Collaborative approach and public engagement in the development of Coimbra Cycling Network Plan
About this good practice
Coimbra Municipality (CM) seeks to promote sustainable travel behaviour, taking actions to improve air quality, reduce noise and CO2 emissions, and boost environmentally friendly mobility solutions.
Recognising public involvement in policy-making is crucial for building trust and ensuring public investments are well received by the community, CM initiated a dynamic public consultation to improve the cycling network plan through discussion sessions and with support of the cyclists-related association Coimbr'a Pedalar.
The community (including frequent and occasional cyclists) was challenged to provide contributions to "Coimbra Cycling Plan" on large maps, with rulers and markers, as well as design models and photos of the locations. Sessions served to incorporate effective public discussion of the Coimbra Cycle Plan project, to gather contributions and to set up working groups to debate the issues, who were able to analyse the plans of the projects under discussion in the Coimbra Cycle Plan. The Cycling Plan was discussed, and experiences of daily cycling were shared, and all the contributions gathered were considered in the final document.
This initiative helps to prioritise interventions following citizens' perspective, aligned with specificities of consolidated urban network, road traffic volumes and the level of parking pressure. The aim is to create conditions that promote modal shift, with progressive measures supported by a public awareness and involvement campaign.
Resources needed
Public interactive engagement sessions require reduced financial resources. This initiative required large maps of the city, rulers, markers to facilitate a detailed discussion. Support from different associations, such as those linked to the subject under discussion are relevant to ensure trust.
Evidence of success
This initiative highlights the relevance of public participation in urban planning. Its success is shown by the more than 50 people interested in contributing to the improvement of the cycling plan, as participants in the sessions promoted by CM, which yielded enhanced quality and scope of the final Coimbra Cycle Plan. The incorporation of suggestions from the public and cyclist community into the final plan allowed a project more aligned with the specific context and challenges of the region.
Potential for learning or transfer
The comprehensive public engagement approach adopted by CM serves as a model of good practice in policy-making. By involving the community in the planning process, the Municipality not only improved the quality of the cycling network plan but also ensured that the infrastructure investments were aligned with the needs and preferences of the city's residents. This collaborative effort is expected to result in a more effective and widely used cycling network, promoting sustainable urban mobility in Coimbra. This initiative can be potentially interesting for other regions that want to ensure more trust within the community with the public investments and can be implemented with minimal efforts. Additionally, the initiative can be adapted to the specific needs and characteristics of the project of any region.