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
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 of the U-Bike project at the University of Aveiro. He is involved in collaborative planning projects and the promotion of sustainable mobility.
- Location: GOVCOOP/ UA
- Website: Link
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 urban planning and mobility, urban rehabilitation and qualification of public spaces. Since 2017, he is managing partner of the urban planning company UEST.
- Location: GOVCOOP/ UA
- Website: Link
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 student in the Doctoral Program in Spatial Planning – FEUP. Her current fields of research are Mobility Management, Accessibility, Cycling mobility, Urban Planning and Sustainability.
- Location: CITTA/ FEUP
- Website: Link
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 from Rutgers University, New Jersey, USA, and at University of Aveiro, involved in feasibility studies of bicycle sharing systems and other consulting projects.
- Location: GOVCOOP/ UA
- Website: Link
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 of Aveiro and CPIP – Community Participation in Planning.
- Location: GOVCOOP/ UA
- Website: Link
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, through different fields and approaches such as public policies, work, culture, collective action, education and, currently, urban mobility. She is researcher at CITTA – Research Centre for Territory, Transports and Environment and collaborates with the Centre for Research and Studies in Sociology (CIES/ ISCTE-IUL).
- Location: CITTA/ FEUP
- Website: Link
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 school, academic mobilities, urban environmental decision-making processes, future mobility trends and links between transport strategies, sustainability and health.
- Location: 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 are Mobility Management, Sustainable Mobility and Planning & Transports.
- Location: CITTA/ FEUP
- Website: Link
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 project. In Brazil, she was a researcher at INCITI – Center for Research and Innovation for Cities and she is a supporter of active and inclusive mobility, aiming at the future of more sustainable urban mobility and more inclusive cities.
- Location: 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 – Research Centre for Territory, Transports and Environment. Her research field includes mobility management, planning support instruments and attitudes towards urban mobility. She participated in the Generation.Mobi project (CITTA) and is currently involved in the IPTC project – Improving Public Transport Competitiveness versus the Private Car in partnership with the Norwegian Centre for Transport Research.
- Location: CITTA / FEUP
- Website: Link
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 areas include the urban food system and, recently, urban mobility.
- Location: 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, his research scope has gradually evolved into wider and more complex analysis streams, in themes such as mobility management and urban metabolism.
Currently, he is a researcher at CITTA (Research Centre for Territory, Transports and Environment).
- Location: 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
| Amadora | Lisbon | Odivelas | Trofa |
| Beja | Loures | Oeiras | Valongo |
| Chamusca | Machico | Portimão | Vila Nova de Gaia |
| Condeixa-a-Nova | Maia | Porto | |
| Fundão | Marco de Canavenses | Santa Maria da Feira | |
| Gondomar | Matosinhos | Tavira |
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.
