On December 14th, 2022 // 10:00 - 11:30 am CET, UNIMED, in collaboration with Area Science Park and MedCities, is organising an online debate on "Mediterranean Cities and Climate Change: Making the Urban Transport Sector More Resilient and Less Impactful", featuring the experts who have worked on the latest Policy Brief #4 on "Urban Mobility Adaptation to Climate Change" as well as academics and local authorities from the Southern Shore of the Mediterranean Sea.

The Mediterranean region warms 20% faster than other regions in the world and local authorities are at the forefront of the actions for adapting to and mitigating the multiple impacts of climate change. More specifically, cities should on one side implement mobility related measures to tackle the unprecedented challenges they are facing and on the other side they should try to reduce transportation-related emissions that strongly influence climate change.

Extreme weather events, some of which are increasing in intensity and frequency, as well as slower but inexorable changes (for example, sea level rise) are deeply affecting the economic and social system of the Mediterranean cities, all of them. For this reason we gather international experts (city planners, scholars, and policy makers) from North and South of the Mediterranean Sea to discuss the impact of climate change on Mediterranean cities and the possible measures to make the transport system more resilient to its negative effects and to mitigate the change by decarbonising the transport sector.

To spark a real debate, the conference is divided into two different moments:

1/ Two keynote speakers will open the conference: Margaretha Breil (CMCC) will present a global overview of the climate change multiple impacts on Mediterranean cities, while Area Science Park will put forward some recommendations addressed to local, national and European authorities published in the Urban Transports Community's Policy Brief #4.

2/ In the second part, a panel of four experts from local authorities and academia from Southern Mediterranean countries will discuss, in ten minutes each, the main points put forward in the two keynote speeches and present how adaptation and mitigation measures are implemented in their countries.

DRAFT AGENDA

10:00 // Welcome & Introduction, Josep Canals, MedCities

10:05 // Keynote speech: Impact of climate change on cities and their transport systems, Margaretha Breil, CMCC

10:20 // Keynote speech: Making mobility more resilient to climate change. Presentation of the Urban Transports Community’s Policy Brief #4, Fabio Tomasi, Area Science Park

10:35 // Introduction to the second panel, Marcello Scalisi, UNIMED

10:40 // Leila Youssef, Mobility department of Greater Irbid Municipality, Jordan

10:50 // A representative from the University of Yarmouk, Jordan (TBC)

11:00 // Danial Ziouziou, Vice-Mayor, Municipality of Tetouan, Morocco

11:10 // Prof. Adil Salhi, Abdelmalek Essaadi University, Morocco

11:20 // Q&A

11:30 // Closing

The event will be held on Zoom and recorded.

Interpretation English <> French will be available. 

REGISTER HERE

After six years of work, the Urban Transports Community is coming to an end. Last October 25th and 26th, more than 90 people participated in the final conference of the project the Mediterranean Mobility Forum.

Together with transports experts, stakeholders and policy makers, we showcased the best practices and the results achieved during this long journey, also highlighting what it is still to be done to achieve a sustainable mobility. 

"These six years have shown that it is possible to work and to create a new way of mobility: a soft and sustainable mobility. For me, sustainable mobility is the one centered on people, centered on human rights, on human mobility", said Josep Canal, Secretary General of MedCities, coordinator of the Urban Transports project.

The Urban Transports Community has worked to promote territorial cooperation on sustainale mobility across the Mediterranean Region, mainstreaming the results of the community's projects through mentorship, knowledge exchange and training.

The two-days agenda put the focus on the topic of decarbonisation of mobility and resilience against the climate change, as well as on sustainable mobility planning and innovation. Besides we had the chance to hear from the mentors and the replicating cities around the Mediterranean that took part in the mentorship programme launched by the project. 

On the second day, participants, and in particular city officials and transport operators from the Mediterranean area, attended to the training on the integration of electromobility in the urban transport networks.

The major political achievement of the Urban Transports Community has been the Urban Transports Declaration, that has been supported by many cities around the Mediterranean asking for:

-  safer, more inclusive and user-centered cycling policies;

- the use of data and the involvement of the citizens to foster ownership and build more adequate sustainable mobility plans;

- a balanced mobility offer for locals and tourists that puts sustainability at the center to reduce the pressure on the Mediterranean evironment;

- strong and continous cooperation of key stakeholders in the identification of needs and decision-making, and support the participation and involvement of citizens to ensure relevant and inclusive policy measures;

- the promotion of safety, accessibility and affordability as building principles of any urban transports' policy to encourage social chesion and economic development.

• The Urban Transports Community has produced four Policy Briefs available in this page and in several languages.
• If you missed the event, you can watch the recording of all the sessions.
• You can have a look at the Live sketching done during the event summarising all the sessions.
• You can find a selection of the photos of the main moments and of the speakers of the event.