Inclusive and climate resilient multimodal passenger hubs enhancing modal shift towards sustainable transport and shared mobility

Expected Outcome:

Project results are expected to contribute to all the following outcomes:

• Contribute to the objectives of the Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities Mission by accelerating the transition towards climate neutrality targets in cities and reducing greenhouse gas and air pollutants emissions from transport due to the improved operation of the multimodal hubs.
• Reduce road congestion and improve air quality to protect health of citizens and urban biodiversity, by increasing shift towards sustainable and active modes of transport for city and intercity trips.
• Contribute to the objectives of the TEN-T Regulation by enhancing the climate resilience of multimodal passenger hub infrastructures and services in response to both the long-term effects of climate change and extreme weather events
• Increase inclusivity, accessibility and improved experience for all passengers at multimodal hubs, by proposing mobility solutions that respond to the needs of transports users, irrespective of their age, gender, economic or social status, including equal access for persons with reduced mobility/disabilities.
• Provide guidance and best practices for national/regional/local authorities and urban transport authorities to improve the integration of walking, cycling, shared mobility and micro-mobility at and around in multimodal-hubs, and for identifying and deploying relevant monitoring and security measures related to climate impact on operations.

Scope:

This topic focuses on climate resilience of major multimodal passenger hubs’ infrastructures and services within and between cities as well as peri-urban and rural areas. At least three demonstrators per project are required. As defined in the revised TEN-T regulation^[1], ‘multimodal passenger hub’ means a connection point between at least two transport modes for passengers, where travel information, access to public transport and transfers between modes are ensured, such as park-and-ride stations, and which acts as an interface within and between urban nodes and between urban nodes and longer-distance transport networks.

Projects will complement the implementation of the above requirement for TEN-T urban nodes by demonstrating concrete solutions for improving the climate resilience of multimodal passenger hubs.

Transport is responsible for a significant share of greenhouse gas emission and pollution in cities. In addition, transport infrastructures and their operation can be affected by severe disruptions and deterioration caused by extreme events (storms, heavy rains, floodings, heat waves, etc.) or prolonged climate stresses (water scarcity, changing groundwater levels, drought, extreme temperatures, sea level rise and accelerated coastal erosion in coastal cities, etc.). Preparing passenger transport systems resilience and the adaptation capacity is crucial to ensure continuity of the transport service and safety of passengers. The recently published “Support study on the climate adaptation and cross-border investment needs to realise the TEN-T network” should be considered^[2].

Proposals should address all the following points:

• Develop and test innovative solutions that increase the number of within-hub flows and access/egress trips by public transport, active, shared and micromobility modes to/from the selected major multi-modal hubs considering improved connectivity, accessibility, fleet rebalancing operations, etc.;
• Identify current and future local climate-related vulnerabilities of the selected multimodal passenger transport infrastructures and services, and determine the potential safety issues and economic and social losses caused by climate change extreme events or longer-term climate stresses that may lead to interrupted or low-quality service;
• Develop and test innovative solutions for climate-resilient multimodal passenger hubs and related transport services for protecting existing infrastructures and/or for building/managing new critical infrastructure capable of mitigating the potential climate change risks, as well as for maintaining services continuity, accessibility and efficiency of operations. In this context:
  • Develop nature-based solutions for increasing multimodal passenger hub’s infrastructures resilience demonstrating the respective environmental, social, and economic benefits.
  • Integrate digital monitoring and advanced yet practical digital and/or AI-based methods for assessing, preventing and managing adverse climate impacts that may affect the multimodal hub operation.
• Develop and test solutions to ensure or improve the inclusivity and accessibility of multimodal passenger hubs, accounting for both within-hub flows and access/egress trips, considering that climate change may particularly affect most marginalised populations^[3] or those in a vulnerable situation;
• Establish co-designing process and engaging with the relevant stakeholders to ensure the successful uptake of the proposed and tested solutions, incl. and economic model, contributing to climate neutrality, climate adaptation and enhanced governance of the multi-modal passenger hubs.

Proposals should include activities promoting the New European Bauhaus principles (sustainability, aesthetics, and inclusion) among national, regional, and local authorities, citizens, and stakeholders through dedicated local initiatives (e.g. events, contests, citizens’ dialogues, living labs).

Proposals should be implemented within the framework of a Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (SUMP) or equivalent plan of the participating cities.

Collaboration with the Cities Mission Platform is essential and should take place through the CIVITAS initiative^[4]. Proposals should ensure that appropriate provisions for activities and resources aimed at enforcing clustering activities and cooperation with the Cities Mission Platform and the CIVITAS initiative are included in the work-plan^[5]. Proposals should plan for an active collaboration amongst the projects selected under this topic - for dissemination, evaluation and coordination - facilitated by and within the CIVITAS initiative.

This topic requires the effective contribution of social sciences and humanities (SSH) disciplines and the involvement of SSH experts, institutions as well as the inclusion of relevant SSH expertise, in order to produce meaningful and significant effects enhancing the societal impact of the related research activities.

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[1] https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32024R1679

[2] https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/26731a63-b904-11ef-91ed-01aa75ed71a1/language-en

[3] IPCC 2023

[4] https://civitas.eu/

[5] The CIVITAS initiative should establish, through a collaboration agreement set up together with the Cities Mission Platform, clear links with the Mission portfolio for synergies and complementarities.