Are we all on board? As our cities and regions strive to achieve decarbonised, decongested, safer and smarter transport services, the term: ‘Just Transition’ is on everybody’s lips.
What does this really mean, and how do we achieve it?
Urban mobility has to change substantively, to become cleaner and more resilient- this is no secret. However, affordability, safety, and inclusivity must be at the heart of this transition.
Cities, national decision-makers and international institutions must double down on their commitment to ensuring Europe’s sustainable mobility transition works for all — regardless of age, gender, sexuality, race, physical abilities or socio-economic status.
Across the last year, we have seen inspiring progress. From London’s OUTbound, a staff network group for the LGBTQIA+ community, to Amsterdam’s accessibility mapping, to Madrid’s efforts to boost women’s employment in the sector cities have been placing inclusion, diversity and accessibility front and centre.
However, there is a long road (train track and bike lane) yet to travel.
It is in this context, that POLIS have launched a Just Transition webinar series. Across several online events in February and March 2023, the series will traverse the multifaceted ways affordability, gender-related mobility patterns, age, cognitive capacities (and more), can guide the future of our cities and regions.
A truly Just Transition is one which addresses imbalance and unfairness across the entire mobility spectrum.
Thus, each webinar will launch an examination into mobility justice from a specific perspective, in accordance with POLIS’ different working groups.
From freight to parking, traffic efficiency to active travel, electromobility to safety — and everything in between — we begin to discuss how each sector has its part to play, the challenges ahead, and how cities and regions are treading new ground.
Webinars include:
- Why do people need cars? Car dependency and city’s policy response (07 February)
- Fostering active travel for people with disabilities (14 February)
- Addressing urban-rural transport divisions (21 February)
- Gender mainstreaming: lessons from smaller cities (28 February)
- Reallocation of Space, Time, and Danger (9 March)
- Challenges for the urban freight labour market (14 March)
- Making EV charging a reality for people with disabilities (21 March)
- Towards digitalisation in transport, no one left behind (28 March)
Find out more here: Registrations now open for the Just Transition Webinar series! - POLIS Network
Photo Credit: Alessia Giorgiutti & Laura Babio