The OSMOSE Awards were launched at the workshop of the NICHES project in Stockholm in December 2005.

Objectives

The OSMOSE Awards - created within the framework of the European NICHES project - want to reward local authorities who have shown the courage to introduce innovative and daring measures in order to meet the challenges they are facing today in the urban transport field in a sustainable and effective way.

The Awards particularly looked at the most promising new concepts, initiatives and projects which today still occupy a "niche" position but clearly have the potential to become a 'mainstream' urban transport policy application in the future.  

Applications could be submitted for the following categories:

1) New Seamless Mobility Services: Citizens increasingly ask for more flexible, personalised and comfortable mobility services, which go beyond traditional collective transport supply. In order to maintain and increase the market share of sustainable transport modes, transport policies have to respond to the differentiated mobility needs for citizens.

2) Innovative Approaches in City Logistics: Goods transport undoubtedly contributes to commercial prosperity and economic growth. However, increasing traffic volumes in urban areas lead to unacceptable levels of air pollution and noise intrusion for citizens living in those areas, as well as to traffic congestion negatively affecting city life. New solutions tackling urban freight-related problems play an increasingly important role, but so far have been insufficiently exploited and considered in urban transport policies.

3) New Non-Polluting and Energy-Efficient Vehicles: Despite their negative impacts, it is clear also in the future there will be a strong need for the flexibility and capacity that cars and goods vehicles offer in urban areas. The key challenge is to make these vehicles as little polluting and noisy as possible. Today, only a very small segment of the European vehicle fleet consists of Alternatively Fuelled Vehicles. Main obstacles for their use include the lack of fuelling facilities, low availability, high costs, lack of service, incentives, information, and user acceptance. These obstacles require innovative strategies.

4) Innovative Demand Management Strategies: Most European cities are confronted with increasing problems of congestion and pollution due to motorise traffic. The great challenge for the future is to safeguard our mobility and economic development, while controlling the demand for transport through solutions which convince people to change their travel habits. 

The Jury of these Awards on urban transport innovation (the NICHES Advisory Committee) met on 11 December to discuss on the applications received and after deliberation it came with the results for an edition where the high quality of the initiatives presented made the selection process difficult and the winners champions among champions. The awarded cities/regions for the four Award categories are.......

1) New Seamless Mobility Services: Bremen, for its CarSharing initiative, its main innovation being its integration with other modes, which was key to the success of the scheme. In addition the model is transferable with some work and political support.

2) Innovative Approaches in City Logistics: Emilia Romagna Forum, for its very positive results due to an integrated process involving all partners. The regional approach is innovative as it is very different to tackling freight from a city perspective, as it ensures a better management of what is entering the city.

3) New Non-polluting and Energy Efficient Vehicles: Graz, for its use of used oil to run local buses, which has already contributed to reduce emissions and is a very transferable measure.

The commitment to run local buses on recycled fuel is also a strong point.

4) Innovative Demand Management Strategies: Barcelona, for its integrated approach including green zones, off-street measures (P&R, pricing, etc) and multi-use lanes, as well as its integration of city logistics.

In addition the Jury decided to reward two more applicants as  Gold Star winners, as even if they cannot be considered as “niche” applications they should be considered as integrated strategies that should become mainstream in the long term. These are...

Freiburg, for its long term approach based on integrated land use and transport planning, involving the development of residential areas so that people can access most services within walking distance, and its combined approach for public transport, cycling, traffic restrictions, parking management and traffic management.

Stockholm, for the its long term strategy to promote clean vehicles, including interesting features: 50% clean vehicles within its PT fleet achieved in 2000; ambitious goal to be fossil free by 2050; clean requirement in motorized transport procurement ; trailblazer for promoting clean vehicles; 3 levels of action: political (procurement), infrastructural (work with energy suppliers to introduce filling stations), vehicle/bus (procurement platform for supplier to build vehicle – pre-commercial procurement).

More information on the initiatives presented by these cities, as well as by the other applicants, will soon be available on this website.