Working together for smarter mobility: a successful multi-level governance approach
But how can cities tackle these challenges in practice? Find out how the Urban Agenda for the EU Partnership on Urban Mobility turned ideas into concrete actions, through collaboration and real-world case studies, practical tools and success stories that show what’s possible when all levels of government work together.
The Partnership’s approach
The Urban Mobility Partnership was launched to promote sustainable and efficient mobility solutions. It brought together eight cities, two regions, five EU Member States, two EU institutions, six umbrella organisations, and several other stakeholders, working collectively to shape a new, integrated approach to urban mobility at the EU level.
At the heart of the Partnership’s approach was a strong emphasis on multi-level governance, ensuring collaboration between local, regional, national, and EU stakeholders. The Partnership successfully identified and prioritised critical areas of focus, including:
- Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs),
- Active mobility (e.g., walking and cycling),
- Public transport
The Partnership’s efforts have directly supported, and in some cases led to, the creation of key EU-level strategies and declarations. Notable outcomes include the adoption of the EU Urban Mobility Framework , the European Cycling Declaration, and the Commission Recommendation on National Support Programmes for Sustainable Urban Mobility Planning (SUMP) all of which reflect the priorities and principles promoted by the Partnership.
What works: success stories in governing urban mobility
One of the Partnership’s key actions focused on reinforcing cooperation across all levels of government. Urban mobility is not just a local issue; it’s a shared responsibility.
The Partnership demonstrated that successful urban mobility strategies require both:
- Horizontal collaboration, e.g., neighbouring cities creating shared bus networks
- Vertical collaboration, e.g., alignment between national ministries and city councils on rail investments
To showcase how this works in practice, the Partnership produced a report featuring 10 case studies from across Europe. These examples highlight best practices in planning, legal frameworks, and financing mechanisms for integrated mobility systems.
One standout case is Greater Manchester, where 10 local districts worked with Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) to create a forward-looking SUMP and Transport Strategy for 2040. This strategy, part of the Interreg Europe project ‘Reform’ and winner of the 2018 SUMP Award, outlines how transport can support the region’s economic, environmental, and social goals.
Read the full report to explore these case studies for advancing urban mobility.
Why urban mobility indicators matter
Another key area of work was measuring what matters. The Partnership developed a common set of urban mobility indicators to assess access to public transport and walkability across cities and regions.
These indicators help cities benchmark themselves against peers, identify gaps in infrastructure, and make informed investment decisions. More than just numbers, these metrics support real progress on SDG 11.2, which calls for “accessible and sustainable transport systems for all.”
Data-driven approaches also improve transparency and enable cities to better target EU funding by demonstrating need and performance.
Explore the report to better understand how indicators can help cities develop evidence-based and need-driven urban mobility strategies.
One key takeaway from the Partnership
The Urban Mobility Partnership proved that transforming urban mobility requires more than good ideas.
Multi-level cross-sectoral cooperation is a complex and often challenging process. It requires negotiation between diverse perspectives and policy priorities but can lead to meaningful achievements. This has been one of the key lessons learned from the Partnership, which, thanks to its different components, has contributed to a stronger integration between mobility policies and land use planning with a broader territorial scope.
We have brought the mobility dimension into the urban dimension, establishing strong links with land use planning and policies that extend beyond the city itself and into the wider functional urban area
The cooperation established through the Partnership serves as a strong example in this direction and is even more necessary now, as Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs) are a legal requirement for urban nodes on the network under the revised Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2024/1679).