Around 70 % of global greenhouse emissions originate in cities, and a large fraction of these come from the transportation sector. Therefore, fostering low-carbon urban mobility is essential to mitigate ongoing climate change and to transition toward a sustainable future. We propose a session centered around metrics of sustainable urban mobility that are needed for the necessary change in European cities to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and air pollutants caused by current mobility choices centered on private automobile use.

Partly in response to these urgent sustainability challenges, the concept of 15-minute cities has gained widespread attention in recent years and is already influencing urban design around the world. But so far geographic analyses of 15-minute cities have been limited to measuring distance-based accessibility to essential needs, without proper consideration of how different aspects of urban design promote safe, healthy and sustainable modes of travel.

Our session will gather researchers from a variety of fields working toward fostering a transition away from the car-centered mobility prevalent in most cities, and toward wider use of public transport and active mobility choices. The session will cover research ranging from (but not limited to) indicators quantifying how well people can walk and bike in their city (both objective measurements and subjective perceptions), to routing for walking and cycling that focuses on heat-avoiding, quiet, and green routes. The session would thus be focused on methodological and empirical experiences, as well as transdisciplinary engagement.

Currently, there are numerous research groups working on themes related to this topic, and we want to bring them together to exchange the current status of their work, the problems they face, and potential ways forward. We envisage a session with presentations from the participants, and a panel discussion to exchange ideas and promote networking