CIVITAS Initiative

Website: www.civitas-initiative.org

The CIVITAS Initiative helps cities to achieve a more sustainable, clean and energy efficient urban transport system by implementing and evaluating an ambitious, integrated set of technology and policy based measures.

CIVITAS - cleaner and better transport in cities - stands for CIty-VITAlity-Sustainability. With the CIVITAS Initiative, the EC aims to generate a decisive breakthrough by supporting and evaluating the implementation of ambitious integrated sustainable urban transport strategies that should make a real difference for the welfare of the European citizen.

CIVITAS I started in early 2002 (within the 5th Framework Research Programme);
CIVITAS II started in early 2005 (within the 6th Framework Research Programme) and
CIVITAS PLUS started in late 2008 (within the 7th Framework Research Programme).

Within CIVITAS I (2002-2006) there are 19 cities clustered in 4 demonstration projects, within CIVITAS II (2005-2009) 17 cities in 4 demonstration projects, whilst within CIVITAS PLUS (2008-2012) 25 cities in 5 demonstration projects are taking part. These demonstration cities all over Europe will be funded by the European Commission.

Objectives:

to promote and implement sustainable, clean and (energy) efficient urban transport measures
to implement integrated packages of technology and policy measures in the field of energy and transport in 8 categories of measures
to build up critical mass and markets for innovation

Horizontal projects support the CIVITAS demonstration projects and cities by:

Cross-site evaluation and Europe wide dissemination in co-operation with the demonstration projects
The organisation of the annual meeting of CIVITAS Forum members
Providing the Secretariat for the Policy Advisory Committee (PAC)
Development of policy recommendations for a long-term multiplier effect of CIVITAS

Key elements of CIVITAS