The Cities&Rail project focuses on sustainability and equality aspects in ongoing railway infrastructure investments in the Baltic Sea region.
Due to urbanization, many cities are facing challenges related to congestion, carbon oxide emissions and energy efficiency. At the same time, the project argues, social unease and inequality is increasing, thus threatening the welfare systems and causing segregation in society. Investments in rail infrastructure may address climate change challenges and strengthen the competitiveness of regions and cities. Rail infrastructure reduces car dependency and offer resilient and energy-efficient mobility for both people and rail freight transport. The project stresses, it is necessary to consider all aspects of the investments in rail infrastructure in order to increase sustainability.
The aim is to establish a platform to share experiences and learn from each other. The project will bring representatives from different cities together and initiate joint planning of rail infrastructure projects. It will establish a group of partners and conduct a pre-study. The idea is to work with the perspectives of the cities, the region and inclusive mobility. Meetings and workshops will take place in Stockholm, Riga and Tallinn. The project is led by academic institutions and involves other stakeholders, such as regional and local policymakers, transport companies, urban planners and architects.