T-SUM: Transitions to Sustainable Urban Mobility

Duration: 09/18 – 02/21

While economic growth in the Global North has historically been accompanied by an increase in private car use, many cities are now taking steps to develop alternative models to car-oriented development to reduce the burden of pollution, congestion and sprawl they face (among other negative externalities). Rapidly growing cities in the Global South have an opportunity to establish innovative solutions for achieving sustainable and inclusive mobility and land use patterns.

T-SUM (Transitions to Sustainable Urban Mobility) is an interdisciplinary and cross-sector collaborative initiative that aims to identify the conditions under which sustainable and inclusive transport and land use development can be accelerated in growing cities in the Global South. This project will initially focus on Maputo, Mozambique, and Freetown, Sierra Leone, as apposite examples of growing urban economies in Sub-Saharan Africa and other parts of the Global South. The project aims to:

– develop a conceptual framework based on alternative development trajectories for (un)sustainable urban transport, drawing on data from cities across the Global North and the Global South.
– assemble and co-produce evidence by interrogating urban transport and land use data in two rapidly developing cities in the region, Maputo and Freetown.
– initiate participative governance processes to foster new models of development based on a sustainable mobility trajectory, through evidence-based engagement with public and professional stakeholders across levels of governance and sectors.

The findings will benefit a variety of stakeholders, from local communities affected by planning decisions in their areas to international organisations seeking to promote more sustainable urban transit across the Global South. The research will provide a basis for city authorities to redirect their development strategies to more sustainable and inclusive mobility systems.

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Prof Peter Jones (Principal Investigator, WP1 Leader)
Dr Clemence Cavoli (Co-Investigator, Project Manager, WP3 Leader)
Dr Caren Levy (Co-Investigator, WP4 Leader)
Dr Daniel Oviedo (Co-Investigator, WP2 Leader)
Prof Joseph Macarthy (Co-Investigator)
Prof Antonio Matos (Co-Investigator)
Braima Koroma (Project Manager Freetown)
Joaquin Romero (Project Manager Maputo)

  • A conceptual framework to analyse the conditions under which sustainable transport and land use developments can be accelerated in growing cities to contribute to economic growth, equity and environmental sustainability; focusing on an analysis of spatial, socio-economic, environmental and cultural factors influencing mobilities in both cities.
  • Practice-learning database of best practice examples in sustainable urban mobility in cities across the Global South and the Global North. It draws on relevant findings from EU projects and projects across the Global South.
  • A baseline analysis of historical evolution and contemporary processes of Maputo and Freetown, their current urban structure, impact of previous policy and planning and current mobility and land-use patterns; policy goals and future plans; relevant demographics and economic data, and cross-sectorial data relevant to mobility (e.g. health).
  • The design of innovative participatory methods to transform urban governance linked with mobility and land use.
  • Spaces for evidence-based dialogues and capacity building with stakeholders at different levels and sectors around the development of transport-led inclusive and sustainable urban development policies. The project will formulate recommendations and produce a policy action plan in collaboration with policy-makers to accelerate sustainable urban transport and land-use development in Maputo and Freetown.