Comparative analysis of sustainable mobility planning tools: case studies from Italy, Egypt, and Lebanon

This paper investigates the integration between different scales of sustainable mobility planning, with particular reference to the integration between Sustainable Urban Mobility Planning (SUMP) and Urban Design. It was carried out in the framework of the EU Erasmus+ UPGRADE project – Urban and transPortation reGeneration for Reducing Automobile Dependency in Middle East and North Africa – MENA area, whose cities are facing major challenges to improve their sustainable mobility. The study uses a comparative method to compare planning models and tools in the European Union, currently limited to the Italian case, with those in the MENA region currently limited to Egypt and Lebanon. On the one hand, the qualitative analysis concerns the integration between sustainable mobility planning and regional and urban spatial planning, looking for relationships (horizontal and vertical coherence checks) and criticalities between them. On the other hand, the analysis concerns the integration of the above levels and types of planning with urban design practices aimed at sustainable mobility. The application of the methodology revealed some criticalities inherent in the processes differentiated according to the countries considered, highlighting key disconnections between SUMP and Urban Mobility Design practices. The next steps of the research will be to expand the case studies and search for good practices in urban mobility design.