The publication of this second edition of the European Guidelines for Developing and Implementing a Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (SUMP)[ref:1] marks an important milestone in the take-up of a new planning culture in Europe. This comprehensive revision of the widely-used first edition of 2013 aims to integrate the dynamic developments in many areas of urban mobility and some of the rich experience of implementing the concept of Sustainable Urban Mobility Planning since then.

Section 1 introduces the SUMP concept to readers who are not necessarily professional planners, but want to understand the principles and basic elements (see Chapter 1.1 - What is a Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan?). Decision-makers, in particular, may be interested to read the evidence about why Sustainable Urban Mobility Planning is beneficial for cities and their residents and what its long-term impacts have been in various European cities (see Chapter 1.2 - What are the benefits of Sustainable Urban Mobility Planning?).

In developing these Guidelines, every effort was made to produce guidance that is tailored to the practical needs of planners and policymakers all over Europe (see Chapter 1.3 - What are the main elements of Sustainable Urban Mobility Planning?). Nonetheless, it is an idealised concept for a policy field in which many demands and interests meet. Flexibility in adapting these guidelines to concrete urban realities is therefore essential to achieve progress towards more sustainable cities and urban areas. This is further discussed in Chapter 1.4 - How does Sustainable Urban Mobility Planning work in practice?

Cities are the level of government that is closest to the people, therefore the task to plan and provide mobility for its residents lies with them in most European countries. However, national and regional governments play an important role in creating frameworks that give cities legal competences, facilitate cooperation and provide financial support. Chapter 1.5 summarises how national and regional government levels can support the development of SUMPs.

Section 2 is a comprehensive step-by-step description of the SUMP process. Although its readers may primarily be planning practitioners and active participants of the planning process, it is written in a style that is also understandable for others. This section follows the structure of the new cycle of Sustainable Urban Mobility Planning: four phases, each with three steps and a total of 32 activities. Every phase and step is introduced with a brief overview. For all activities, readers are presented with a rationale, aims, detailed task descriptions, information about timing and coordination with other tasks, a checklist, as well as good practice examples and useful tools to get the work done. While it can also be read from cover to cover, most readers will use Section 2 as guidance throughout the planning process, whose respective chapters they can consult for inspiration whenever they enter a new planning step.

Several Annexes complete the Guidelines. Annex A offers a glossary of important terms to facilitate a common understanding across different languages and planning cultures. Annex B describes a planning checklist for the SUMP process. Annex C includes more detailed descriptions of all good practice examples. Annex D links to the compendium of complementary guides and briefings that are also based on the SUMP concept, but elaborate certain planning aspects in more detail, provide guidance for specific contexts or focus on important policy fields. Last but not least, Annex E presents the list of experts consulted for the development of this second edition of the SUMP Guidelines.