Figure 1. Research Structure

Subsequently, Chapter 4 shows the analysis and results from the findings of this work that are further discussed in Chapter 5 with complementary analysis to answer the Research Question. Finally, Chapter 6 closes this research with its conclusions, limitations, and recommendations for further studies.

Figure 1. Research Structure. Source: Author

2. Literature Review

The modern lifestyle has been attracting more people to urban centers. In an attempt to accommodate this growing demand for urban spaces, cities are expanded, most of the time, in a disorderly way, bringing many urban mobility challenges. Therefore, global trends have increasingly pointed to the new urban policies based on sustainability as tentatives to overcoming these negative impacts.

Accordingly, planning documents can provide effective strategies to address many urban mobility demands. Hence, this chapter presents a literature review on aspects that characterize strategic documents as a powerful planning tool. In addition, the history of the transport management systems has been portrayed to highlight the planning evolution process toward the current European Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan concept.

2.1. Strategic planning documents as a powerful tool

The urbanization process has happened in a dynamic and fast way worldwide. This rapid change in the land use panorama has brought transformations and profound economic, social, and environmental problems (Zhang, 2016). Notably, urban transport has been responsible for several of these issues, and solutions for urban mobility have been challenging public policies. As a result, the European Commission has remarkably transformed its transport vision, realizing it should not be exclusively managed by local government (Halpern, 2014; May, 2015). Thus, several government initiatives have been trying to develop alternatives that improve the quality of urban life to face the challenges of recent decades, being Urban Mobility Plans among these solutions.

Given the importance of this tool, before delving into the characteristics of the Urban Mobility Plan, it is essential to clarify what a plan is and its evolution through time. Under economic, political science, and public administration, different pieces of literature define, for instance, the historical and political situations of planning in the largest cities of the world (Robson, 1954). Some others analyze the causes and effects of complex problems and the implementation of national plans, which most of the time leads to an ideological