DEGREE4ALPS Project

Scattered settlements and low population density make public transport services in Alpine peripheral and rural areas less viable and attractive, and lead to limited accessibility especially for vulnerable groups. In urban environments, the lack of flexible mobility options often exacerbates social exclusion. The common challenge is to increase sustainable accessibility and social inclusion by integrating traditional, flexible and shared, formal and informal mobility options through a set of digital tools and social innovation approaches. DEGREE4ALPS is conceived as a novel and seamless transportation offer tailored on peripheral and rural areas, ready to reap the benefits of digitalisation of mobility to enhance social inclusion for citizens, accessibility and territorial cohesion. Partners will implement two pilot activities developing and testing digital measures in 6 regions a) to improve accessibility for all citizens, and b) to enhance green mobility operations through digitalisation. Two solutions will be jointly consolidated, validated and upscaled building on the outcomes of the pilot activities, consisting of (I) a flexible and shared digital mobility model for inclusive communities, and (II) an energy model to support the ecological transition. Local communities and users, especially vulnerable ones, will benefit from better and more inclusive accessibility, operators will improve their services and better manage the energy transition process. Stakeholder engagement, co-design of solutions and sustainability of outcomes are at the basis of the approach adopted by the DEGREE4ALPS partnership. Transnational cooperation is needed to reap the benefits of digitalisation of shared, flexible and green mobility services in peripheral and remote contexts and for all citizens, by jointly developing and implementing viable and effective solutions, replicable under different conditions, responding to a broad range of user needs.