portugal), Malmö (Sweden) and Skopje (former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia). Lisbon scored well for making its public space available to pedestrians, while Malmö’s main focus was on bicycles as a sustainable means of transport. The jury also pointed out the car-pooling service in Skopje helping its residents save money and protect the environment.

The following cities were also shortlisted:

- Białystok (Poland)

- Kruševac (Serbia)

- Palma (Spain)

- Prague (Czech Republic)

- Samos (Greece)

- Sofia (Bulgaria)

- Valencia (Spain)

Shortlisted candidates display a long-term vision with strong communication and public involvement. They have an integrated approach and strategy for rewarding sustainable transport behaviour by the general public. The EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK Award aims to showcase local authorities that demonstrate significant efforts in promoting sustainable urban mobility. The 15th edition of EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK took place from 16 to 22 September 2016 and a total of 2,427 towns and cities – the highest participation rate ever – organised activities in line with the campaign's annual theme: ‘Smart and sustainable mobility – an investment for Europe’ under the call-to-action ‘Smart mobility. Strong economy.’

An independent panel of mobility and transport experts has shortlisted 10 candidates and selected 3 finalists out of a total of 63 applications from 23 different countries.

The Sustainable Urban Mobility Planning Award

The Sustainable Urban Mobility Planning Award (SUMP) aims to reward local authorities that have succeeded in developing a mobility plan addressing the diverse transport needs of people and businesses and, at the same time, improving quality of life. The 5th SUMP Award on urban freight focuses on integrating the movements of goods and services in sustainable urban mobility planning.

The jury appointed three cities as finalists of the 5th SUMP Award on urban freight. These cities captured the attention of the jury: Brussels (Belgium) impressed the jury with its innovative logistics schemes; Budapest (Hungary) stood out for successfully integrating freight transport within the overall mobility strategy; and Stockholm (Sweden) was appreciated for its strategy stimulating the local economy while limiting the adverse impact of urban freight. The jury also acknowledged high quality applications from Berlin (Germany), Naples (Italy), Piatra Neamt (Romania) and Rotterdam (the Netherlands).

Last year, Murcia (Spain) received the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK Award for its success in terms of multimodality and intermodality of transport. Malmö (Sweden) won the 4th SUMP Award for its efforts in terms of multimodality and intermodality in sustainable urban mobility planning. Promotional videos of the two winners are available below.

Three new EU-funded mobility projects have launched a survey to help them understand cities’ needs and barriers when trying to develop Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs). A SUMP is a strategic plan that aims to create an urban transport system for all citizens that improves safety and security, reduces air and noise pollution, greenhouse gases and energy consumption, and boosts the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the transport of people and goods.

The three new CIVITAS projects – PROSPERITY, SUITS and SUMPs-Up - hope the survey will gather valuable insights to enable them to design training courses, tools and guidance to help cities develop high-quality SUMPs. City representatives that complete the survey before Tuesday 28 February 2017 will get priority for the projects’ training and support activities, and have a chance to win up to €600 towards travel and accommodation costs for the 4th European Conference on Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans in Dubrovnik (Croatia).

‘This survey will gather crucial details on what’s holding back or driving forward urban mobility planning in cities across Europe. It will enable our experts to create high-quality products and services that local authorities can use to develop SUMPs,’ said Cristina Garzillo, the SUMPs-Up project co-ordinator.

To take part in the survey, click here.