The Post Pandemic City: Challenges and Opportunities for a Non-Motorized Urban Environment. An Overview of Italian Cases

TLDR

COVID‑19 has prompted city governments worldwide to rethink mobility, urban space, and health, leading to a shift toward sustainable transport models that expand cycling and walking spaces to reduce public transport overload and private car use. This study evaluates how the ten largest Italian metropolitan cities have responded to the pandemic by transforming urban environments toward sustainable mobility. The authors analyze the programs of these cities, examining local government policies, approaches, and measures to assess their effectiveness in shaping future urban mobility. The analysis reveals a near‑universal recognition among policymakers that urban spaces and mobility must be reimagined to accelerate decarbonization and promote cycling and walking.

Abstract

COVID-19 has forced city governments to reconsider the relationship between mobility, urban space and health in order to ensure physical distancing while meeting the travel needs of inhabitants. Therefore, cities around the world are already involved in the transformation of mobility through new models of sustainable transport. The World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines on mobility during the COVID outbreak are mostly directed at creating more spaces for cyclists and pedestrians, especially in densely populated urban areas, thus avoiding the overloading of public transport and the use of private cars. Through the analysis of the programs set up by the 10 main Italian metropolitan cities, chosen as a case study, this research evaluates the response implemented by local governments in order to transform urban environments in one of the world’s most pandemic-affected countries in detail. Starting from the current mobility model, this paper focuses on local government policies concerning post-COVID sustainable mobility to understand policies, approaches and measures in depth, as well as the effectiveness of the ongoing actions in shaping future urban mobility. From the research, an almost homogeneous awareness among policy makers and planners emerges concerning the need to rethink urban spaces and mobility, to make up for lost time and to start a green revolution that is aimed at quickly decarbonizing urban transport and enhancing cycling and walking through the city.