Rationale

A principal shortcoming of urban transport planning today is the lack of coordination between other policies and organisations, aside from the integration of transport modes. Addressing this deficit represents a major challenge (e.g. coordination with land-use planning, environmental protection, social inclusion, gender equity, economic development, safety, health, education, information technologies, energy, housing) for Sustainable Urban Mobility Planning, but is also the main source for innovation and improvement.

Linking up with other planning processes and coordinating goals and objectives strengthens your Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan - as well as the plans you link up with.

Aims

• Mainstream awareness of the interactions between changes in urban structures (density, functions, socio-economic patterns, ecosystems) and mobility in relevant municipal departments and authorities.

• Define how Sustainable Urban Mobility Planning and other policies at the local and regional level can be integrated.

• Strive for harmonisation of the timing of the SUMP with different technical and political decision-making processes (e.g. overall strategies, sectoral plans, elections).

• Establish planning of mobility and transport as a shared policy domain.

Tasks

• Identify local sectoral strategies for transport and mobility (e.g. strategies for different transport modes), as well as local plans from other policy domains that may have an impact on urban mobility (e.g. land use, energy, environment, economic development, social inclusion, health and safety). Also identify relevant plans of local transport operators, service providers and other municipalities in the planning area.

• Review whether the goals of the plans support or conflict with sustainable urban mobility objectives. For example, a land-use policy that makes use of brownfield land is supportive, while one that promotes urban sprawl is in conflict with the principles. Another conflict could be, for example, if a health improvement plan emphasises physical activity only through organised sport, as opposed to increased walking and cycling for everyday trips, or if an education policy encourages longer journeys to school.

• Identify coordination requirements across relevant policy domains. An example is the relation between land-use planning and transport. Transport impacts need to be considered in the land-use planning process to maximise the use of sustainable travel to new developments.

• Link to established regional corporations (e.g. a metropolitan organisation). This also includes long-distance transport corridors, such as the Trans- European Transport Networks – TEN-T.

• Consider specific requirements of strategic environmental impact assessment, SEA.

• Develop common actions in cooperation with actors from relevant policy fields. Strive for a modification of sectoral policies and practices and/or create new inter-departmental fields of activity.

• Ensure regular communication and exchange between relevant authorities (and within authorities, e.g. through regular meetings between transport and land-use planners). Consider including a land-use planner in your core team or steering group and give them a clear role in the planning process to create ownership.

• Strive to fully embed Sustainable Urban Mobility Planning into the development and implementation schedule of other existing policies and strategies

Activities beyond essential requirements

• Strive for integration with broader long-term strategies. Some cities and regions have a long-term local development strategy or vision with a perspective of 20-30 years. If such a strategy is available it can provide orientation for the SUMP for defining overarching aims.

Timing and coordination

• Start from the outset as a continuous activity. Initial review of coordination requirements and potential to be completed before defining the timeline (see Activity 2.3).

Checklist

✔ Relevant policy linkages identified (synergies and conflicts).
✔ Initial options for policy integration assessed.
✔ Dialogue established with concerned actors about integration possibilities.
✔ Initial prioritisation of integration options decided.

One example of linking different planning processes is the harmonisation of Sustainable Urban Mobility Planning with Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plans (SECAP). This addresses the need for bringing together strategic planning of sustainable mobility, climate adaptation and energy, and results in two harmonized plans with well-adapted implementation and monitoring phases. Detailed guidance can be found in the Guidelines for Harmonization of energy and Sustainable Urban Mobility Planning.