Reggio Emilia, a city in Northern Italy, will soon have a beautiful new pedestrian square filled with benches, trees, and fountains. The kicker is that the square was, until recently, a drab parking lot.
As detailed by Phys.org, the new square is part of a European Union-wide project called sustainable urban mobility plans that aims to make urban areas more pleasant for residents by limiting vehicle congestion, reducing air and noise pollution, and improving road safety.
Simply put, SUMPs are about using clever ideas to claw back congested urban areas for people from cars, making it easier for folks to go carless and reduce the amount of carbon belched into the air.
According to Phys.org, Reggio Emilia is one of 16 European cities participating in a program called Park4SUMP. The program helps communities use data to develop parking plans that nudge people to walk and use public transport instead of driving.
The goal is to free up at least 10% of public space devoted to parking while pumping 10% of revenues generated from paid parking into better, more sustainable transportation options for everyone.
"This is an important part of our general strategy for improving the quality of life in Reggio Emilia," engineer and mobility planner Alberto Merigo said, per Phys.org.
Building more parking in cities tends to attract more cars, which creates more traffic congestion and more pollution. Coming up with more intelligent ways to foster moving around a city can help end that cycle.
Town planners interested in implementing a SUMP can use a tool called PARKPAD that relies on surveys, data, and workshops to see what happens when they reduce parking.
Hard data about the benefits of reducing space for parking lots is important because, as one PARKPAD researcher said, "In people's minds, parking is a very emotional subject." Politicians often fear backlash from voters and business owners if they advance plans to convert parking to pedestrian-friendly zones.
However, according to the English government research organization Transport for London, people using public transportation, riding bikes, and walking spend 40% more money in local shops than motorists do. This means more walkability in cities doesn't just help the climate, but it helps the long-term financial sustainability of local businesses, too.
U.K. National Active Travel Commissioner Chris Boardman agreed, telling Forbes, "Walkable high streets make for vibrant, happier, and healthier communities, which is good for business."
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