Highlights from the Intermobility Future Ways (IFW) event on shared and sustainable mobility

From 19 to 21 November, the first national forum on shared and sustainable mobility, Intermobility Future Ways (IFW), took place in Rimini, Italy (IT). The event brought together administrators and professionals involved in the strategic and organisational aspects of mobility system design. Over three days, IFW showcased the latest trends and key drivers shaping mobility policies, with a strong focus on shared mobility and innovations driven by the green and digital transitions.

The event featured a comprehensive programme of sessions and workshops:

• Day 1 began with a plenary session and the presentation of the INTERMOBILITY Future Ways Report, followed by workshops on the future of shared and collective mobility.
• Day 2 hosted the 8th National Sharing Mobility Conference, during which the National Sharing Mobility Report was presented alongside thematic workshops.
• Day 3 was dedicated to MobyDixit, the annual Euromobility event, which included the 24th Conference on Mobility Management and the 8th SUMP Conference.

A highlight of the Future Ways conference was the session on Italy's experience with Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs), entitled "SUMPs 2.0: New Goals for Cities". This session reflected on the adoption of over 50 SUMPs in the past decade. Moderated by Carla Messina from the Italian Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport (MIT), the workshop "Enhancing the Quality and Ambition of SUMPs" brought together experts involved in developing SUMPs in Italy, including Patrizia Malgieri (TRT), Tito Berti Nulli (Sintagma), Diego Deponte (Systematica), and Daniela De Leo (Università Federico II Napoli). The discussion highlighted four key areas for improvement in Italy's SUMP approach:

1. Establishing relevant and measurable goals;
2. Implementing tools for evaluation and monitoring;
3. Engaging stakeholders to raise local awareness;
4. Positioning SUMPs as strategic frameworks with actionable short-term measures.

On the same day, the workshop "More Shared Mobility, Less Transport Poverty" addressed transport poverty and accessibility. Presentations by Luca Refrigeri (Fondazione Sviluppo Sostenibile/Osservatorio Transport Poverty) and Andrea Gorrini (Fondazione TT/Osservatorio Transport Poverty) explored transport poverty analysis, while Tito Stefanelli (TRT) examined Urban Vehicle Access Regulations (UVARs). This session highlighted UVAR policies as tools for sustainable urban mobility, offering solutions to reduce negative externalities and ensure accessibility for people, goods, and services. Complementary actions to support sustainability and adaptation to UVAR changes were also discussed.

The final day was dedicated to MobyDixit, the annual Euromobility event, which included the 24th Conference on Mobility Management and the 8th SUMP Conference. A key session, "Euro-SUMPs: A Comparison of Italian and European Practices", moderated by Valerio Piras (Euromobility), featured experts such as Stefano Proietti (CIVINET Italy), Arianna Americo (Eurocities), and Carla Giaume (TRT). This session discussed SUMP developments at the Italian and European levels and introduced the new SUMP and NSSP Training Programme, funded by the European Investment Bank (EIB-JASPERS) and the European Commission. The session outlined the goals of the training initiative, highlighted key topics of interest in SUMP training across various countries, and addressed challenges national authorities face in implementing NSSPs. Given the requirement in the TEN-T Regulation for urban nodes to adopt a SUMP by 2027, local and national authorities were strongly encouraged to participate in upcoming training sessions and workshops on NSSPs.

Author: Carla Giaume

Views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) and do not reflect those of the European Commission.