Urban transport in the EU Mission on Climate Neutral and Smart Cities: preliminary data from applicants' expressions of interest

Abstract

The EU Mission on Climate Neutral and Smart Cities is an ambitious initiative to involve a wide range of stakeholders and deliver 100 climate-neutral and smart cities by 2030. These cities will act as experimentation and innovation hubs to enable all European cities to follow suit by 2050. The results from the expressions of interest suggest that the Mission's objectives are shared by a significant number of cities: 314 EU cities (representing 18% of EU population) plus 48 non-EU cities declared their ambition and preparedness to become climate neutral. Transport is a key sector to address, with the overwhelming majority of applicant cities setting specific targets and policy measures. Electrification of urban transport appears as the main approach towards decarbonization. Nevertheless, the required investments and the repercussion on the citizens' costs for mobility are major concerns.