REFOCUS project to advance Sustainable Urban Mobility Planning (SUMP) across Europe

The REFOCUS Project, funded by Interreg Europe, has officially launched, bringing together ten partners to improve sustainable urban mobility through data-driven and inclusive approaches. Spanning from 2024 to 2028, with a budget of EUR 1.83 million, the project focuses on enhancing sustainable urban mobility plans (SUMPs) by supporting local and regional governments in applying decision support tool (DST) approaches for zero-carbon mobility planning.

The project involves partners from six EU countries and one EU candidate country, each contributing unique insights and policy frameworks. These include Stockholm’s climate action plan, the Region of Central Macedonia’s 2021–2027 regional programme, and Lviv’s municipal city institute. Additional partners include cities like Vilnius, Poznan, and Sint-Niklaas, along with Italy’s Istituto sui Trasporti e la Logistica (ITL) from Emilia-Romagna, collectively representing a diverse mix of experiences in urban mobility challenges and solutions. The REFOCUS consortium is coordinated by the Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH), with POLIS Network serving as an advisory partner.

REFOCUS’s DST approaches aim to bolster data-driven and inclusive methodologies in mobility decision-making. Over its four-year span, the project will hold a range of events, including seven study visits, five public webinars, and a final high-level conference in Brussels. Each partner region will also host stakeholder consultations and a consensus-building conference in 2027 to strengthen local capacities.

By promoting inclusive decision-making, data-driven analysis, and continuous policy evaluation, REFOCUS seeks to enhance the effectiveness of sustainable urban mobility policies across diverse urban contexts. This initiative aligns with the EU’s broader target of achieving net-zero emissions in transport by 2050 and offers a collaborative approach to accelerating local and regional progress toward climate goals.

Author: Dearbhla Mullin

Views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) and do not reflect those of the European Commission.