Sustainable Urban Mobility and Local Governance Practices: The Case of Cycling in Italian Cities

Abstract

The New Urban Agenda provides a number of relevant references to sustainable mobility; it promotes walkability and cycling with the goal of improving health and well-being, and includes measures to improve road safety and design. This chapter advocates for attention to urban cycling in assisting in the transition to sustainable mobility as a possible way to increase the sustainable supply of urban transport in cities. Promoting and developing cycling is important for individuals’ health, reduction in road traffic collisions, environmental sustainability, and transport demand management. Cities need a cycling culture and there is a role for national governments in supporting the development of cycling. Policy makers should think carefully about potential consequences of policy initiatives. This study focuses on Italian cities in terms of development, sustainability, and infrastructures to promote cycling as a sustainable mode of transport. The results suggest deficiencies in cycling levels in Italy where the development of cycling as a sustainable mode of transport is still far from that of other European countries. In addition, cycling levels are much higher in northern Italian cities than in cities in the South. The differences are related to the overall mobility culture of the cities, and specifically to the different infrastructures and policies.