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Sustainable mobility has become a central topic for reflection and debate when defining active urban policies. In opposition to traditional mobility focused on private cars, sustainable urban mobility aims to respond to society's travel needs of comfort, safety, and time with healthy, environmental-friendly, and economical solutions. Soft mobility modes, especially cycling, are an alternative capable of reversing the trend on private car use in urban areas. Cycling has been playing an important role in urban sustainable development in the last decade, being one of the main strategies of urban mobility plans. The present study presents a review of the main European Union (EU) and Portuguese cycling strategies. The methodological approach includes the collection and analysis of the main EU and Portuguese documents discussing the challenges and options for urban mobility, especially those focused on cycling. These strategies aim to promote the use of bicycles on commuting trips and the reduction of greenhouse gas (CO2) emissions, thus contributing to a more sustainable urban environment and healthier communities, the main objectives of the EU's cycling strategies. Conclusions point out that it was mainly in the last 10 years that specific plans for the promotion of the use of bicycles and other soft modes emerged in Portugal, but only in the last 5 years, financing conditions were created to support municipalities in this task. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable mobility has become a central topic for reflection and debate when defining active urban policies. In opposition to traditional mobility focused on private cars, sustainable urban mobility aims to respond to society's travel needs of comfort, safety, and time with healthy, environmental-friendly, and economical solutions. Soft mobility modes, especially cycling, are an alternative capable of reversing the trend on private car use in urban areas. Cycling has been playing an important role in urban sustainable development in the last decade, being one of the main strategies of urban mobility plans. The present study presents a review of the main European Union (EU) and Portuguese cycling strategies. The methodological approach includes the collection and analysis of the main EU and Portuguese documents discussing the challenges and options for urban mobility, especially those focused on cycling. These strategies aim to promote the use of bicycles on commuting trips and the reduction of greenhouse gas (CO2) emissions, thus contributing to a more sustainable urban environment and healthier communities, the main objectives of the EU's cycling strategies. Conclusions point out that it was mainly in the last 10 years that specific plans for the promotion of the use of bicycles and other soft modes emerged in Portugal, but only in the last 5 years, financing conditions were created to support municipalities in this task. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the 90s, the experience with the Municipal Master Plans, has been showing ambiguities in the enforcement of criteria regarding the delimitation of urban perimeters. This figure of spatial planning was expected to be an instrument for the consolidation of urban areas, ensuring their urban continuity. However, this goal was not always achieved. One of the problems is the oversizing of urban perimeters, having as a result the spread of new urban developments, the creation of urban voids or the underuse of facilities and infrastructures. In low-density regions, with a population loss, these problems are even more serious, given the weak demand of buildings and urbanizations. In this sense, this study is part of an on going research, and it will be focused on the study of oversizing urban perimeters in seven low-density regions in the Interior of Portugal. All of them having in common a land-use map coming from their Municipal Master Plans which are proposing the oversizing of urban perimeters compared to demographic or urban developing dynamics. The result of over nearly three decades of these spatial planning instruments are fragmented urban areas with low levels of urbanization and building execution. Even though they have all followed particular methodologies in order to identify the proper limits of urban perimeters, in all of them this process has occurred without the verification of the existing infrastructures. The conclusions have shown that in some cases the urban voids with no demand, correspond to 1/3 of the urban perimeters as a whole. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the 90s, the experience with the Municipal Master Plans, has been showing ambiguities in the enforcement of criteria regarding the delimitation of urban perimeters. This figure of spatial planning was expected to be an instrument for the consolidation of urban areas, ensuring their urban continuity. However, this goal was not always achieved. One of the problems is the oversizing of urban perimeters, having as a result the spread of new urban developments, the creation of urban voids or the underuse of facilities and infrastructures. In low-density regions, with a population loss, these problems are even more serious, given the weak demand of buildings and urbanizations. In this sense, this study is part of an on going research, and it will be focused on the study of oversizing urban perimeters in seven low-density regions in the Interior of Portugal. All of them having in common a land-use map coming from their Municipal Master Plans which are proposing the oversizing of urban perimeters compared to demographic or urban developing dynamics. The result of over nearly three decades of these spatial planning instruments are fragmented urban areas with low levels of urbanization and building execution. Even though they have all followed particular methodologies in order to identify the proper limits of urban perimeters, in all of them this process has occurred without the verification of the existing infrastructures. The conclusions have shown that in some cases the urban voids with no demand, correspond to 1/3 of the urban perimeters as a whole. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]