Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans in Spain. Assessment of walking promotion and its impact in the quality of public space

Abstract

In recent years, several Spanish cities have taken action against the growth of individualmotorized displacements, promoting active and socially equitable modes of transportation. Theyare contributing to a new mobility’s culture in which walking should have a leading role.However, this change depends on complex socio-economic issues and requires planning. Forthat, according to European guidelines, the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (SUMP) is thesuitable instrument to address this challenge.The instrument arises in Spain in the middle of the last decade and nowadays the majority ofmediums cities have a SUMP. Nevertheless, we still do not know much about its effectiveness,especially about its impact over pedestrians. Therefore, with the aim to contribute to theknowledge about the SUMP experience in Spain, a doctoral thesis is being prepared for theUrban Planning Department at the Polytechnic University of Madrid. The study characterizesthe planning instrument in a mobility policies panorama and analyses in detail its relation withurban features and planning. The adoption of a mobility plan represents a political commitment,but its implementation is not always successful, as the instrument has little legal implications inSpain. That is why its coordination with urban plans is so important.There is a hypothesis that SUMPs address mainly traffic and public transport, compared withlittle attention to pedestrian and cycling promotion or the restriction of private cars use. Theanalysis’ methodologies and actions proposed still have traditional traffic and essentiallyinfrastructural approach, with not enough attention to urban aspects, other functions of publicspace beyond circulation or the social aspects related to the demand for mobility. Otherwise,the research revealed some good practices that should be shared and widespread betweenthose (technicians, students, politicians and activists) interested in sustainable mobility withwalking and cycling promotion and improvement of urban space qualit