Sustainable Island Mobility Plan Guidelines – How to prepare a SIMP for a small or a medium-sized Greek island

CIVINET Greece-Cyprus, in collaboration with the University of the Aegean, has published a comprehensive urban mobility guide tailored for the unique needs of Greek islands, titled “Sustainable Island Mobility Plan: How to prepare a SIMP for a small or medium-sized Greek island”. 

Funded by the European CIVITAS ELEVATE and CIVITAS MUSE projects, under the Horizon Europe programme, this document provides recommendations on the steps needed to prepare a successful Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (SUMP) that is specifically adapted for small to medium-sized Greek islands. This island-specific SUMP is called a Sustainable Island Mobility Plan (SIMP). The different terminology highlights the importance of a tailored approach to address the distinct characteristics and challenges of mobility planning in island environments.

The guide begins by explaining why the default SUMP process must be adapted and specialised for the island context. A key distinction driving the need for a SIMP is that a typical small or medium-sized Greek island has no urban area however, yet their season populations often reach urban sizes. These urban-sized island populations usually lack urban infrastructure and mobility services, making a standard SUMP unsuitable. Therefore, a customised approach is required to address the unique needs of both the winter and tourist seasons.

The document elaborates on the distinctive characteristics of Greek islands, addressing their unique geography, population, demographics, economy, infrastructure and transport patterns. It offers detailed recommendations on what local authorities and planners should consider when developing a SIMP, taking these differences into account. The recommendations are divided into four key phases, namely: 

1. Preparation and analysis: In this phase, working structures should be set up, a planning framework confirmed, and the current mobility situation analysed. 
2. Strategy development: In this phase, targets, indicators, and future scenarios should be determined.  
3. Measure planning: In this phase, for successful SIMP implementation, financial plans should be developed, actions and responsibilities agreed upon, and monitoring measures selected.  
4. SIMP implementation: At this stage, the SIMP is ready to be implemented. 

Finally, the guide includes valuable case studies and best practice examples of sustainable mobility initiatives implemented on Greek islands.  

Follow this link to access the SIMP guide.