A new report “Assessing Health and Co-benefits in European Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans” published today sheds light on the current state of health considerations within Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs). It emphasises that the mere presence of health concepts in SUMPs does not guarantee effective improvement in health outcomes. The report suggests that a thorough analysis of the existing status of health inclusion in SUMPs is crucial to enhance attention to health in mobility planning.
This gap is addressed by investigating SUMPs across Europe and the extent to which:
- health and its various aspects like health equity are included,
- transport pathways to health and their associated health outcomes in terms of increases or decrease in physical / social / mental wellbeing are made explicit, and
- health is operationalised into targets and KPIs and the health- rationale of various actions and measures are elaborated.
The paper concludes by offering key recommendations to avoid missing the opportunity to leverage mobility planning in SUMPs as a driver of health promotion. It underscores the potential co-benefits that can positively impact various European strategies and policies, including the EU Global Health Strategy.
