Tartu’s Approach to Climate Goals Through Sustainable Mobility Planning

As early as 2012, the city of Tartu, Estonia realized that the mobility patterns of its residents were changing. As living standards shifted and suburbs sprawled, more residents shifted from mostly walking to mostly driving. To respond to these shifts, the City has worked to implement a host of programs, infrastructure, and policy that has transformed the city into a model for sustainable, accessible mobility. 

These initiatives include:

1. A mobility plan that puts carbon-neutral transport and dense, pedestrian-oriented neighborhoods at its center. 
2. A carbon neutral public transport system that includes e-bikes and biogas buses. 
3. New development that prioritizes green spaces and thoroughfares for pedestrians and cyclists.
4. Citizen participation including participative budgeting, active community engagement, and open source data collection. 

Tartu serves as an example of what is possible with political will and public participation. Interviews, surveys, anonymized mobile data, and more helped Tartu city planners to target routes and develop along resident needs. ITDP is honored to partner with the City of Tartu and TUMI to bring you:

Best Practices Case Study: Tartu’s Approach to Sustainable and Resilient Urban Mobility

Technical Webinar: Tartu’s Approach for Creating Sustainable City Space and Mobility