Cities in Motion: Europe’s Journey Toward Urban Mobility Development

This thesis examines the development of urban mobility and sustainability in Europe from the post-war period to the present, emphasizing the intricate relationship among technical innovation, socio-economic change, and regulatory frameworks. The research delineates the historical progression from automobile-centric planning to modern initiatives that emphasize compact, low-carbon, and inclusive urban settings. Congestion, pollution, and socioeconomic inequality have become increasingly problematic issues in European cities, despite the fact that these cities first celebrated the spread of automobiles as a sign of a modernized society. Policy responses, such as the EU’s Green Paper (2007), White Paper (2011), Urban Mobility Package (2013), and European Green Deal (2019), demonstrate a progressive paradigm shift towards sustainability, highlighting multimodality, active transportation, and digitization. Nevertheless, challenges persist: reliance on automobiles in suburbs, inconsistent governance, cultural opposition, and disparities in equality hinder advancement. Through case studies and comparative analysis, the thesis argues that Europe’s transition toward sustainable mobility is both necessary and contested—marked by innovative practices such as cycling networks, congestion charges, and the “15-minute city,” but limited by governance fragmentation and socio-spatial inequalities.