These guidelines are aimed at practitioners in urban transport and mobility, as well as other stakeholders who are involved in the development and implementation of a Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan. The guidelines describe the process of preparing and implementing a SUMP. This process consists of 4 Phases with 12 main Steps that are further broken down into 32 Activities. All four phases of the cycle start and end with a milestone. The milestones are linked to a decision or an outcome needed for the next phase, and each marks the completion of the previous phase. Each step, along with the associated activities, is presented in detail in this guidance document, including information about:

• The rationale behind the activity, issues to be addressed, and questions to which responses are needed;

• Specific aims of the activity to be performed;

• Main tasks to be completed within the activity;

• Activities beyond the essential requirements, for cities and regions that have the ambition (and resources) to go beyond the basic tasks;

• Requirements for timing and coordination with other activities; as well as

• A checklist of the steps to be taken.

It needs to be stressed that the order of the activities is logical rather than sequential [ref:46]. In practice, activities may run partially in parallel or include feedback loops. The section on timing and coordination for each activity highlights crucial aspects in this regard. The following page provides a graphic overview of the planning cycle, which is then followed by a detailed description of all steps and activities for developing and implementing a SUMP. The guidelines include good practice examples, glossary definitions, tools and references to support users in the development and implementation of a Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan.

Good practice examples are taken from SUMPs across Europe. Some may not necessarily fulfil all requirements, but they are useful to illustrate activities that are part of the process of developing and implementing a Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan. The aim is to provide a portfolio of examples from different European regions to show that good planning approaches are possible in different contexts. Many of the examples also illustrate forward-thinking planning activities.

Additional examples can be found at www.eltis.org.

The SUMP cycle

The SUMP cycle consists of four phases with twelve main steps that are further broken down into 32 activities. All four phases of the cycle start and end with a milestone. The milestones are linked to a decision or an outcome needed for the next phase and mark the completion of the previous phase. All steps and activities should be taken as part of a regular planning cycle in the sense of a continuous improvement process.

Figure 9: The 12 Steps of Sustainable Urban Mobility Planning (2nd Edition) – A planner’s overview