VIVALDI project

Visionary and Vibrant Actions Through Local Transport Demonstration Initiatives

Full project title: VIVALDI (Visionary and Vibrant Actions Through Local Transport Demonstration Initiatives)

Sponsors: European Commission - CIVITAS Initiative

Project Manager: Professor Glenn Lyons

Principal researcher: Dr Tim Jones

Start date: February 2002

Finish date: January 2006

Project briefing sheet: Download the briefing sheet document (PDF)

Project summary

VIVALDI is one of four projects, involving a total of 19 European cities, that comprise the CIVITAS Initiative. CIVITAS addresses the challenge to achieve a radical change in urban transport through the combination of technology and policy based instruments and measures. Eight measures have been identified as the basic building blocks of a strategy:

  1. Energy-efficient, cost-effective and clean public and/or private vehicle fleets and the necessary fixed infrastructure (e.g. fuelling) can be considered as a core measure that is to be combined with a wider package of measures in order to cover both the transport demand and the supply side.
  2. Demand management strategies based upon access restrictions to the inner city areas and other sensitive zones by means of introducing access control permitting access only to clean and energy efficient vehicles and to cycling and walking.
  3. Demand management and revenue raising strategies based upon integrated pricing strategies by means of area wide or city wide pricing schemes.
  4. Stimulation of collective passenger transport and its quality of service by means of introducing clean and energy efficient vehicle fleets; non-conventional transport systems; innovative organisational, financing and management schemes, improved accessibility, security and safety; integration with walking, cycling and other modes.
  5. New forms of vehicle use and/or ownership and lifestyle by means of introducing new mobility services based upon clean and energy efficient vehicle fleets; car free housing; shared use/ownership of cars, motorised two-wheelers and bicycles.
  6. New concepts for the distribution of goods by means of introducing innovative logistics services using clean and energy efficient vehicle fleets, dedicated infrastructure and information services.
  7. Innovative 'soft' measures for managing mobility demand by means of introducing new approaches to integrated planning; promoting green transport plans, safe walking and cycling, mobility marketing and awareness.
  8. Integration of transport management systems, including related information systems, and passenger services, such as those for intermodal travel information, transport pricing and payment, vehicle location and guidance and traffic management.

VIVALDI involves the cities of Aalborg (DK , Bremen (DE), Bristol (GB), Kaunas (LIT) and Nantes (FR). It seeks to demonstrate an integrated package of innovative transport strategies and measures and to assess their contribution to improving the four key urban policy goals of:

  • urban vitality and economic success
  • social inclusion
  • the health and well-being of the citizens
  • sustainability

Bristol City Council is the VIVALDI project coordinator. Local partners are First, Bristol Dial-a-Ride, Sustrans, Transport and Travel Research Ltd and the University of the West of England. Transport and Travel Research Ltd and UWE Bristol are jointly responsible for the monitoring and evaluation of the measures introduced in Bristol.