Eight Dutch municipalities to develop and implement a Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan together

Using a collaborative approach, they have attempted to tackle mobility challenges in a polycentric region that features urban and rural centres

The Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (SUMP) developpted by eight municipalities (Beesel, Bergen, Gennep, Horst aan de Maas, Mook en Middelaar, Peel en Maas, Venlo and Venray) in the region of North Limburg in The Netherlands has been produced both as a plan and as a set of processes that cross administrative boundaries. Using a collaborative approach, they have attempted to tackle mobility challenges in a polycentric region that features urban and rural centres. It fills a gap in mobility planning at the local, municipal level and the higher administrative levels of the province and central government.

A key element of the process has been the development of a common ground and vision for the future by representatives of all relevant mobility stakeholders. The region is car dependent with an ageing and declining population. Car use is high (among the highest in the country) and is increasing. So there is an urgent need to provide cleaner, more sustainable alternatives that are accessible to all. The involvement of each of the eight municipalities is voluntary.

The SUMP focuses on the achievement of 25 specific objectives in five main areas:

• improving the quality of life;
• improving traffic safety;
• creating an attractive mobility system;
• reducing the environmental impact of transport and supporting the energy transition  to secure sustainable energy supply and management
• improving spatial and economic accessibility.

Source: eltis.org