About

In the last years, there has been a growing importance of cycling in the political arena. Pushed by the agenda for sustainable mobility and healthier behaviours, cycling has slowly but steadily become a priority. At the same time, research on cycling has also increased significantly, building know-how on bringing about modal shift. Research has so far focuses on ‘champion cities’ (holding cycling modal shares above 20%) and as such on most successful examples. On the opposite scale, ‘starter cities’ seem to be in a particularly disadvantaged situation, having no cycling tradition nor technical know-how, with little research specifically focused on the problems and solutions for these cities. This project seeks to contribute to bridge this gap. Within this context, project “BooST – Boosting Starter Cycling Cities” focuses on starter cities and aims to provide specific technical know-how to allow them to reach the next level of bicycle use.

With this in mind, the project developed a Starter City Roadmap providing a toolkit, which includes the assessment framework of the Gross Potential for Cycling (GPC), the assessment framework of the Economic Value for Cycling (EVC), and the framework of the Cycling Measures Selector (CMS) best suited for starter cities.

The Starter City Roadmap and its toolkit will be made available in the form of a manual and of an interactive website and through several local workshops involving local authorities and other stakeholders. Together with a ranking of national starter cities (regarding their gross potential) the project will empower local policy with technical know-how and arguments against the general skeptical attitudes towards cycling.

The project brings together several experts and builds on prior research on Mobility Management at the Research Centre for Territory, Transports and Environment (CITTA), the promotion of cycling at University of Aveiro(UA), with several ongoing projects and research activities in the field, and the broad expertise of the European Cyclists’ Federation (ECF).

Research Team

Cecília Silva

Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto (FEUP) and senior researcher at CITTA – Research Centre for Territory, Transports and Environment. Her main research fields are Mobility Management, Accessibility Planning and Integrated Planning Support Instruments. Recently, her research has addressed the usefulness...

CITTA/ FEUP

Bio

José Carlos Mota

Assistant Professor at the Department of Social, Political and Territorial Sciences of the University of Aveiro. He is director of the Master degree in Urban and Regional Planning, member of the Technological Platform on Bicycle and Soft Mobility, and coordinator...

GOVCOOP/ UA

Bio

Frederico Moura e Sá

Urbanist, PhD in Architecture (FAUP), MA in Territory Planning (UA), BA in Civil Engeneering  - option of  Territory Planning (FEUP). He is Invited Assistant Professor Professor at University of Aveiro and is involved in diverse projects in the fields of...

GOVCOOP/ UA

Bio

Isabel Cunha

Isabel Cunha holds a MSc in Spatial Planning and Urban Project (Faculty of Engineering at the University of Oporto - FEUP), Ba in Architecture and Urbanism (University of Brasília), and is researcher at CITTA - Research Centre for Territory, Transports and Environment and doctoral...

CITTA/ FEUP

Bio

João Pedro Ferreira

PhD in Sustainable Energy Systems from University of Coimbra in a programme developed under the MIT-Portugal initiative, with a special focus on mobility, transport economics, sustainability and urban and regional policies. Researcher at the School of Planning and Public Policy...

GOVCOOP/ UA

Bio

Catarina Isidoro

MA in Regional and Urban Planning from University of Aveiro and BA in Geography from University of Porto. She has collaborated in national and international projects, focused on sustainable mobility and promoting of public participation in planning, including: U-bike University...

GOVCOOP/ UA

Bio

Joana Marques

PhD in Sociology (University of Sao Paulo), MA in Social and Solidarity Economy (ISCTE-IUL), BA in Sociology (University of Porto & University of Bergen). Her trajectory has been built in the search for different forms of social transformation and equity,...

CITTA/ FEUP

Bio

Catarina Cadima

Catarina Cadima currently works at the Departamento de Engenharia da Universidade do Porto as a Phd candidate in Doctoral Program in Spatial Planning. Catarina does research in Spatial Planning and Transport Planning, with a specific interest in active transport to...

CITTA / FEUP

João Teixeira

Master’s in Environmental Engineering (Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto – FEUP) and PhD student in the Doctoral Program in Spatial Planning, having participated as a research fellow in the project Generation.Mobi (CITTA). The current fields of research...

CITTA/ FEUP

Bio

Luiza Bandeira

From Recife and student in Civil Engineering at University of Pernambuco. In 2018, she came to Faculty of Engineering at the University of OPorto (FEUP) in an academic mobility program, studying in the Planning Department and, currently, collaborates with BooST...

CITTA / FEUP

Tamara Bicalho

MSc in Spatial Planning and Urban Project (Faculty of Engineering at the University of Oporto – FEUP), BA in Architecture and Urbanism (PUCGO – Pontifical Catholic University of Goiás and GMIT - Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology) e Researcher at CITTA...

CITTA / FEUP

Bio

Ana Mélice Dias

Master’s in Architecture (ISCTE-IUL) and Researcher at CITTA - Research Centre for Territory, Transports and Environment, having colaborated in the project SPLACH (DINÂMIA’CET-IUL). She’s particularly interested in the sustainability driven transformations currently taking place in the urban morphology. Her research...

CITTA/ FEUP

Miguel Lopes

With a PhD in Civil Engineering from the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto (FEUP), his research path started with small scale urban analysis, focusing on the performance of public spaces. After a passage through private sector consultancy,...

CITTA - FEUP

Institutions

Porto University – Engeneering Faculty (FEUP) & Aveiro University (UA)

Investigation Centre for Territory, Transports and Environment (CITTA) & Investigation Unit for Governance, Competitiveness and Public Policies (GOVCOOP)

Partners

Support

Cities

Financing

This project (ref. POCI-01-0145-FEDER-031479) is funded by the European Fund for Regional Development (FEDER), through COMPETE2020 – Operational Program Operational Competitiveness and Internationalization (POCI) and by national funds (PIDDAC) through FCT/MCTES.