Overview
Cities are facing growing mobility challenges due to the strong dependence on cars. Motorised traffic is recognisably a major source of air and noise pollution in cities. In the EU, urban mobility accounts for 40% of CO2 emissions and up to 70% of other pollutants. The sustainable mobility concept is focused in shifting this pattern towards non-motorised or more sustainable forms of mobility. Walking is a soft and active mode strictly related with sustainable mobility as it reduces traffic congestion and pollution and has positive impacts on health. SPN is a project focused on improving walkability in cities. SPN intends to provide a model to help European cities to improve walkability as one of the important dimensions of smart, sustainable and inclusive development.
Smart Pedestrian Net has three main goals:
- Assess the conditions provided to pedestrians;
- Estimate the cost and benefits of promoting walkability; and
- Develop a navigation system, by combining specific criteria with pedestrian preferences.
The project will be tested in the cities of Porto and Bologna with the aim of guiding urban andtransportation policies. The overall goal is to provide a model to help European cities to be people-oriented by improving walkability as one of the important dimensions of smart sustainable and inclusive cities.
The methodology is as follows:
- A GIS multi-criteria and space syntax analysis to assess the urban conditions and street connectivity
- Multi-actor participatory approach with stakeholders, surveys and workshops
- Real time data in the navigation system and a website to publish findings