Projects / Programmes
Integration of Sustainable urban mobility plans and Municipal spatial plans with comprehensive approach to accessibility in spatial planning
| Code |
Science |
Field |
Subfield |
| 5.08.00 |
Social sciences |
Urbanism |
|
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| T260 |
Technological sciences |
Physical planning |
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| 5.07 |
Social Sciences |
Social and economic geography |
sustainable mobility, comprehensive transport planning, land use planning, sustainable urban mobility plans, spatial plan, integration, accessibility
Researchers (7)
Organisations (2)
Abstract
Sustainable urban mobility plans (SUMP) are in Slovenia a relatively new, integrated and long-term approach to transport and mobility planning. Their preparation has been promoted by the European Commission for more than 15 years while the first practical implementation in Slovenia took place more than 10 years ago. The biggest steps in this field were taken in 2016 when more than 60 municipal SUMPs were developed within the call of the Ministry of Infrastructure which was financed by the European cohesion fund.
SUMPs define the long-term development of all forms of mobility. Their preparation is based on key development projects from the municipal spatial plans (MSP). The latter have been used under different names in Slovenian land use planning practice for decades. MSP and SUMP are two key strategic documents for spatial (land use) and transport and mobility planning at local level and their content and processes overlap or complement in many aspects. Through the implementation of SUMPs in Slovenian planning practice it has become clear that it is necessary to ensure the mutual integration of both strategic approaches and documents. This means procedural as well as content integration and involves mutual adjustment of development processes and harmonization of goals, measures, indicators, implementation and results.
The proposed project addresses a complex process of integration in a pragmatic way:
• by reviewing experiences and good practices in other countries where SUMPs have been an established practice for a longer time,
• by analysing and evaluating existing practices and experiences in Slovenia,
• by working closely with representatives of relevant ministries, experts in municipalities and planning companies and institutions that deal regularly with both strategic approaches in practice and
• by checking the proposals for integration on pilot cases,
• by training stakeholders who will implement integration in practice.
The above steps will enable the identification of integrated procedures for the preparation and delimitation of the competence of both documents and the determination of their potential synergies . The proposed steps will be verified on national level with representatives of both relevant ministries, in the framework of pilot projects and with a method of planning simulation, where various tools and approaches for integration of the two strategic planning approaches will be discussed with planning experts and representatives of municipalities. Proposals for inclusion of these procedures in legislation or future planning practice will be developed as well. The results will be collected in the form of guidelines and presented to the wider professional public in the form of workshops.
However, the integration of both strategic approaches does not end with both strategic documents. The holistic approach to transport planning should also be integrated into more detailed spatial documents. Since in the past the spatial planning practice on a detailed scale focused primarily on motor vehicle traffic more appropriate approaches to comprehensively address all aspects of accessibility will be explored, verified and proposed covering other travel modes as well. The definition of ensuring accessibility with different travel modes at the location level with the instruments of spatial planning will contribute to better planning practice and therefore improve accessibility to existing sites as well as help the planners with placing new ones.
Significance for science
The innovative potential of the project is significant for the profession. Its main importance is a potentially significant impact on land use planning that generates demand for transport. The objectives of the project outweigh the results of previous projects, as the activities planned within the project will carry out both the transfer of existing and development of new procedures in the land use planning as well as in transport planning. They will allow for a more sustainable travel patterns and more equitable access to goods, jobs and services.
We are expecting to collect and evaluate significant additional information and to quantify the experience and effects of the preparation and implementation of the 60 new SUMPs developed in Slovenia that are relevant to the whole of Europe. Several European countries are currently developing programmes to promote SUMPs as one of the key tools for mobility planning in urban areas. Experiences gained by Slovenia in this field in recent years are therefore extremely important. In addition, there will be interesting approaches and experiences with the integration processes of SUMPs and municipal spatial plans.
The project will also try to encourage more efficient use of existing tools for spatial planning. We will try to highlight and offer solutions to the challenges of ensuring the implementation of the basic principles of spatial planning, written in all key EU and national spatial documents and legislation in this field as well as in strategic parts of the municipal spatial plans. These principles (for example, commitments to sustainable development, rational use of space, etc.), although clearly documented in all key documents for more than a decade, are often ignored in the implementation parts of the spatial plans and in detailed spatial plans.
Significance for the country
The project will contribute to addressing the challenges set out in the European Commission’s Communication nr. 490 from 2009 entitled “The Urban Mobility Action Plan” which recognizes that since 85% of EU’s GDP is created in cities, they need efficient transport systems to be able to develop economically and enable their people to prosper.
With the changes in the approach of placing new development areas and improving the accessibility of existing major traffic generators, the efficiency of these areas will be increased. This will enable multi-level savings. At the level of an individual, users will have easier, cheaper and more effective access to sites. At company level, savings in logistics and other services will be ensured, thus ensuring better business performance. At the level of municipalities or towns, savings will be provided through investment reductions in construction and maintenance of new transport infrastructure and better utilization of existing ones.
Most important scientific results
Annual report
2018,
final report
Most important socioeconomically and culturally relevant results
Annual report
2018,
final report
