René Bormann, Michael Groß, Helmut Holzapfel, Kirsten Lühmann, Oliver Schwedes 27/ 2017 SHAPING URBAN CHANGE AND PROMOTING SUSTAINABLE MOBILITY AT A GLANCE Important shifts in urban geography and mobility culture demand a new mobility politics focused on quality of life. One that initiates and organises pro­cesses of change, shaping them in dialogue with all stakeholders. Strong functional diversity is a must. All modes of transport must be coordinated, sustain­able mobility strengthened and public space upgraded. This will require adequate funding and opportunities to influence the process at the local level. We travel on a daily basis – to get to work, school or university, to go shopping or to visit friends. The places we want to – and have to – reach are often far from where we live. And our trips are often hard to combine. For example, there is rarely a supermarket nearby work, so we end up travelling long distances every day and spending a lot of time in traffic. Many journeys are made by car and the significant expansion of road traffic over recent decades affects smaller towns, as well as the major cities. The upshot of these shifts has been growing noise pollution, a tangible rise in emissions harmful to human health and the earth’s climate, and a de­terioration of urban quality of life overall. Growth in delivery traffic – which is not addressed in this contribution – repre­­sents another drag on urban quality of life. On one hand, mobility is fundamental to participation in the life of society; on the other, its current manifestations are eroding quality of life, especially in the cities. People living near busy roads, motorways and airports are exposed to especially high levels of noise and particulate pollution. less noise pollution, reduced emissions, attractive public spaces, higher household income and more available time. Positive examples are already showing the way. But many cities suffer strong functional separation and are sharply divided by transport axes. However, promising develop­ments are afoot, in both growing cities and shrinking ones. The time is ripe to harness the transformation processes affecting urban geography and mobility culture with proactive mobility policies designed to improve quality of life. What is needed here is a politics that initiates and organises pro­cesses of change and shapes them in dialogue. This will mean securing a high level of functional diversity, networking existing and new modes of transport and pro­moting the emergence of a new urban and mobility culture. PROMOTE FUNCTIONAL DIVERSITY: MORE ACCESSIBILITY WITH LESS TRAFFIC A lively, safe and attractive neighbourhood is characterised by an adequate supply and quality of homes, schools, child­care, shops, recreational opportunities, commercial space, a range of jobs, healthcare facilities, green space, leisure and sport activities, and cultural establishments. This enables all residents – irrespective of age, state of health, income and background – to access the central needs of daily life. Greater functional diversity also means having to devote less time to mobility and minimising the negative aspects of traffic. An accessible urban quarter increases quality of life for all its residents. Harnessing urban redevelopment to that end means(a) improving planning and approval processes, (b) conducting local mobility reporting and(c) creating mo­bility plans at city or district level. > WANTED: A PROACTIVE MOBILITY POLICY TO IMPROVE QUALITY OF LIFE In cities with a high quality of life for all their residents, every­day needs can be met mainly on foot, by bicycle or using public transport. The benefits include participation for all,