Achieving Transitions to Zero Carbon Emissions and Sustainable Urban Mobility

Syllabus

• Week 1

  Learning from the past for a better future

  • Welcome to the course

    Find out who you will be learning from, what is covered, and what benefits you will gain from the four weeks of activities. We also invite you to tell us more about your interests and your expectations.

  • What is at stake?

    Here we summarise the scale of the challenges that cities face, particularly - although not only - around meeting carbon reduction targets, the urgency of the task and the need for long-term, sustained actions.

  • Changing policy priorities & mindsets

    Explore how urban policy priorities and mindsets have changed over time, particularly away from car-focused to liveable city goals: what triggered the changes, and what lessons can be learnt?

  • Case Studies - City Transitions

    Learn about historical urban transitions by travelling in time with five different cities around the world: why & how have these transitions been accomplished? What can we draw from these experiences for the future?

  • Review of Week 1

    This final Week 1 activity draws out some key findings and implications and gives a brief taster of what will be covered in the coming weeks.

• Week 2

  Strategies to transition to a zero-carbon sustainable city

  • City visions & Strategic Planning

    Achieving (net) zero carbon & sustainable mobility outcomes need to be based on a long-term city vision translated into a clear pathway, and built on a broad range of ‘Avoid-Shift-Improve’ strategies that require systemic changes.

  • Enabling factors and barriers to change

    There is often a gap between policy aspirations and strategies, and policies that can be successfully implemented, on the ground. Here we discuss some of the enabling factors and barriers that affect cities’ abilities to change.

  • Processes and Tools to develop transition pathways

    Explore innovative governance strategies, including a seven-step process to help cities develop their own transition pathway & strategies, and timescales that can contribute to meeting local carbon reduction targets.

  • Collaborating with other sectors

    Since travel is largely a derived demand, it is essential to work with the sectors that generate most urban trips, in order to meet shared carbon reduction and sustainability targets, particularly through 'Avoid' strategies.

  • Stakeholder Engagement and Governance

    Developing an effective, long-term transition pathway depends on gaining broad-based stakeholder support and a commitment for each to play their part, plus governance arrangements that are fit for purpose.

  • Review of Week 2

    This section summarises the key take-aways from Week 2, with a focus on how to map out and execute a transition pathway to achieve carbon reduction targets, and provides a taster of what will be covered in Week 3.

• Week 3

  Policy Planning & Implementing zero-carbon sustainable city

  • Planning processes for meeting Zero-Carbon and Sustainable Mobility Targets

    Having discussed long-term carbon reduction strategies, the focus here is on planning processes that are required to support the achievement of zero-carbon sustainable mobility targets.

  • Introduction to Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans

    Countries have their own processes for developing local plans, setting out short to medium-term policy measures and their implementation. Within the EU, this takes the form of a SUMP, which is discussed in this section.

  • Selecting policy measures

    Addressing major challenges requires a range of policy measures to deliver high-level ‘Avoid-Shift-Improve’ strategies, that are brought together in policy packages, increasing the effectiveness of the 'core measures'.

  • Implementation Planning

    Implementation of policies requires careful planning, ensuring funding, location, and timings of package elements are well coordinated, and, for larger or contentious measures, that successful pilot projects then lead to scale-up.

  • Addressing behavioural change

    Much of a city’s success in meeting carbon reduction and sustainability targets will depend on individual behaviour change, through modifying travel patterns and shifting trips to more sustainable modes. How is this achieved?

  • Review of Week 3

    This section summarises the key takeaways from Week 3, showing the links between developing a transition pathway in Week 2, and the various ways in which this can be operationalized, in Week 3; it also provides a taster to Week 4.

• Week 4

  Delivering and Championing the Vision

  • Towards climate neutral cities

    Find out more about the institutional support your city could receive and the benefits of joining cities' networks. And travel to Finland to hear more about one of the most ambitious 'Climate Neutral Cities', Tampere.

  • Practicalities

    Achieving on-the-ground delivery is challenging: To what extent is it realistic to aim for zero emissions? Learn from practical experiences about ways to build political and public momentum, and avoid potential pitfalls.

  • Not just Carbon

    While this course focuses on carbon (net) zero targets, it is important that other policy objectives are addressed, including 'just transition'. We look at how COVID has affected policies, and at the wider urban policy landscape.

  • Monitoring & Evaluation

    Cities need to be aware of the effectiveness of their implemented measures in achieving intended carbon reduction targets, through comprehensive M&E – which then feeds back to update future transition pathway strategies.

  • Review of Week 4

    This provides a reflective overview of the four-week course, summarising the key takeaways to help cities deliver their carbon reduction and sustainability policies.

Who will you learn with?