Developing International Nature Adapted Mobility Options

The project aimed to contribute to and respond to reflections on European freedom of movement, from a local, sustainable, and social justice perspective. It sought to promote the idea of local sus...

The project aimed to contribute to and respond to reflections on European freedom of movement, from a local, sustainable, and social justice perspective. It sought to promote the idea of local sustainable mobility as a fundamental human and citizen right. To achieve this, a comprehensive methodology and guidelines with concrete recommendations were developed in collaboration with a diverse group of stakeholders from Germany and France. The project also wanted to foster a better understanding of similarities, differences, and approaches within the European context while strengthening the German-French friendship. The integration of different cultural approaches and concepts into the developed mobility framework was a key objective, specifically targeting the rural Alpine populations in Germany and France, as well as local politicians. Another important outcome to develop was to be the improvement of mobility in rural areas. The project meant to support the development of sustainable mobility options for all in the pilot areas, benefiting both local populations and tourists, including day visitors. Finally, the project was expected to achieve a reduction of CO2 emissions through the development of a sustainable mobility concepts.

Following a progressive evolution, the project started out by researching both long-known existing solutions and innovations in France and Germany concerning rural mobility, in a mountainous context. Building on this research, the project partners identified 2 pilot territories in France and Germany which had similar traits and framework conditions: the Chartreuse massif, a pre-alpine mountain massif in the northern French Alps, which is sparsely populated, has large differences in altitude and is included in a nature reserve; and the municipality of Bad Hindelang, located in the Ostrachtal valley at the foot of the Allgäu Alps with similar challenges. Between April and July 2024, exchange study visits were organised in both pilot areas. During both study visits, delegations from the visiting pilot area were introduced to the mobility strategy of the hosting pilot area, as well as to how mobility was articulated within the local sustainable development strategy. Finally, the last activity implemented was the organisation of 2 webinars in June and July 2024 to take a step back and study the challenges of cross-border mobility (a major issue in the Alps) as well as the solutions the EU and the Alpine institutions are implementing.