With the definition of sustainable mobility actions, the Chilean city moves into an operational stage and starts its final phase of the project.
Antofagasta, Chile, 7 July 2021.- The project “Plan to Strengthen Sustainable Mobility in the ciuty of Antofagasta” has concluded its Development of measures stage and is now in its final phase, with a technical document that considers the selection of measures for sustainable mobility, their prioritisation, modelling and cost estimation.
These will be contained in the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (SUMP) of Antofagasta that is being developed by the Regional Government of the Chilean city, with technical and financial support from the EUROCLIMA+ programme and implementation by the German Development Cooperation (GIZ).
“There has been a lot of talk about the importance of public space, of improving or recovering pedestrian traffic areas, of creating better conditions for walking and cycling. Many of the temporary measures can be transformed into permanent measures to reduce and discourage the use of private cars in Antofagasta, which is one of the objectives of the Plan," said Mauricio Zamorano, from the Planning and Regional Development Division of the Regional Government of Antofagasta.
With the measures phase, the project moves to a more operational stage in which packages and actions are selected to be implemented in order to meet the strategic objectives of the SUMP and overcome mobility challenges in the region. This includes actions such as policies, programmes or projects.
The definition of measures was carried out through a broad participatory process, in which working groups were convened for the definition and prioritisation, both with experts and decision-makers, as well as with trade and civil society organisations, giving a cross-cutting validity to the final selection.
Selected measures from the Antofagasta SUMP
The first step for their selection was to generate a long list of measures (approximately 61), which were proposed from different sources, such as city consultations, criteria of the consultancy supporting the process, collection of measures announced or planned prior to the SUMP, among others.
These measures were then prioritised and systematised to generate a short list (33 measures) on which work would continue for their definative incorporation into the plan.
Once the short list was generated, it was sorted into packages of measures. These packages operate as a grouping of measures that share a common objective and are mutually enabling. They include actions such as mass transit systems, pedestrian axis network, extension of bicycle lanes, public bicycle system, road education programme, urban parks and squares system, smart-transport systems, among others. The groups generated correspond to:
- • Public Transport (PT)
- • Active Transport (AT)
- • Automobile Disincentives (AD)
- • Land Use and Public Space (LU)
- • Transport Logistics (TL)
- • Intermodality (IM)
- • Governance (GB).
Subsequently, each measure contained in the packages was characterised in descriptive sheets that allow a first approximation of the steps required for its implementation, associated institutions and estimated costs, among other characteristics.
Finally, traffic and emissions modelling and cost-benefit estimations were carried out to generate prospective scenarios of the impact of the measures on the city, assessing their relevance and adjusting features that might not be conducive to meeting the objectives and goals of the plan.
“If there were consolidated sub-centres or if our journeys were shorter, i.e. did not have to be so long, then walking, cycling and public transport itself could begin to be competitive with the private car. Basically, we have to think about how to enhance the characteristics of sustainable modes so that they become competitive with the comfort of the private car. I believe that multimodality is the key", explained Pablo Juica, Urban Mobility Advisor at GIZ for the EUROCLIMA+ programme.
Antofagasta SUMP Retrospective
To develop the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (SUMP) of Antofagasta, the SUMP Planning Cycle of the MobiliseYourCity methodology has been followed, which consists of 4 stages and 12 steps in an approximate time of 2 years.
In mid-2020, the Analysis and Diagnosis phase was ccompleted which consisted of a baseline survey to diagnose the state of mobility in the city and identifying the main challenges.
Subsequently, a process of Principles, Objectives and Targets was carried out, in which a mission, objectives, targets and indicators for the SUMP were defined, which together made it possible to generate a common political and technical framework for the measures selected. This was jointly defined through workshops and meetings between public authorities, the private sector, citizens and academia.
In order to achieve this task, a Proceso de Collective Participation Process for the SUMP of Antofagasta,was started in December 2020, an initiative that integrated more than 30 representatives from civil society, public and private sectors, and that has allowed guaranteeing citizen participation in the different phases of the SUMP.
At the same time, four surveys were carried out in order to learn the perception of the citizens of Antofagasta regarding the topics of diagnosis, scenarios, vision and objectives and prioritisation of measures for the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan.
With the completion of the Measures Development stage, the Antofagasta SUMP enters its final stage, which focuses on managing the future implementation of the plan and generating the appropriate monitoring mechanisms. The launch of the plan is expected to take place in the last quarter of this year.
About EUROCLIMA+
EUROCLIMA+ is a programme funded by the European Union and co-financed by the German Federal Government through the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), as well as by the governments of France and Spain. Its objective is to reduce the impact of climate change and its effects in 18 Latin American and Caribbean countries by promoting climate change mitigation and adaptation, resilience and investment. The Programme is implemented under the synergistic work of seven agencies: the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), the French Development Agency (AFD), the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), Expertise France (EF), the International and Ibero-America Foundation for Administration and Public Policy (FIIAPP), the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ), and the UN Environment Programme.
For more information:
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