Brno is the second largest city in the Czech Republic with about 370,000 inhabitants and about 80,000 students. A number of national institutions such as national courts are based in Brno and it is the administrative and economic centre of the South Moravia region. Brno is part of the Integrated Transport System of South Moravian Region which also covers parts of Slovakia and Austria and thus covers an area with more than 1.2 million inhabitants.
Brno has an extensive tram network and also trolleybuses are in operation in the city and its surrounding areas. They were introduced in Brno in the 1950s which made them one of the first Czech cities using electric buses. Today, Brno has the largest trolleybus network in the Czech Republic with 13 trolleybus lines and a fleet of about 150 vehicles.
Several separate topical plans for various transport modes have been developed in Brno. In CH4LLENGE, they will bring all strategies and plans together by starting the preparation of a Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan. A working group (representatives of city administration, public transport operators and other transport organizations) was established to prepare and implement the SUMP. The city administration also works closely with a local NGO which is currently working on the Mobility Plan for the Brno Technology Park.
The City of Brno already gained first experience in participation processes when minibuses for people with reduced mobility were introduced in 2009. The Brno Public Transport Company consulted the mobility-impaired groups to identify their travel needs and routes that should be covered by the minibus network. In CH4LLENGE, Brno will broaden the scope of current participation practice and will develop a common vision for mobility, identify priorities and goals as well as decide on SUMP measures to be taken in a participatory approach. In this participatory development process, strong focus will also be on cross-institutional cooperation and inter-institutional agreements.
About mobility planning in Brno: