The revised TEN-T Regulation recognises urban nodes as essential components of Europe’s strategic transport network, linking local, regional, national and trans-European systems. As multimodal hubs, they are expected to ensure efficient movement of passengers and freight, strengthen last-mile logistics, and accelerate the transition towards climate-neutral transport. The meeting brought together regional representatives and experts to exchange experiences, highlight best practices and discuss how regional actors can support urban nodes in fulfilling TEN-T requirements through coordinated planning and strategic investment.

Melina Zarouka, POLIS, opened the discussion with an overview of the new TEN-T Regulation and the strengthened role of urban nodes, highlighting the importance of regions in developing SUMPs and in monitoring and applying urban mobility indicators as part of this wider European framework.

Regional climate mobility planning in Baden-Württemberg

Wolf Engelbach, Baden-Württemberg and Chair of the Regions Working Group, presented his region’s approach to integrated mobility and climate planning. Through its Climate Mobility Plan, Baden-Württemberg supports not only cities but also municipal associations and districts. These plans use a regional transport model to define specific measures aimed at reducing carbon emissions, with a target to halve these emissions by 2030. The Climate Mobility Plan has been legally anchored since 2021 under the Climate Protection Act of Baden-Württemberg. It is linked to a “climate bonus” funding mechanism, whereby municipalities receive extra funding for the implementation of infrastructure measures. Currently, sixteen Climate Mobility Plans are in development or implementation, including all eight urban nodes in Baden-Württemberg, while eight additional administrations are in the initial stages of the process.

Implementation takes place in parallel across internal governance structures and financing frameworks, influencing institutional prioritisation, legal regulations, funding schemes and cooperation with associations and companies. The region supports local authorities through targeted networking, regulatory innovation, and administrative transformation. Model communities and local staff participate in project-based exchanges and thematic discussions on cycling, electrification and climate-oriented planning. The region has also introduced an innovative mobility law that facilitates third-party funding and digital parking control, while rapidly adapting federal legislation to the regional context. In addition, climate tasks are now systematically embedded in the regional administration, supported by training and cross-departmental communication.

Baden-Württemberg's key takeaways from this process are that: (1) having a clear and well-communicated strategy is essential; (2) successful transformation depends on people, requiring sufficient and motivated staffing across all levels; and (3) financial reliability remains critical, as long-term funding underpins both infrastructure and service delivery.

The regional and spatial dimension in Zuid-Holland

Raymond Linssen, Province of Zuid-Holland, shared the evolution of intermodal hub development in the Netherlands, describing how spatial planning has become increasingly integrated with transport planning along key corridors. He compared the bottom-up regional approach in Zuid-Holland with the more top-down model used in Baden-Württemberg, illustrating the diversity of governance structures within the EU.

Linssen underlined the need to raise awareness of urban node responsibilities and to strengthen the regional dimension of SUMPs, particularly through approaches such as poly-SUMPs, gap analyses and multi-level governance frameworks. Zuid-Holland’s integrated approach to urbanisation and mobility aims to enhance the 'borrowed size' of the Southern Randstad metropolis through transit-oriented development (TOD) along the Oude Lijn corridor linking Leiden, The Hague, Rotterdam, and Dordrecht. The strategy seeks to intensify inner-city redevelopment and accessibility around existing rail infrastructure, contributing to a future-proof and sustainable regional development model.

Theo Heinink, Clean Energy Hubs, expanded the discussion by explaining also the role of the energy transition in developing intermodal hubs, arguing that aligning energy infrastructure and mobility planning is essential to ensure the long-term sustainability and resilience of transport systems.

Regional SUMPs and governance in Flanders

Sven Lieten, Limburg, presented the policy framework for Regional SUMPs (R-SUMPs) in Flanders, explaining how responsibilities are distributed among stakeholders and levels of governance and shared lessons learned from the L-SUMP project. The Flemish experience highlights the importance of inter-departmental coordination, the integration of climate goals into mobility planning, and the role of consistent funding supported by reliable mobility indicators.

Lieten noted that mobility challenges rarely align with municipal boundaries and must be addressed at the regional level. Increasingly complex challenges such as climate change, water management and noise pollution require comprehensive regional solutions. Growing citizen participation and the involvement of new types of stakeholders are contributing to more innovative and ambitious planning contexts.

The R-SUMP process follows a three-stage structure:

• Orientation: Identifies existing problems, gathers data, and analyses existing mobility plans.
• Synthesis: Establishes objectives and ambitions, compares different sustainable scenarios, engages stakeholders and selects a preferred scenario.
• Policy Plan: Develops specific action and investment programmes across key transport domains such as cycling, public transport and roads.

This process, whilst being effective, also presents difficulties. Local authorities may not always prioritise supra-local interests, particularly when these appear disadvantageous to their own context. To address this, the process begins with general principles that are approved step by step, allowing gradual progression towards a shared outcome.

National SUMP support in Slovenia

Mojca Balant, Urban Planning Institute of the Republic of Slovenia (UIRS) presented Slovenia’s national SUMP support programme. The initiative provides guidance and financial support to municipalities, assists the Ministry of Transport in monitoring urban mobility indicators, and promotes the integration of SUMPs into national planning frameworks.

Regional mobility centres play a key role in coordinating SUMP preparation, monitoring implementation and promoting sustainable mobility. They support municipalities in implementing and evaluating SUMPs, collaborate with national coordinators for European Mobility Week and cycling, and collect data to inform both local and national public transport improvements. Balant also reflected on governance challenges in Slovenia, where there is no formal regional administrative level: regional councils consist of mayors from local municipalities, making it difficult to secure broad political agreement. The main regional priorities continue to be public transport, state road management, and the integration of spatial and transport planning.

Beyond the presentations, the meeting held a World Café Workshop, where participants discussed: (1) SUMP on all Levels: governance & partnerships; (2) The power of data: Data collection, management, and usage within the EU framework; and (3) Financing the flow: Making multimodal hubs happen.

Conclusion

The meeting underlined the essential role of regions in supporting local authorities to develop and implement SUMPs and to meet the requirements of the TEN-T Regulation. Participants agreed that regions must establish frameworks that provide incentives and funding for SUMP implementation, while strengthening cooperation across national, regional and local levels. Effective data collection and monitoring were recognised as prerequisites for data-driven mobility planning.

The outcomes of this discussion will contribute to preparations for the upcoming Urban Nodes Workshop, taking place in Utrecht, The Netherlands, on 25 November 2025, where these themes will be explored further in the context of TEN-T implementation and regional leadership in sustainable mobility.