Partners

The main aim of Baltic Environmental Forum (BEF) Estonia is to preserve sustainable environment through raising awareness and promoting environmental management to increase knowledge and improve skills of different stakeholders. In SUMBA BEF Estonia is coordinating project activities at a regional level, managing project communication activities and co-leading analytical work.

Baltic Environmental Forum Germany was founded as a non-profit association in 2003 in Hamburg. It holds the chairmanship of the international BEF network, the so-called BEF-Group, with offices in Ria (Latvia), Tallinn (Estonia) and Vilnius (Lithuania) existing since 1995.

BEF Germany works on the topics such as chemical- and waste management, water quality, conservation of nature, wildlife and marine ecosystems, energy efficiency, sustainable mobility and climate change – and develops concepts on how our societies can interact more positively with the environment.

In their projects, they work on the interface between science, civil society, policy and administration. BEF Germany cooperates closely with other environmental organisations, research institutes and universities as well as with administrations of cities and municipalities in many European countries.

Baltic Environmental Forum Latvia (BEF-Latvia) is a non-governmental organization implementing projects at international and nation level focusing on various environmental issues: mobility, climate change, energy, nature conservation, water resources, waste  and chemicals management. SUMBA activities in Latvia are implemented by BEF-Latvia in cooperation with the City of Riga. The aim in the project is to promote efficient stakeholder participation and to facilitate creation of Commuting Master plan at a regional level.

Altona is one of seven boroughs in the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, located to the west of Hamburg‘s inner city and bordering the River Elbe. The borough of Altona makes up approx. 14 % of Hamburg with a total area of 79 km2. Several major traffic routes, roads as well as train tracks, run from the city centre of Hamburg through Altona towards the neighbouring counties. With a continuing population growth, the capacity of these systems will be reaching its limits. The development of innovative, intermodal solutions, and a better understanding of how commuters move through the city are therefore much needed – and SUMBA can help develop solutions.

Tallinn is the capital and largest city in Estonia. It is home for almost 450,000 people. In the project it is planned to carry out a feasibility study for light rail in Tallinn and its surrounding areas. Aim is to analyse the public transport network as a whole, to find relevant data and to use it for the development of a sustainable commuting system.

The objective of the Foundation is to realize the idea of the sustainable development. Earth and People Foundation educates, informs and convinces, in equal measure the entire social groups, local communities, government organizations, business groups and individuals. Through educational, information and integration campaigns the belief that social and economic development may be combined with the protection of the natural environment is shared. In the SUMBA project the Foundation focuses on sustainable transport issues in Poland.

The research institute DLR has many years of experience in scientific and applied transport research. They will contribute to SUMBA with expert knowledge in modelling and state-of-the-art solutions in intermodal transport planning. DLR leads the methodological work on transport modelling and support all partners in their work with data and information on transport flows and in that way create the common methodological approach of the project.

Olsztyn is a city on the Lyna River in northeastern Poland. It is the capital of the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship and is a city with county rights. Growing number of cars in the city and urban sprawl cause serious problems with congestion. To solve them, the city develops its public transport (PT) system with particular focus on the tram network reconstructed after 50 years. Moreover, co-operation between the city and the surrounding municipalities will help to expand the PT on the suburbs. The general aim in the project is to enhance the awareness of stakeholders (public authorities, transport operators, citizens) about the sustainable and intermodal mobility.

The City Development Department is the leading Riga Municipality institution in the field of territory planning, detailed planning, and providing for the elaboration of amendments to these plans and control of them. The aim in the project is to find and demonstrate a way to more effectively change the commuting within the territory of Riga and Pieriga in a sustainable and intermodal way by developing an appropriate transport modelling system.

Riga Planning Region is a derived public entity that has been established on 12 October 2006, in accordance with the functions determined by Section 16′ of the Regional Development Law.

The main activities of the Riga planning region in the project:

• Coordination of participation and cooperation among stakeholders in the Riga metropolitan area in order to monitor and coordinate the development of mobility points in the Riga metropolitan area, as well as the development of infrastructure related to the accessibility of mobility points.
• Development of proposals for services required at different mobility points (mainly for the functionality of the bicycle network).
• Mapping and connection of a regional scale bicycle network in the inner space of the Riga metropolitan area. Development of a network spatial development (implementation) strategy.
• Within the framework of international cooperation (Vaxjo, Riga - Riga Planning Region), the traffic flow modeling activities started in the SUMBA project (including CO2 emission calculations) will continue.

The city of Siauliai is the 4th largest city in Lithuania hosting over 100.000 citizens. During SUMBA the municipality plans to introduce a new attractive solution, promoting and facilitating access to the public transportation – the mobile app. Researches to be implemented during the project shall contribute to a better understanding of citizens’ needs and habits, the scope of commuting as well as shall help in defining further aims and goals for the development and expansion of sustainable urban mobility in the form of a Commuting Master Plan. 

Tartu is the second largest city in Estonia and the capital of South-Estonia. The slogan of Tartu is "The City of Good Thoughts". Within the SUMBA project Tartu wants to improve its transport planning processes, while making the urban environment more attractive to people. 

Växjö is a medium-sized municipality (ca 90 000 inhabitants) in southern Sweden. During the SUMBA project, the municipality aims to better understand how to reduce car trips between the city and surrounding villages, and to develop suitable alternatives with public transit, cycling and a combination of the two. As a pilot city in SUMBA, Växjö will test a bicycle lending program that allows participants to test different types of bikes (for example: cargo, electric assist and folding) and provide feedback on how to improve related services and infrastructure to make cycling and public transit more attractive. By the end of the project, Växjö will be better equipped to write its following transport plan (SUMP).

Union of Harju County Municipalities (HOL) is regional cooperative and representative organization, founded 1992. The tasks of Union of Harju County Municipalities include leading regional cooperation and long-term strategic planning as well as representing the interest of Harju County municipalities. HOL is responsible for the regional development strategy of the Harju County. Since beginning of 2018 is HOL responsible for several tasks previously performed by Harju County Government including responsibilities for balanced regional development and representing the region in international cooperation. All Harju County municipalities are founding members of HOL, it is a legal body governed by public law and financed by Harju County municipalities and state. Within the framework of SUMBA, HOL is carrying out a feasibility study for light rail in Tallinn and its surrounding areas in cooperation with City of Tallinn.