REALLOCATE: Reclaiming Street Space for People-Centred Mobility
REALLOCATE is a Horizon Europe project that addresses one of the most pressing challenges in contemporary urban mobility: the reallocation of street space away from car-dominated uses towards more sustainable, inclusive and efficient forms of movement. At its core, the project seeks to transform how cities prioritise space, enabling walking, cycling and public transport to become the default modes for everyday mobility.
Across diverse urban contexts, REALLOCATE develops and tests strategies that support cities in shifting from vehicle-oriented planning paradigms to people-centred mobility systems. This transition is not only a matter of infrastructure, but also of governance, behaviour, and the cultural norms that shape how streets are designed and used.
Why street space reallocation matters
Urban streets are among the most contested public resources. Despite walking being the most universal form of mobility globally, pedestrians continue to receive a disproportionately small share of space, investment and policy attention. This imbalance has profound implications for safety, accessibility, public health and climate resilience.
REALLOCATE responds to this structural inequity by advancing approaches that:
- Reduce the dominance of motorised vehicles in urban environments
- Improve safety and accessibility for pedestrians and other vulnerable road users
- Support climate goals through modal shift and reduced emissions
- Enhance the liveability and social function of public space
Evidence from cities around the world demonstrates that reallocating space can lead to measurable improvements in air quality, road safety, and local economic activity, while fostering more inclusive and vibrant urban environments.
IFP’s role: strengthening the pedestrian perspective
Within REALLOCATE, the IFP brings a distinct and necessary focus on walking as a fundamental mode of mobility and a basic urban right. IFP contributes both methodological innovation and advocacy expertise, ensuring that pedestrian needs are not treated as secondary, but as central to the design and evaluation of urban mobility systems.
Key contributions include:
- Evidence-based tools for pedestrian environments: IFP develops and applies tools such as the SidewalkScanner, a 3D LiDAR-based methodology that produces detailed, measurable representations of pedestrian infrastructure. These data allow for precise assessments of sidewalk width, surface quality, accessibility barriers and spatial allocation, supporting more informed decision-making.
- Participatory methods and lived experience: recognising that quantitative data alone cannot capture the full complexity of walking, IFP integrates participatory approaches such as walk audits, walk-along interviews and mobility diaries. These methods foreground the experiences of diverse users, including children, older adults and people with disabilities, contributing to more inclusive and context-sensitive interventions.
- Policy and advocacy for systemic change: beyond technical tools, IFP works to translate project findings into policy recommendations that address structural barriers to walking. This includes advocating for dedicated funding for pedestrian infrastructure, the integration of walking into transport planning, and the adoption of road danger reduction principles.
From pilots to systemic transformation
REALLOCATE operates through pilot actions in multiple European cities, where innovative interventions are tested in real-world conditions. These pilots explore a range of measures, including:
- Reallocation of road space to wider sidewalks and pedestrian zones
- Traffic calming and speed reduction strategies
- Integration of walking with public transport systems
- Temporary and permanent street redesigns
Cities such as Utrecht, Warsaw, Lyon, Barcelona, Zagreb, Heidelberg, Tampere, Gothenburg, Budapest and Bologna provide diverse contexts in which these approaches are adapted and evaluated. The project places strong emphasis on scalability and transferability, ensuring that lessons learned can inform policies and practices beyond the pilot locations.
Towards a new urban mobility paradigm
REALLOCATE ultimately contributes to a broader paradigm shift in how mobility is understood and governed. Rather than treating walking as residual or supplementary, the project positions it as the foundation of equitable, resilient and efficient urban systems.
By combining technological innovation, participatory approaches and policy advocacy, REALLOCATE demonstrates that reallocating street space is not merely a technical adjustment, but a transformative process with far-reaching social, environmental and economic benefits.