MOVE TOGETHER

Project and Conference Introduction

Brussels, Monday 16 June 2008European Economic and Social Committee

Carlo Sessa

ISIS - Institute of Studies for the Integration of Systems - Rome

MOVE TOGETHER PROJECT

WHAT ? An EU Seventh Framework Support Action to raise the awareness of European citizens on EU funded research for urban sustainable mobility

WHY THE CITIZENS’ APPRECIATION IS IMPORTANT TO US ?Because without a direct appreciation of research efforts and thecooperation of the end users (the citizens) sustainable mobility maynot be fully achieved:

Research efforts are not enough !

We need also to promote a new citizens’ mobility culture !

MOVE TOGETHER CONFERENCE

THIS IS A LAUNCHING CONFERENCE

TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE PROJECT YOU HAVE TODAY:

- THE PROJECT LEAFLET

- THE CONFERENCE DIARY NOTE

- A FIRST KEY RESULT OF THE PROJECT: “THE CITIZENS STATEMENT ON EU URBAN TRANSPORT

RESEARCH”

MOVE TOGETHER – WHAT I WILL SAY ?

FEW WORDS ON WHAT HAPPENS:

- TODAY

- WITHIN THE NEXT 6 MONTHS

- NEXT YEAR (THE PROJECT ENDS IN DECEMBER 2009)

MOVE TOGETHER – WHAT HAPPENS TODAY

WHO ARE THE CITIZENS IN FRONT OF YOU ? • THEY COME FROM THE 27 EU COUNTRIES

• THEY HAVE BEEN SELECTED RANDOMLY (AMONG 600 VOLUNTARY CANDIDATES)

• EACH MEMBER OF THE GROUP REPRESENT A DIFFERENT EVERYDAY LIFE PERSPECTIVE (NOTHING MORE !)

MOVE TOGETHER – WHAT HAPPENS TODAY

WHAT THEY HAVE DONE ?

SCREENED SOME 60 PROJECTS ON 18 RESEARCH TOPICS (LIST INCLUDED IN THE DIARY NOTE)

DEFINED AND GIVEN TOGETHER THEIR OWN APPRECIATION OF EU RESEARCH ON THE BASE OF:

- GROUP WORK IN TWO WORKSHOPS (Brussels, Paris)- READING OF A CITIZENS’ DIGEST PREPARED FOR THEM (40 pages, not shown in the conference folder)- ON-LINE APPRECIATION OF 10 URBAN RESEARCH AREAS

FORMULATED RECOMMENDATIONS TO RAISE THE AWARENESS OF EUROPEAN CITIZENS

MOVE TOGETHER – WHAT WILL HAPPEN IN THE NEXT 6 MONTHS

• A similar citizens’ conference process will be replicated at local level (in the Rome metropolitan area) • 25 citizens randomly selected from the 25 urban and peri-urban districts of the metropolitan area will be asked to give:

- their appreciation of EU research achievements and related recommendations to the policy makers (e.g. to what extent such achievements should be implemented in the Rome area to ensure sustainable mobility)

- their recommendations to raise awareness and change the citizens mobility culture in the Rome area

MOVE TOGETHER WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT YEAR (2009)

Move Together Travelling Exhibition:

• Wien, June 2009, UITP World Congress

• Nantes, July 2009, World Sustainable Mobility Forum

• Napoli, September 2009, Mobility Tech Exhibition

• Budapest, October 2009

• Brussels, December 2009

MOVE TOGETHER – WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT YEAR

Move Together Local Exhibitions (during the Mobility Week in September 2009):

• Based on a soft version of the MOVE TOGETHER travelling exhibition (available on Internet)

• To be held in about 10-20 towns scattered in different countries of Europe (selected by means of a tendering process)

MOVE TOGETHER – WHAT WILL HAPPEN BEYOND ?

We hope to help the needed cultural change, spreading a new mobility mentality in the mind of citizens:

“OUR FREEDOM TO MOVE ALONE IS LIMITED”

“OUR FREEDOM TO MOVE TOGETHER SHOULD NOT !”

MOVE TOGETHER

MORE INFO AVAILABLE ON:

WWW.MOVE-TOGETHER.NET

Thank You for your attention !