More buses, shared mobility services, smarter logistics, and fewer private cars in cities. This is the direction chosen by Italy’s Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security, which has allocated €500 million to support new sustainable mobility projects in the country’s main urban areas.

The plan, formalized through a decree published in the Official Gazette, is aimed primarily at cities where traffic congestion and air pollution continue to represent a daily emergency. The goal is to reduce emissions generated by the movement of both people and goods, acting not only on public transport systems but also on the overall organization of urban mobility.

The funding will be allocated to metropolitan cities, municipalities that are capitals of metropolitan areas, and provincial capitals with more than 50,000 inhabitants. A broad range of local authorities will be eligible, selected according to criteria that take into account population size, traffic pressure, and above all local air quality levels.

The program is part of the national strategy against air pollution and is designed to finance concrete measures capable of changing citizens’ daily mobility habits. The focus is not limited to new public transport vehicles or dedicated bus lanes, but also includes shared mobility services, on-demand transport, digital platforms for monitoring travel flows, and systems aimed at making urban freight distribution more efficient.

The Growing Importance of Urban Logistics

A significant part of the plan concerns urban logistics, an issue that is becoming increasingly central in large cities. Deliveries linked to e-commerce and freight transport have a major impact on congestion, emissions, and the use of public space. For this reason, the decree promotes solutions capable of better coordinating traffic flows and reducing the environmental impact of distribution activities.

From an economic perspective, the largest share of the funding – more than €247 million – will go to provincial capitals with over 50,000 inhabitants. Another €123 million will be allocated to metropolitan cities, with the same amount reserved for metropolitan capital municipalities. A smaller portion of the budget will cover technical and administrative support activities related to the program.

To access the funding, local authorities will have to submit integrated projects involving at least two of the intervention areas identified by the decree. Municipal administrations will have 45 days from the publication of the decree in the Official Gazette to send their proposals to the Ministry of the Environment.

After initial approval, the operational phase will begin: final projects, including timelines, costs, and estimates of expected environmental benefits, must be submitted within 18 months. The projects themselves will then need to be completed within just over two years.

The decree also introduces an advance payment mechanism aimed at speeding up implementation. Twenty percent of the allocated funds will be disbursed during the early stages of the process, while the remaining amounts will be transferred progressively according to the advancement of the projects.

The Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan

Among the evaluation criteria, particular importance is given to the PUMS – the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan. For many municipalities, having an approved mobility plan will be a necessary condition for accessing the funds, confirming the Government’s intention to encourage structured and long-term urban mobility planning.

The political message behind the measure is clear: tackling smog and urban congestion does not depend only on major infrastructure projects, but also on cities’ ability to rethink the way people and goods move every day.

Innovative mobility solutions will be showcased at Traffic 2026, the international exhibition and conference dedicated to traffic management, infrastructure, safety and monitoring systems, smart roads and smart cities, intelligent mobility, parking solutions, and public transport.

The event will take place within Urban Tech 2026 – The Urban Technology Show, a new exhibition focused on e-mobility, traffic, commuting, security, telecommunications, data, and environmental technologies, scheduled from October 7 to 9, 2026, at Bologna Exhibition Center.