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Sustainable mobility

Mobility is undergoing a profound transformation: population growth, urbanisation and climate change are placing new demands on local transport planning. At the same time, new modes of transport and mobility also offer new opportunities for low-emission and demand-driven solutions.

If local authorities wish to fully leverage this potential in sustainable transport planning, it is not enough to simply look at the investment costs that are usually taken into account. This is because hidden costs play a decisive role in determining the actual cost-effectiveness of mobility measures.

Practical application

We have addressed these challenges in a practical dossier produced in collaboration with MCube Consulting. Here, policymakers will find an overview of the current state of transport planning in German municipalities, as well as an introduction to what is known as full-cost-based measure evaluation. This approach takes into account not only the traditional acquisition and implementation costs of measures, but also the at times invisible impacts of mobility on health, the environment and time.

In Landsberg am Lech, this methodology for sustainable mobility planning has already been implemented. The case study illustrates how savings for the local authority budget can be derived from this approach, which, given the tight budgetary situation in German cities and municipalities, is an additional benefit of data-driven transport planning.

Potential for local governments

“Progress is being made in shaping a sustainable mobility transition in German local authorities, as our data shows. However, without updating their transport development plans, towns and cities will fall short of their potential. Yet there is also a very encouraging message here: those who establish a robust data foundation can unlock an incredible amount of potential for sustainable mobility,” explains Associate Partner Dr Lucía Wright.

The dossier culminates in concrete guidelines designed to support local authorities in implementing data-driven transport development planning for sustainable mobility themselves.