Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI
Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research ISI

Project

Traffic-Reduced City Centers in Europe – Comparative Analysis of Regulatory Approaches Using Case Studies

The research project examines packages of measures to reduce inner-city car traffic as part of integrated and public welfare-oriented urban development.

The focus is on the activities, strategies and framework conditions of progressive cities in Europe. These are characterised by the goals of better supply, more sustainable urban and transport planning for neighbourhood development, and a high quality of life.

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Urban mobility, shaped by the concept of car-oriented cities, has a direct impact on the quality of life for residents. Furthermore, mobility patterns and environmental challenges associated with this model undermine efforts to achieve climate neutrality. A mere shift from combustion engines to electric vehicles is insufficient to achieve climate neutrality in the transportation sector. As a result, cities and regions are encouraged to adopt alternatives that focus on integrated and community-oriented urban development to reduce reliance on private car ownership and usage.

This transformation requires a reallocation of public space and a restructuring of the mobility sector. Municipalities already have access to a variety of toools to support this shift. These include both pull measures, such as promoting public transport, cycling, and walking, as well as push measures, such as comprehensive parking management.

 

 

The research project aims to derive actionable strategies from international experiences to reduce car ownership and usage in German cities. For Germany, this question involves examining the regulatory possibilities within the existing framework of administrative, traffic, and urban planning laws.

The project will assess how this legal framework can be optimized and further developed. With a focus on potential European role models, the research project will comparatively analyze which political strategies, framework conditions, funding instruments, and actors can lead to a sustainable transformation of transportation.

 

The research project is divided into four work phases, each of which will deliver specific interimresults.

  • Work Package I: Analysis of the German legal framework
    This first work package provides an overview of the instruments within the national legal framework that enable traffic management aimed at traffic-reduced city centers. This includes reducing dependence on private cars in favor of an expanded environmental network. The results will identify recommended approaches to improve the national legal framework, particularly in administrative, traffic, and urban planning laws, while also considering their legal implications. This workpackage has been finalised, and has resulted in the following publication: BBSR - Veröffentlichungen - Rechtliche Bausteine für eine strategische Neuausrichtung der Mobilitätswende in Kommunen (only available in German)
  • Work Package II: Analysis of European model municipalities 
    European municipalities will be identified for a comparative analysis of regulatory and design approaches. Their measures will be evaluated through case studies later in the project. The goal is to define best-practice approaches or measures that are most suitable and fundamentally transferable to Germany to reduce car dependency in cities.
  • Work Package III: Urban and traffic planning evaluation of measures in model municipalities 
    Through case studies with on-site visits and expert discussions, best-practice strategies of the selected international model municipalities will be analyzed and evaluated. Using photo documentation and additional analysis of local documents, a comparative analysis of the supporting and hindering factors, as well as the impacts of the strategies on urban appearance, citizen satisfaction, modal split, car ownership, and car usage in the cities, will be developed.
  • Work Package IV: Evaluation of transferability to the German context
    This step concludes the substantive scientific work of the research project. The goal is to compile, document, and interpret the results of all work packages for the German context. The transfer of experiences from European countries to Germany represents the scientific contribution of the research project to accelerating the mobility transition in German municipalities.

Duration

2022 bis 2025

Clients

  • Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development (BBSR)

Partners

  • Fraunhofer Allianz Verkehr / Fraunhofer IML (Prien am Chiemsee)
  • Infras AG, Zürich
  • BBG und Partner, Bremen