InterMod - Intermodal low carbon mobility solutions for smaller urban municipalities
InterMod is a cross-border project that helps smaller urban municipalities in Estonia, Latvia, and Sweden make everyday travel greener, smarter, and more efficient. Many smaller towns face the same challenge: most transport solutions are designed for big cities, while residents in smaller areas often rely heavily on private cars. This creates congestion, higher emissions, and limited mobility options for those without cars.
The InterMod project changes this by developing and testing new ways to move around, focusing on public transport, cycling, walking, and shared mobility. The goal is to reduce CO₂ emissions, improve access to services, and make sustainable travel the natural first choice for local residents.
Project name: InterMod - Intermodal low carbon mobility solutions for smaller urban municipalities
Project leader: Fariya Sharmeen, SoM, KTH
Participating universities/companies/other organisations: Viimsi Municipality, Estland, Cesis Municipality, Latvia & Municipality of Söderhamn, Sweden
Financing: EU Interreg
Project period: 2025-2028
Transport is responsible for nearly 30% of the EU's total CO2 emissions, of which 72% comes from road transportation. Over 70% of EU citizens live in urban areas (cities, towns and suburbs) that generate 23% of all transport greenhouse gas emissions. The EU has set an ambitious goal of reducing these emissions by 60% by 2050. One of the challenges is sustained demand, which is rather prevalent in smaller urban municipalities (SUM). Most transport solutions are aimed towards big cities which are not directly transferable to SUMs owing to low population density, demand and resources. It is a missed opportunity in achieving low carbon emission goals as 95 million people live in SUMs in EU. This is the fundamental common territorial challenge of the participating municipalities. All participating countries EE, LV, SE, have the common need to reduce CO2 emissions and save resources by increasing efficiency, integrating different transport modes and accelerating digitalisation in municipalities. In all 3 countries more than 30% of national emission arise from urban areas; in LV and EE which are over 40% indicating that targeted measures in cities could result in swift achievement national and regional targets. The reduction of CO2 emissions in SUM’s transport together with behavioural change of transport users can only be done by prioritizing public transport and light traffic and connecting different economical modes of movement and services in municipalities. SUMs of participating municipalities Viimsi, Cesis and Söderhamn, differ in resource, constraints and needs, but there is common challenge to reduce the use of private vehicles, by providing alternative transportation solutions for residents, including high-quality and efficient public transport and inter-modal transport solutions. It is related directly also to the need for behavioural change of local inhabitants regarding the usage of car since this is of now the first choice of transportation.
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