For the past six years, the SUMP Guidelines have acted as the main reference document for urban transport and mobility practitioners and other stakeholders involved in the development and implementation of Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs).
Whilst they continue to be used extensively, extensive guidance materials and new mobility trends and concepts have emerged and a wealth of practical SUMP experience has been acquired since the Guidelines' launch in 2013. It is now time to update the core document.That is where the SUMP 2.0 process comes in. Through extensive consultation with Europe's SUMP stakeholders, a revised version of the Guidelines will be created that will reflect these new realities and advance SUMP development within and beyond Europe.With over 1,000 SUMPs now adopted across Europe, the revision is critical to maintain the growing momentum behind them. This considerable undertaking is being led by a special Editorial Board, which includes DG MOVE, the CIVITAS SUMP projects, Eltis, INEA, JASPERS, and leading mobility academics.SUMP 2.0 was kicked off by Maja Bakran, Deputy Director-General of DG MOVE at the opening of the 5th European Conference on Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs) in Nicosia, Cyprus.The story so farDiscussions began immediately. An interactive workshop saw eight groups of SUMP experts and practitioners debating what worked well in the Guidelines, what did not, and further improvements they would like to see. A conference survey and focus group discussions provided further opportunities for gathering feedback . In a similar vein, over 50 key figures from across Europe’s SUMP community gathered for “SUMP 2.0: Reshaping the EU Sustainable Urban Mobility Planning Guidelines”. This featured a panel discussion between Matthew Baldwin, Deputy Director-General for DG MOVE, and three cities – Maia (Portugal), Tampere (Finland), and Oradea (Romania) – each of which have experience of using the Guidelines. Following this, participants gathered to consider different challenges and their wishes for the updated document.From these and a multitude of other contributions, a picture has emerged of what shape the EU SUMP Guidelines should take.What does the SUMP community say?The importance of including a larger number of good practices examples has been repeatedly highlighted. Practitioners have also requested greater support for key aspects and process steps of the SUMP process, particularly those focusing on measure selection and implementation. Considering the diversity of cities throughout Europe, a deeper consideration of the SUMP concept's transferability into different planning contexts is recommended. The Guidelines should also provide a more detailed explanation on how pilots can be be utilised to gain buy-in for projects, which in time can serve as the basis for mobility policies.Figures from across the SUMP spectrum are also anxious for advice on how to generate support from various types of stakeholders, particularly politicians and citizens. As funding is a critical element across all topics of discussion, the need has been repeatedly expressed for more information about possible funding sources and cost comparisons between different measures. Moreover, to ensure that the Guidelines reach the largest possible audience and places where they will have the most impact, the document should be translated into several languages.The next steps in SUMP 2.0All this vital feedback is informing and inspiring the Editorial Board as they move forward with the initial draft of the updated Guidelines. This is set to be presented at the 2019 SUMP Conference in Groningen on 17-18 June 2019. Watch Matthew Baldwin discussing SUMP 2.0 in this <link https: youtu.be external-link-new-window external link in new>video.For more information on the upcoming SUMP Conference, click here.+49 221 6060 55 14
