Innovative policies and practices for sustainable rural mobility across Europe

Authors

  • Muhammad Junaid DICEA, Department of Construction, Civil Engineering and Architecture - Università Politecnica delle Marche
  • Maddalena Ferretti DICEA, Department of Construction, Civil Engineering and Architecture - Università Politecnica delle Marche
  • Giovanni Marinelli SIMAU, Department of Science and Engineering of Matter, Environment and Urban Planning - Università Politecnica delle Marche https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3705-5251

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.6093/1970-9870/13322

Keywords:

Rural areas, Sustainable mobility, Mobility innovation

Abstract

European rural regions are of immense significance to agricultural production, tourism, as well as the preservation of nature, but are highly inadequately served with regard to transport infrastructure, thereby contributing to their socio-economic exclusion. The current study, designed in accordance with the Romanian PON “Research and Innovation 2014-2020,” takes a comprehensive approach to case study research on innovative mobility practices in rural regions across Europe, incorporating both scientific literature and grey literature. The results indicate an assortment of rural transport practices of an inclusive nature, giving prime consideration to flexibility, social interaction, and mobility. In addition, the study points to an increasing epistemic relevance of grey literature in defining mobility innovation, with a pivotal focus on spatial planning in sustainable transport policy development for rural regions.

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Author Biographies

Muhammad Junaid, DICEA, Department of Construction, Civil Engineering and Architecture - Università Politecnica delle Marche

He is a transportation planning researcher specializing in sustainable and inclusive mobility, with a particular focus on rural areas. He holds a PhD in Transportation Planning from the Polytechnic University of Marche, Italy, where his research addressed accessibility, ecological transition, and mobility challenges in European rural regions. His work combines geospatial analysis, mixed-methods research, and policy evaluation to develop practical guidelines for reducing transport poverty and social exclusion. He has published in peer-reviewed international journals and conferences has research experience in Europe and Asia.

Maddalena Ferretti, DICEA, Department of Construction, Civil Engineering and Architecture - Università Politecnica delle Marche

She is an Architect, international PhD (IUAV), Associate Professor of Architectural and Urban Design at the Università Politecnica delle Marche (Ancona, Italy) and Dean of Studies of the Degree Programme in Building Engineering–Architecture (2021–present). She served as Scientific Coordinator (P.I.) of the project Branding4Resilience (2020–2024) and as a postdoctoral researcher at Leibniz University Hannover (2012–2017), where she currently holds a part-time Associate Professorship at the Faculty of Architecture and Landscape (2025–2030). Her scientific and design research, awarded in competitions and competitive calls, places architectural and urban design at the core as a tool for the regeneration and transformation of marginal contexts and inner territories, combined with a trans-scalar approach. Her work also focuses on the reuse of the built heritage through a circular, creative, and place- and history-sensitive approach. Maddalena Ferretti coordinates research projects and publishes their results at both national and international levels.

Giovanni Marinelli, SIMAU, Department of Science and Engineering of Matter, Environment and Urban Planning - Università Politecnica delle Marche

He is an Associate Professor of Urban Planning and Design at Marche Polytechnic University (UNIVPM). Since 2020, he has been Scientific Director of a research laboratory in the Urban Planning Division SIMAU Department, Faculty of Engineering, coordinating applied research with local authorities and institutions. Research fields: Urban Plans and Planning instruments, Landscape and Green Infrastructure planning, territorial fragility analysis, preparedness and post-earthquake reconstruction plans.

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Published

30-03-2026

How to Cite

Junaid, M., Ferretti, M., & Marinelli, G. (2026). Innovative policies and practices for sustainable rural mobility across Europe. TeMA - Journal of Land Use, Mobility and Environment, (1), 133–148. https://doi.org/10.6093/1970-9870/13322

Issue

No. 1 (2026): Living and Walking in Cities: Mobility, Public Space and Spatial Justice

Section

SI 2026. Living and Walking in Cities

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Muhammad Junaid, Maddalena Ferretti, Giovanni Marinelli

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

  

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