European citizens travel much further to work and leisure facilities today than in the past. Despite bringing benefits, this huge increase in mobility has led to traffic congestion and pollution, holding back efforts to achieve sustainable development. Public transport can form the basis of more sustainable approaches to mobility. However, the mismatch between older public transport networks and much more modern patterns of city development make trains, trams and buses impractical for many commuters. Decision-makers must integrate transport policy and urban planning into comprehensive strategies for sustainable mobility if they wish to provide genuine alternatives to the car. Connected Cities seeks to develop an overall framework for regional and local sustainable mobility policies. The project aims to use experience gained from existing successes in some partner regions to provide cities and towns with superior public transport networks and high quality, safe urban spaces accessible to the disabled. Achievements: Achievements so far The Connected Cities (CC) network organised showcase workshops on the links between sustainable mobility and urban/regional development in the Netherlands, Greece, Portugal, Spain, Italy, UK and France: 1) Transport Development in Zuid-Holland (Stedenbaan), 2) a sustainable connections within the Eindhoven, Leuven, Aachen Triangle, 3) para-transit in Philippi providing mobility in remote areas, 4) the Dipole Volos-Larissa in Thessaly aimed at building a new urban system in Thessaly, 5) Harbour (re)development in Volos, 6) Urban developments in Patras, 7) Mobility in Covilhã, a mountain town, 8) Cybercar as alternative transport in cities, 9) Mobility issues in La Sagra caused by the metropolitan growth of the Madrid region 10) the Freight Village in Jesi, 11) Axis Ancona-Jesi-Fabriano, part of a Strategic Territorial Platform in Italy, 12/13) Business Travel Plans, Travel Demand Management in London. 14/15/16) Sustainable mobility for Sénart and the Carré in Sénart. Seven interregional events were organised in Brussels (Dec 2005), Portaria/Volos (June 2006), Covilhã (Oct 2006), Toledo (Jan 2007), Ancona (Apr 2007), London (Sept 2007) and Sénart/Paris (Nov 2007). The events combined steering group meetings, conferences, showcase workshops and field trips. Activities included participants from the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France, United Kingdom, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece and Kosovo. The conferences highlighted important background perspectives of the Stedenbaan concept, the Free Public Transport policy, the use of underground space, sustainable mobility in the Eindhoven, Leuven, Aachen triangle, national spatial planning policies in Greece, paratransit, harbour development and dipoles, mobility in mountainous cities, car clubs, e-bikes and cybercars, mobility issues in La Sagra, the Toledo Light Rail, aspects of the Italian strategic territorial platforms, Travel Demand management and the issues that New Towns like Sénart face. The conferences were combined with field trips to the Phileas BRT in Eindhoven, Perugia’s parking policy, its MiniMetro-project and to the Thames Gateway with its Fastrack BRT. In Covilhã CC a cybercar road show was organised. CC published a special magazine: the Nova Terra. Five issues have been published, each including six articles reporting on the issues and practices exchanged in the network. A web-site (connectedcities.eu) offers still digital copies of reports, presentations, the magazines and even videos. A guide to good practice is developed. Over 15 fact sheets are communicated through the web-site. The events in Brussels, Portaria/Volos, Covilhã, Toledo, Italy, the United Kingdom and France were communicated through press releases resulting in web- and newspaper articles throughout Europe. A Quality Team consisting of prominent members of the European Council of Spatial Planners (ECTP) took actively part in the activities and continue to monitor the project as a whole.