Del gris al verde: hacia un cambio de paradigma en la movilidad urbana

CIDOB Opinion 690 highlights the necessity of a structural change in our productive, environmental, and social models following the COVID-19 crisis. The recovery from the pandemic is not only aimed at reviving the economy but also transforming the existing structures to prevent collapse. The recovery should focus on three pillars: social cohesion, environmental sustainability, and a shift in the productive model.

The Next Generation EU package and the European Green Deal align with this transformative approach. Key elements for transformation include redefining the model of mobility, addressing the challenges related to emissions, technological impacts on production and consumption, and citizens' willingness to reclaim public space.

In this context, cities have started to rethink urban organization and design a new mobility model that contributes to making cities more comfortable, liveable, and environmentally healthier and sustainable. The 15-minute city model, which aims for a polycentric city where residents can reach all their needs within 15 minutes by walking or biking, exemplifies this shift.

The article emphasizes that for cities to meet the new climate objectives set by the European Union (reducing emissions by 55% by 2030), these measures need to be integrated into long-term urban mobility planning. Public-private cooperation, flexibility, energy transition, innovation, and social impact will be crucial for structuring the new sustainable mobility.

For the Union's goal of achieving climate neutrality by 2050, requiring a 90% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions related to transportation, cities play a critical role in achieving ambitious emission reduction targets. Municipal governments and other city actors promote the transition towards sustainable mobility.

During the pandemic, creating safe and socially distanced transport became a key driver for mobility transitions in many European cities. Urban tactical measures, such as new bike lanes, pedestrian areas, and reduced traffic zones, were implemented rapidly. The challenge now is to integrate these measures into long-term urban mobility planning to meet the EU's intermediate climate target of reducing emissions by at least 55% by 2030.

Two main fronts are being addressed in European cities to create sustainable long-term mobility systems: urban experimentation and innovation, and establishing a new public-private relational framework. Cities are working on physical changes to the urban fabric and how people and vehicles move through it to reduce air pollution and congestion.

Measures like creating traffic-reducing zones, implementing low-emission zones, and congestion charges have been implemented in several European cities. These have proven effective in reducing pollution but only congestion charges have also managed to reduce congestion.

The transition to sustainable urban mobility goes beyond interventions in the urban fabric; technological revolution is essential to establish new forms of production, consumption, and mobility structuring. During the pandemic, there was a significant decrease in the need for physical presence in production and consumption tasks, leading to reduced mobility and emissions. This period offers valuable lessons for designing a demand-based transport model for decongestion and efficiency.

Several European cities are working on establishing a new public-private relational framework to create the architecture of future mobility. The traditional elements of this relationship seem outdated in the new era. New needs, prioritizing collective over individual transport and new operators like mobility cooperatives or platform companies with new technologies, require a paradigm shift. The administration cannot lag behind in this new reality.

The sustainability and social inclusion must be sources of transformation if businesses do not adopt them in their production function. Labor implications and corporate justice should also be part of the equation. Here, cooperatives and social economy enterprises have an opportunity they should not miss. The management must not envision operations without impact. Social innovation plays a key role in developing tools and structuring mobility itself. The proposal must go beyond proposing sustainable modes of transport and must be negotiated with the administration's proposed mobility model. Establishing commitments that allow synergy and alliances will also be necessary. Proactive, open, and innovative administrations seeking the operator as an effective ally for transformation should aim for flexibility, energy transition, and social impact as key requirements.

Spain has received approximately 70 billion euros from the European recovery funds, with more than 30% allocated to the mobility industry, construction, and public administration. This presents an opportunity for the public-private partnership to leverage these resources to achieve fully integrated sustainable urban mobility in the new world we aspire to build.