Hello,
Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans is a concept that is gaining more importance day by day and that we hear frequently. These applications, which emerged in the arrangement of European cities, have started in our country today and are expected to increase rapidly in the future.
In this article, we wanted to convey to you in a simple and understandable language what SUMP applications mean and what benefits they bring to cities.
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What is the SUMP?
SUMP is a strategic plan to meet the mobility needs of people and their businesses in and around cities with the aim of providing a better quality of life.
Sustainable Urban Mobility Planning is Europe's de facto urban transport planning concept. These concepts have started to be seen in our country today as well. İzmir SUMP, which we shared with you in the past days and that we will be a part of, is one of them. İzmir SUMP has become the first city to prepare SUMP in Turkey with the IPA II Technical Assistance Project. In the future, SUMP applications are expected to increase rapidly in our country. (Source: İzmir SUMP Plan)
SUMP practices are based on principles such as active participation of citizens, high level of cooperation between institutions, integrated development of all modes of transport, monitoring and evaluation. The main purpose of SUMPs is to increase accessibility and quality of life by enabling the transition to sustainable mobility.
What Are the Benefits of SUMP's to Cities?
With SUMP, it is possible to reduce the use of individual automobiles, increase bicycle-pedestrian access, develop shared micro-mobility opportunities, and create a human-centered city center rather than a vehicle. These gains bring with them various benefits.
Today, air pollution is a problem that needs to be taken care of because it causes climate change and is among the causes of premature death. In the measurements made in the low emission zones determined in the regions where the SUMP projects have started to be implemented in Europe, it has been observed that a 15% reduction in nitrogen dioxide pollution has been achieved.
Taking measures within the scope of increasing road safety with SUMP and making projects more accessible by supporting active forms of transportation such as the use of bicycles bring gains in terms of human health.
With sustainable mobility precautions, sensitive road users such as pedestrians can be protected, especially on urban roads. Integrated policies such as improved bike lanes, wider sidewalks and speed limits increase the road safety of cities. As a result, safer journeys and the opportunity to benefit from more active modes of transportation occur.
With SUMPs, it becomes possible to reach the desired points with fewer vehicles and much easier. With the arrangements made within the scope of the project, citizens can more easily access multiple mobility services such as public transportation and receive high levels of service. As a result of the improvements made with the SUMP applications that started in Milan in 2016, it has been observed that the citizens driving in the city are 50% less than in Italy in general.(Source: Eltis)
In summary, Sustainable Urban Mobility Projects increase urban accessibility and contribute to a higher quality of life by making the streets safer for all. With different forms of mobility, the city becomes more popular. This strengthens tourism and encourages international investments. SUMPs contribute to social equity by raising standards for all.