A quantitative strategic environmental assessment model to support the mobility planning process of local authorities

Local authorities are tasked to manage mobility in their area of influence. They usually rely on mobility planning to define their long-term strategy to move towards more sustainable mobility. However, the integration of environmental issues into planning remains poorly addressed by scholars and a hindrance for local authorities. One reason highlighted by the literature is the lack of quantitative ex-ante evaluations of the plans. The proposition of the paper is a Quantitative Strategic Environmental Assessment model (QSEA) that helps define the local authorities’ strategy and validate the plan objectives. The QSEA model characterises residents’ mobility in all municipalities It assesses the cumulative distance travelled by cars and twenty environmental indicators relative to pollutant emissions and energy consumption, including indirect life cycle impacts. Moreover, the QSEA model: is based on accessible public data; reflects the density of the area; includes a description of the car fleet. The application to one representative French case (Metz Metropolis) highlights the sensitivity of distance travelled to periods of the week and density; the importance of indirect impacts due to energy supply and vehicles. This work is replicable to other metropolises while setting bases for longer term evaluations. Application 1