ABSTRACT
The H2020 CIVITAS SUITS project was conceived by Professor Andree Woodcock and colleagues in 2014/15. It was scheduled to run between 2016 and 2020 but owing to the COVID-19 pandemic was extended to spring 2021. The aim of the project was to support capacity building of small–medium local authorities developing sustainable transport measures. This volume provides an account of the outputs of the project, in the form of chapters and recommendations for local authorities and consultants who are entrusted in delivering transport services which are inclusive, fit for purpose and enable accessibility for all. Although larger authorities are relatively well equipped to make these changes, smaller, more traditional local authorities may lack the knowledge, capacity and capability to plan, finance and implement sustainable transport measures at a time of great socio economic, technological and cultural change. Such authorities are also required to adopt new ways of working at the same time as designing and planning multimillion-euro transport projects which will support smart city developments and significantly improve the mobility of their citizens. At the heart of H2020 CIVITAS SUITS is a socio-technical approach, which recognises that capacity building is more than just providing training, and it is about empowering members of an organisation to be innovative. This volume has been written to inform designed to inform the daily practices of transport departments and stakeholder groups engaged in commissioning sustainable transport measures of working on Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans. © 2023, Transport for West Midlands.
ABSTRACT
The Covid-19 pandemic has created immense social, economic, and political disruption around the world. It has shown the importance of agile, functional and resilient cities. In the fight against Covid-19, public life has been reduced to a minimum, but local authorities (LAs) have had to continue to satisfy existing and emergent citizens' needs and implement, sometimes at very short notice, extreme measures to restrict movement, commerce, education and leisure activities. This poses significant challenges as they have had to not only enforce and communicate government plans but also be proactive and respond to local needs of their cities whilst learning to work in new ways and support the health and well-being of employees. The Covid-19 pandemic has forced organizational change. In many instances, this has accelerated the rate of change, proving that new ways of working are effective and has led to a (temporary) advancement of sustainable transport. This chapter focuses mainly on the experience of SUITS LAs in the final year of the project. © 2023, Transport for West Midlands.
ABSTRACT
The H2020 CIVITAS SUITS project was conceived by Professor Andree Woodcock and colleagues in 2014/15. It was scheduled to run between 2016 and 2020 but owing to the COVID-19 pandemic was extended to spring 2021. The aim of the project was to support capacity building of small–medium local authorities developing sustainable transport measures. This volume provides an account of the outputs of the project, in the form of chapters and recommendations for local authorities and consultants who are entrusted in delivering transport services which are inclusive, fit for purpose and enable accessibility for all. Although larger authorities are relatively well equipped to make these changes, smaller, more traditional local authorities may lack the knowledge, capacity and capability to plan, finance and implement sustainable transport measures at a time of great socio economic, technological and cultural change. Such authorities are also required to adopt new ways of working at the same time as designing and planning multimillion-euro transport projects which will support smart city developments and significantly improve the mobility of their citizens. At the heart of H2020 CIVITAS SUITS is a socio-technical approach, which recognises that capacity building is more than just providing training, and it is about empowering members of an organisation to be innovative. This volume has been written to inform designed to inform the daily practices of transport departments and stakeholder groups engaged in commissioning sustainable transport measures of working on Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans. © 2023, Transport for West Midlands.
ABSTRACT
Conducted from June 2020 until the time of writing, this design research activity was conducted as part of the 3 year, H2020, Pan European TInnGO project which aims to create a sustainable paradigm shift in gender and diversity mainstreaming in transport. Such a shift is needed due to the lack of sex disaggregated gender data, gender gaps in employment and decision making and women in STE(A)M able to rise to leadership positions. This lack of diversity at all levels of transport, together with difficulties in engaging ‘hard to reach groups’ in transport planning, means that transport services and innovation continue to fail to consider gender and diversity. This would also encourage design input into future transport. A central concept of TInnGO was to use design activities as provocations and ways to engage with people in new ways – e.g., through visualizations, vignettes and cocreation activities – to develop greater insights into mobility problems and drive gender and diversity sensitive smart mobility solutions. Led by Coventry University, it was anticipated that this would entail management and leadership of codesign sessions in 10 Pan-European hubs. The Covid-19 pandemic significantly disrupted plans, making travel, physical co-design and contact with vulnerable groups impossible. The paper discusses strategies developed to work with placement students to develop gender and diversity sensitive smart mobility design provocations based on information provided by national hubs, and the technological challenges computer supported cooperative design posed. © PDE 2021.