Crossing + sustainability. Innovation in urban mobility to increase the quality of life

Urban mobility needs to be organized according to the criteria of sustainability and, therefore, conceived as a system that “meets the needs of society to move freely, gain access, communicate, trade and establish relationships without sacrificing other essential human or ecological requirements today or in the future” (World Business Council for Sustainable Development). Urban mobility is, in fact, one of the main elements upon which the quality of life of the city is usually measured. The authors, based on a didactic experiment, propose a series of considerations on the relationship between urban mobility and the quality of life. Road systems, which constitute 80% of the public spaces, are often not able to provide residents either a space to move safely or a place to meet and socialize. Precisely for these reasons, it is necessary to work on urban mobility through an approach that aims to redevelop the existing road patrimony taking into account the social, technological and environmental components. In particular, with respect to the ecological-environmental dimension, redevelopment strategies aimed at improving the overall quality of life (urban comfort, safety and environmental protection) through natural systems with low environmental impact were examined.