Insights/Opinion — Cross-Sector Collaboration in Urban Mobility: A “Public-Private–People Plus Academia” (3P+) Partnership Model for Sustainable Mobility Governance

Achieving sustainable urban mobility requires more than just policy reforms or technological advancements; it necessitates a systemic, cross-sector approach that fosters co-creation, knowledge-sharing, and long-term collaboration. While Public — Private Partnerships (PPP) and Public — Private — People Partnerships (PPPP) have been widely adopted, they often lack the structured integration of academic expertise, limiting their ability to drive evidence-based, scalable mobility solutions. This Insights paper advocates for an enhanced “Public–Private–People plus Academia” (3P[Formula: see text]) partnership model in which academia–universities, research centers, laboratories, scholars, researchers, and students alike —- play a central role in driving sustainable mobility transformation. By leveraging research-driven insights, innovative methods and tools, and real-world experimentation and evaluations, academia can help co-develop sustainable mobility narratives that are powerful enough to gain buy-ins from governments, businesses, and lay public and co-design solutions that are both practical and impactful. The potential of the 3P[Formula: see text]model is illustrated through two case studies — Barcelona’s Superblocks and Ferrara’s Bike2Work — which highlight how measurable improvements in urban mobility systems were realized through participation of all four distinct yet complementary sectors. This paper concludes by outlining key research priorities to further refine and validate the 3P[Formula: see text] framework, underscoring its potential to revolutionize urban mobility governance and accelerate the transition toward more sustainable cities.