Rapid urbanization has increased the pressure on metropolitan areas and climate. To deal with this, cities need to take a novel approach to urban design and mobility. Previous research shows that shared mobility is the way forward. It can decrease the pressure on urban space and keep cities livable and accessible for residents and visitors.
Smart mobility hubs are a great way to improve the city's transportation networks. They integrate different transportation options by offering various shared mobility options. Users can easily switch between modes that best suit their mobility needs. Examples are regular or electric bikes, electric scooters and mopeds, electric cars and microcars.
“In the SmartHubs project we try to tackle one of the most important challenges for cities in Europe. How to improve the mobility system, increase accessibility but also solve a big challenge, which is the last mile problem.”
Stephan van Dijk
Director of Innovation
Example of Smart Hub | Student Hotel
To implement shared mobility hubs in more effective ways, cities need planning or piloting tools based on real-life data. In collaboration with EIT Urban Mobility, AMS Institute brought together a diverse consortium of partners from six European cities. Together, they set up SmartHubs in Amsterdam, Helmond, Eindhoven, Warsaw, Lisbon, and Barcelona to develop and validate effective and economically viable mobility hub solutions. The project aims to accelerate the successful implementation of the hubs, maximizing citizens’ accessibility and reducing transport invasiveness.
“We try to complement existing public transport services in the best way but also make it very clear to citizens and users where they can find shared mobility services, how to use them and free up public space.”
Stephan van Dijk
Director of Innovation
The information will be translated into a decision-support planning tool for cities to help them decide on the type, location, and offered mobility services of the smart mobility hubs at the street, district and city levels.
In Amsterdam, the research focuses on testing different types of shared mobility concepts to learn if and how it can be an alternative for residents to own a private car. The idea is to reduce the parking pressure in the city, free up public space and work towards a more sustainable traffic system in the face of a growing city.
| Related Information: |
Partners
