2023-08-31 | Szymon Kurek
We are pleased to announce that the Institute of Urban and Regional Development (IRMIR) joined its Partners to implement a project co-financed under the international program Interreg Central Europe entitled “Facilitating Shift Towards Active Forms of Mobility by Changing the Attitude and Travel Behaviour of Residents Through the Use of Green, Low-cost Tactical Urbanism and Placemaking Solutions”. IRMIR is involved as an expert institution that will provide knowledge and know-how in the field of tactical urbanism and placemaking. We will support Territorial City Partners.
Project acronym: PopUpUrbanSpaces
Programme: Interreg Central Europe
Duration: 03/2023 – 02/2026
Partner countries: Slovenia, Hungary, Croatia, Poland, Germany, Austria, Italy
PopUpUrbanSpaces helps to solve the problems of FUAs resulting from car-oriented mobility: cars take away scarce public spaces from people and important urban functions, while creat congestions, contribute to high GHG emissions and negatively affect environment and the health of residents.
To achieve a behavioural change towards sustainable forms of urban mobility, people need to understand its consequences and be ready to abandon their cars in favour of public transport and active modes. However, local authorities in small-medium sized towns in CE don???t have the competences and tools to raise awareness of decision-makers, residents and influence travel behaviour. The PopUpUrbanSpaces approach is based on the concept of ???Show and Tell???:
1. the project enables cities to apply innovative methods based on tactical urbanism/placemaking practices to SHOW citizens (and decision-makers) through pop-up interventions what it would be like to have streets, public spaces not dominated by cars.
2. the project develops innovative digital campaigning tools/methods to TELL (explain) people the risks of car-oriented urban mobility.
To meet its objectives, the project takes existing knowledge to design a capacity-building strategy (O1.2)and train partners in tactical urbanism/digital campaigns. Using this knowledge partners design plans for demonstration actions, implement and assess them (O2.1). Then, using the lessons from the pilot, the partnership develops and disseminates solution (O3.1) tailored to the target group.
To scale up project results, pilot cities also develop territorial plans that recommend specific interventions as well as policy proposals (O3.2). Urban-rural partnership networks (O1.1) facilitate closer interrelation between the main centres and the surrounding communities.
Addressing the challenge on a transnational level facilitates sharing knowledge and experience between partners to develop common solutions and gives the results transnational visibility.
This project is supported by the Interreg CENTRAL EUROPE Programme with co-financing from the European Regional Development Fund and the Polish Government.
Project facebook: https://www.facebook.com/popupurbanspaces
Project website link: https://www.interreg-central.eu/projects/PopUpUrbanSpaces/