Project proposal by
- Institution : Ayuntamiento de Monovar
- City : Monòver
- Country : Spain
- Type of region : Transition
- Population : 13 116
Looking for Project Partners
Monóvar (Spain) is a municipality facing a significant territorial challenge: bridging the mobility gap between its main urban core and five dispersed settlements (low-density/peri-urban areas). This territorial fragmentation generates a high dependency on private vehicles, which increases economic costs, carbon emissions, and social inequality. Specifically, it creates a "mobility divide" that isolates vulnerable groups who lack access to a private car, particularly the youth, the elderly, and women. We are looking for European cities of any size that share this same challenge: connecting urban cores with their disconnected fringes and low-density areas.
The project is deeply anchored in our local strategic framework, specifically our Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (PMUS) and our Local Urban Agenda. At the European level, the network aligns perfectly with the EU Cohesion Policy Objective 5 ("A Europe closer to citizens") by fostering sustainable urban development and addressing urban-rural linkages. Furthermore, the project actively integrates URBACT's cross-cutting objectives: the green transition (reducing CO2 emissions and car dependency), digital transformation (using tech-based platforms for mobility), and gender equality (ensuring equitable access to basic services for women in dispersed areas).
Our main ambition as Lead Partner is to consolidate an URBACT Action Network to co-design, implement, and monitor "Small Scale Actions" focusing on flexible mobility. Through our URBACT Local Groups (ULG) and Action Labs, we want to test innovative solutions such as tech-based Demand-Responsive Transport (DRT) and shared mobility platforms to see what works before making larger investments. By exchanging knowledge and experimenting with our European partners, our ultimate goals are:
To produce a local Action Portfolio with validated mobility solutions ready to be scaled up using future EU or local funds.
To co-create a transnational Actions Playbook providing practical recommendations for other European cities facing low-density connectivity challenges.