Inter-urban mobility: the blind spot of the ecological transition?

Florent Le Néchet (Associate Professor at Gustave Eiffel University, Deputy Director of LVMT): “In this work, we defined interurban mobility as trips, particularly commuting trips, that take place between two cities as defined by INSEE. INSEE defines what it calls city attraction areas, which are functional areas made up of several municipalities. These areas are designed so that a significant share of trips takes place within their boundaries, particularly towards the core city of the urban area, where most jobs are generally concentrated.” Anna Aguilera (Director of the City Mobility Transport Laboratory - LVMT): “One very important issue is that our research shows that interurban travel flows involve 3 million people, and more than 90% of them use a car every day to commute to work over relatively long distances. This means there are major challenges, and opportunities, in encouraging a shift towards alternatives to private car use.” Florent Le Néchet: “According to our calculations, these commuting patterns account for a little over 10% of the workforce and around 30% of CO₂ emissions. The explanation is quite straightforward: because these trips extend beyond the boundaries of urban areas, their average distances are naturally longer than trips made within cities. Beyond these aspects, interurban mobility is also important to consider in the broader context of regional development projects. In fact, we are seeing that interurban mobility plays a significant role in the organization and functioning of territories at a subregional scale, while extending beyond the traditional boundaries of cities. It therefore raises a whole range of interconnected planning challenges involving housing, employment, and, of course, transport and mobility.”