The ranking of the best valued Spanish cities carried out by the higher rates of adoption of initiatives and policies aimed at transforming cities into examples of sustainable mobility.
The efficient, sustainable and safe management of urban mobility has become one of the main challenges for 21st century cities. address challenges such as population growth, traffic congestion and environmental deterioration.
With the aim of recognizing best practices in mobility, Pons Mobility, a leading international consultancy in sustainable and safe mobility, and Meep, a digital platform that integrates and connects different transport services, creating sustainable connected mobility ecosystems , made public the results of the first ranking of the 20 most sustainable cities and safe among the main cities by population according to INE data.
Three model cities
After the analysis carried out, the report, which will be published annually, highlights Barcelona, Hospitalet de Llobregat and Bilbao like the three cities which, overall, are today in a better situation to meet these challenges, closely followed by Valencia and Madrid.
Then a group of cities like Valladolid, Vitoria, Cordoba, La Coruña, Granada and Las Palmas They complete the first places in the ranking.
Overall, the Meep and PONS Mobility report analyzed up to thirteen key indicators generate a precise assessment of each city in relation to its situation divided into four subgroups to group together all the indicators obtained: governance of the ZBE, electrification of the fleet, modal change and safe mobility.
Cities MORE
The data demonstrates a direct correlation between success in the ranking and three fundamental factors: the implementation of low-emission zones, the electrification of public transport and the level of digitalization of mobility services.
Thus, and according to the conclusions of the report, the success of the best positioned cities is based on three key pillars identified. The first was fixed on the coordinated implementation of infrastructure and servicesas evidenced by the correlation between the density of cycle paths (2.8 km/100,000 inhabitants in Barcelona) and the use of public transport (23% increase).
The second value was the effective use of available aid, with an average execution of 85% of the Recovery Plan Fund in the three main categories.
The third pillar is fixed in the digitization as an integrating element, which made it possible to reduce waiting times by 24% and increase the punctuality of public transport by up to 92%.
Barcelona tops the table
After identifying best practices and the situation of the twenty largest cities in our countrythe report confirms the exceptional leadership of the capital of Barcelona, both in terms of the starting situation in terms of charging infrastructure and electric vehicle fleet and in policies aimed at promoting more sustainable and safer mobility.
According to the promoters of this first study, Barcelona achieved the best results thanks to a strategy that combines the full electrification of its public transport fleet with the widest implementation of low emission zonescovering 100% of its urban area.
Habit changes
They emphasize that this city has managed to have the lowest motorization rate in the country, with only 382 vehicles per 1,000 inhabitantsdemonstrating that the policies implemented effectively change the mobility habits of its citizens.
Hospitalet Llobregat and Bilbaotied for second with 48 points, represent successes in different dimensions of sustainable mobility.
Transport and pedestrianization
The Catalan municipality stands out for having the lowest percentage of vehicles without an environmental label, only 19%, and a public transport network which serves 82% of its population.
For his part, Bilbao has succeeded in transforming its urban core with more than 4 kilometers of pedestrianized streets per 100,000 inhabitants, the highest ratio among the cities studied, creating an environment that prioritizes pedestrians and significantly reduces emissions in the city center.
Fourth position for Madrid
Although Madrid occupies fourth place in the world with 47 points with Valencia, the report shows that the capital leads the chapter aimed at analyzing the best governance policies, while Valencia leads the fashion change.
Among the most significant stages, The report highlights that the Spanish capital has managed to electrify 63% of its public transport fleetone of the highest percentages in the study, and implemented a digital traffic management system that reduced wait times by 24%.
Air monitoring
In addition, its network of air quality sensors, with more than 2.8 devices per square kilometer, allows precise monitoring of the impact of its mobility policies on urban air quality.
The ranking is completed by Valladolid, in fifth position, with 42 points, followed by Vitoria-Gasteiz with 39, and tied with 37 points, a group of four important cities share an eighth position of certain privilege with identical scores: La Coruña, Cordoba, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Granada.
Cities that need to improve
However, contrary to this barometer, Palma de Mallorca, Vigo and Murciain this order, are the three cities which close the ranking of cities MORE and that they have greater room for improvement in terms of sustainable and safe mobility policies.
According to Guillermo Campoamor, CEO and founder of Meep, “the data was decisive in revealing that success in sustainable mobility does not depend so much on the size of the investment as on the ability to integrate and coordinate different solutions into a coherent ecosystem“.
Multimodal mobility
Campoamor highlighted that in “the cities that are at the top of our ranking have obtained increases of up to 45% in multimodal travel thanks to digitalization and integration of services.
For her part, Ana Gómez Arche, CEO of the consulting firm Pons Mobility, valued this project, emphasizing that “the indicators indicated in the ranking must constitute a guide and an incentive for cities to continue to progress in mobility policies “the good ones who create a transport system in the city that makes it user-friendly and sustainable.”
“Governance and courageous decision-making are essential. It will not be easy and there will be resistance, but the results are coming and the citizens are finally appreciating,” concluded Gómez Arche.
