Launch of two mentoring programs in Sfax and Larissa

The Urban Transport community, which CODATU is a partner of, selected eight cities around the Mediterranean that currently benefit from a mentoring program in collaboration with other eight cities around the sea that developed innovating tools and sustainable urban mobility projects.

This community is an initiative from the Interreg MED Program of the European Union. As partners, CODATU, CIVINEY EL-CY (Greece), Medcities (Spain) and Area Science Park (Italy) each manage two mentoring programs.

The eight selected cities are:

– Genova (Italy) supported by algoWatt S.p.A

– Larnaca (Cyprus) supported by Cyprus Energy Agency

– Greater Irbid (Jordan)

– Narni (Italy)

– Castellon de la Plana (Spain) supported by Planifica

– Pallini (Greece)

– Larissa (Greece)

-Sfax (Tunisia)

Those cities benefit from a mentoring program that will extend until the end of 2021. They are supported by mentors to engage peer learning with cities from the Urban Transport Community that developed urban mobility projects on various topics: “mobility observatory”, “soft mobilities”, “shared mobilities”, “tourism and mobility”, as well as “mobility planning”. Experience transfer of EU financed projects is the center of the program.

Gathering and analyzing mobility data to assess pedestrian areas’ efficiency in the city of Larissa

CODATU overlooks two mentoring programs. One between, on the one hand, Misano Adriatico and Rimini (Italy) and on the other hand the replicating city of Larissa (Greece) on the topic of urban mobility data for a smart traffic management. The city of Larissa is currently testing an automatic monitoring system in order to better manage vehicles’ access to its pedestrian city center. The city wishes to get inspired by Rimini and Misano Adriatico’s experience to analyze gathered data.

Develop active mobility in Sfax

The other program followed by CODATU is a mentoring program between Misano Adriatico (Italy) and Sfax (Tunisia) on the topics of active mobility. Especially engaged on this theme, Sfax’s municipal team counts on the mentor and on Misano’s experience to prepare the “Active mode” part of its SUMP. The mentoring program will help build the main orientations to facilitate active modes’ development in Sfax and identify a pilot cycle path.

Mentors, who are recognized topic experts, were selected to carry out the adaptation of the solutions set up by the “pioneers” in the “replicating” cities. This program is based on a hybrid methodology between short-term decentralized cooperation and short mentoring program. First workshops already took place and the following weeks should witness some interesting exchanges!