Across Europe, the migration of people out of the city centre to the suburbs is leading to increasingly dispersed settlement structures with low population densities and long travel distances. This phenomenon of urban sprawl comes hand in hand with an increase in car ownership and commuter traffic. Today, most European local authorities are confronted with significant and increasing problems of traffic congestion and pollution. Transport is also a major challenge for climate protection. It is currently responsible for around 24% of the world’s climate change, and by 2010, transport will be the largest single contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. The 1999 LIFE project ‘In Town Without My Car!’ day, was a response to this critical situation. The project got over 400 cities in all the 15 Member States plus candidate countries to support the first car-free day in Europe (22 September). Initiated in France in 1998, and now spreading across Europe, this approach consists of activities to raise public awareness, with a view to influencing behavioural patterns towards improved urban mobility and greater environmental protection. The success of this project led to the launch of a second LIFE project, the ‘European Mobility Week’. From 16 – 22 April 2002, a wide range of initiatives tackling different aspects of urban mobility were carried out in 320 cities from 21 countries, in partnership with local associations, NGOs and businesses. The French Agency for the Environment and Energy Management (ADEME), the beneficiary of the two former LIFE projects, decided that the next step to maximise the campaign’s success would be to evaluate the initiatives implemented in the different participating cities, and to develop a compendium of best practices, recommendations and model cities.