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‚Sharing the path‘ is the motto of the SUMP-PLUS Mobility Forum (a participatory tool enabling several institutions to seek a common goal), which the City of Lucca (Italy) is hosting on a regular basis. Through the Forum, Lucca’s mission is to integrate the planning and implementation of both sustainable logistics and mobility in the historic walled town in north-west Tuscany and beyond, by creating a region-wide Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (SUMP). The first two Forums, which took place on 19 February and 2 August 2021, brought together mobility and public transport representatives from the City of Lucca and the municipalities of the region (Porcari, Altopascio, Capannori and Montecarlo) together with the Province of Lucca (the intermediary body between the municipalities and the Tuscany Region)  and technical partners from SUMP-PLUS, including SciencesPo, Memex and EIP.

When we think of sustainable urban mobility, we usually focus on how people travel around - and to and from - their city in the most efficient and least carbon-consuming way. However, one of the biggest challenges, which is often overlooked, is how to transport not only people, but also goods – of all shapes and sizes – to and around city centres, and beyond. And since all forms of transport of people and goods compete for space on the same roads and paths, it makes sense for the respective planning authorities to work together to find solutions for all.

The aim within SUMP-PLUS is to ensure that mobility and logistics planning and implementation go hand-in-hand - ‚sharing the path‘. As highlighted by Lucca’s Councillor for Mobility, Gabriele Bove, “Thanks to the SUMP-PLUS engagement tool and Mobility Forum, we have been able to not only reconnect local relations, but also make the first steps on the path towards a SUMP connecting the whole province.”  The drafting process for the region-wide SUMP is due to begin in September 2021.

The Mobility Forum, is just one of various initiatives that Lucca is pursuing via SUMP-PLUS. Other activities include: a logistics roundtable, which brings together the main logistics stakeholders, who report on logistics challenges they face and propose solutions; and a public survey enabling citizens to give their input on logistics and mobility that impact their daily lives – available online until September 2021.

For more on the Lucca City Lab click here.