Momentum Transport Consultancy has today revealed the results of its annual sustainability impact assessment, with a total of 7,937,039 potential net kilograms of CO2e saved yearly from transport modal shift and deliveries consolidation. This number has increased from last year’s figure of 340,207 potential net kilograms of CO2e, which also reflects the greater scale and number of schemes assessed this year.
The annual sustainability impact assessment highlights the environmental benefits achieved from each project that the company has worked on, that achieved planning consent during the previous year. The assessment captures Momentum’s contribution to the sustainability of the scheme, looking at potential transport carbon emissions savings, infrastructure and public realm provision and delivery consolidation strategies.
Potential CO2 savings are calculated by taking the proposed (and consented) mode share, and any delivery consolidation strategies, and comparing them to an industry standard baseline for the given land use type. Elements such as the number of trees planted, number of cycle parking spaces, public realm improvements, active travel proposals and EV charging spaces are also summarised.
In 2023/24 seven major schemes were considered in Momentum’s assessment:
- 75 London Wall (City of London)
- Portland House (City of Westminster)
- Weybridge Innovation Facility (Surrey County Council)
- 21 Lombard Street (City of London)
- 55 Old Broad Street (City of London)
- Shepherd’s Bush Market (London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham)
- Harbour Exchange (London Borough of Tower Hamlets)
These schemes, which have all received planning permission, contributed to a total potential daily saving of 85,161kg of CO2e.
Kana Nomoto, senior consultant at Momentum who leads the annual sustainability analysis and summary, said: “This is the third year that we’ve used our bespoke assessment tool to enable us to quantify the theoretical CO2e savings that we expect to see coming through when the developments we have worked on are on the ground.
“Since our first assessment in 2022 we’ve been really encouraged to see the potential carbon emissions savings grow. And while it’s difficult to make a straight year-on-year comparison, due to the number and size of individual schemes looked at in our assessment each year, the final savings figure reflects both the scale and number of projects that have been consented.
“In particular this year we’ve seen continued potential to achieve carbon savings through modal shift. We’ve noted an ongoing move towards improved infrastructure for active travel, as well as the use of cargo bike deliveries in proposed delivery and servicing strategies. Additionally, two of the projects assessed had significant additional public realm proposed as part of their planning applications. These two projects alone will generate nearly 3000 sqm of new public realm space, with nearly two thirds of that space in the City of London.”
Will Durden, managing director at Momentum said: “We’ve always been passionate at Momentum about making an impact on the sustainability of our cities and urban spaces. Seeing the potential net CO2e savings number grow each year makes us incredibly proud to have worked on some of London’s – and beyond’s – biggest development projects, and to be making life better for the people who live and work there.”
About Momentum
Momentum is a leading integrated, people-first transport consultancy. Founded in 2012 the company creates transport strategies and solutions that inform, integrate with and are integral to every aspect of the built environment today and for the future. Focusing on the emerging, universal and critical issues facing development Momentum works with clients to address the multi-faceted challenges of the industry and to create forward-looking solutions.
The company’s three core areas of specialism in planning, insight & analytics and engineering are bound together by a shared vision to improve the environments we live, work and play in. The company works in markets including commercial, cultural and heritage, education, major events, masterplanning, public realm, residential, retail and stadia and venues.
Momentum was the winner of the CIHT ‘Employer of the Year’ 2022 award, the CIHT ‘Team of the Year’ 2023 award and is a signatory to the CIHT Diversity Charter.
Momentum has today announced the appointment of Lydia Clarkson as associate director. She joins the company’s London team to lead its new public realm advisory service, working closely with landowners, private sector developers, local authorities and community stakeholders.
Clarkson has more than 25 years’ experience in the built environment sector delivering regeneration and investment into communities, streets and spaces in London. Her experience includes roles at Westminster City Council, Shaftesbury Capital and, most recently, as Central District Alliance’s head of placemaking.
In her role at Momentum Clarkson will lead Momentum’s new public realm advisory service – strengthening collaboration between the private and public sectors to deliver impactful placemaking outcomes.
Speaking on her appointment, Clarkson said: “Momentum has a proven track record in public realm design, working alongside major developers and local authorities, and I’m excited to join the team and launch a brand-new public realm advisory service to clients.
“We’re confident that we can enable both public and private sector clients to unlock and enhance the value of public realm across the city, through more effective engagement and collaboration, including ‘troubleshooting’ stalled schemes.”
David Hart, director at Momentum said: “Having Lydia join Momentum marks a significant milestone in our business strategy, building on and diversifying our public realm offer as part of our vision to lead on placemaking and public realm initiatives that create lasting value for communities and investors alike.
“Lydia’s ability to negotiate, problem solve and deliver results will be absolutely instrumental in enabling our clients to deliver strategic public realm across London.”
ENDS
Notes to editor
- Lydia Clarkson joins Momentum on Monday 3 February, dividing her working week between Momentum and Central District Alliance.
- Photo shows: Lydia Clarkson, associate director, Momentum
About Momentum
Momentum is a leading integrated, people-first consultancy. Founded in 2012 the company creates strategies and solutions that inform, integrate with and are integral to every aspect of the built environment today and for the future. Focusing on the emerging, universal and critical issues facing development Momentum works with clients to address the multi-faceted challenges of the industry and to create forward-looking solutions. The company’s three core areas of specialism in planning, insight & analytics and engineering are bound together by a shared vision to improve the environments we live, work and play in. The company works in markets including commercial, cultural and heritage, education, major events, masterplanning, public realm, residential, retail and stadia and venues.
While car-centric development is common in Texas, continuing the pattern of sprawl can neither solve traffic congestion nor foster vibrant places.
Instead, Texas planners are championing human-scale, livable cities and towns – and this was on display at the annual conference of the Texas Chapter of the American Planning Association, held recently in Allen, Texas.
In light of Momentum’s recent launch in Houston, it was an especially exciting conference. Momentum’s US team is well-positioned to strategically come alongside cities, coalitions, and other groups that are advancing people-focused mobility throughout Texas (and beyond).
Conference sessions highlighted the development of statewide transit and active transportation plans, the recent pedestrianization of city blocks in downtown Houston, and commercial drone delivery. Other presentations discussed mobility hub implementation in San Antonio, “cooling” hot Texas cities by converting parking to parks, and enhancing cyclist safety with complete cycle networks rather than isolated bike lanes.
People-focused mobility planning in Texas is a unique challenge due in part to the enduring legacy of unprecedented levels of highway expansion. But as Texas cities continue to face development pressures, planners and communities have an opportunity to reimagine and retrofit infrastructure while holding to a time-tested and economically viable model – walkable streets and human-scale places.
Momentum Transport Consultancy and Spatial Design Hub have today announced the launch of Micromobility PlannerTM – a cutting-edge geospatial analysis software tool and app designed to enable local authorities to optimise shared micromobility networks.
Developed for use by counties, local authorities and combined authorities, the subscription-based online tool is set to empower decision makers in UK and Ireland towns and cities to strategically plan micromobility, including eScooters and eBikes, as part of efficient, equitable and sustainable local transport plans.
Micromobility Planner has been developed with funding from The Department for Transport (DfT) in partnership with Connected Places Catapult through Transport Research and Innovation Grants’ (TRIG) local transport decarbonisation strand.
A new era in micromobility planning
Steve Hands, Transport Planner and Shared Micromobility Lead at Camden Council said: “Micromobility Planner would be particularly helpful to boroughs starting their micromobility journey. It provides valuable data to help with scheme planning and inform conversations with micromobility operators. In our experience, it’s essential to put parking zones in the right places to ensure all areas have access to these transport options and the zones meet local demand.”
Micromobility Planner addresses key challenges in the fast-evolving landscape of shared micromobility planning by providing:
- Comprehensive demand insights: The tool leverages census data and geospatial analytics to pinpoint areas of high demand, helping cities strategically deploy resources and micromobility services, maximise ridership potential, reduce carbon emissions and address transport deserts. The software can be used to determine the most suitable areas to start a new shared micromobility scheme, or to extend an existing one, and to define the shared micromobility scheme planners want to see by inputting desired operating areas and fleet size.
- Parking optimisation: By calculating parking density and accessibility requirements, the tool assists in designing infrastructure that reduces conflicts with pedestrians and minimises disruptions to car parking revenue. With Micromobility Planner, towns and cities can quickly decide how much micromobility parking space to provide and where to locate it, to avoid challenges such as pavement clutter.
- Customisable scenarios: Local authorities can easily model different scenarios to optimise docked and dockless bike schemes, eScooters and other shared micromobility systems.
- Sustainability alignment: The software integrates metrics to support cities’ sustainability and carbon-neutral goals.
Will Durden, managing director at Momentum said: “Local authorities are under pressure to reduce carbon emissions, promote sustainable transport and manage traffic congestion – and well-designed shared micromobility schemes, such as eBikes and eScooters, have great potential to redefine how people move around our towns and cities. But their integration comes with challenges.
“We have already seen several micromobility trials ending and being removed across the UK, and in large part we believe this is down to a lack of data, information and strategic exchange on questions such as fleet size, where micromobility hubs and parking locations should be placed and how many are needed to optimise their effectiveness.
“Local authorities currently have no choice but to rely on information from operators or to commission bespoke studies, both of which can be expensive. For a monthly subscription Micromobility Planner puts independent evidence at the fingertips of all local authorities in the UK and Ireland for the very first time, allowing them to take strategic, data-driven decisions on how micromobility can plug into their local transport networks most effectively.”
James O’Brien, founder of Spatial Design Hub added: “Our aim with Micromobility Planner is to combine Momentum’s bespoke consultancy with Spatial Design Hub’s expertise in geospatial analysis, and bespoke cloud-based technology solutions. As a result, Micromobility Planner harnesses powerful GIS data and analytics to give decision makers highly-granular, independent information which they can use to review and align operators’ proposals with their local priorities.
“This is a first for the UK and Ireland, and we believe it can revolutionise shared mobility by putting transport planners at towns and cities in the driving seat. We’re confident that more places will be able to plan seamless, user-friendly and environmentally-conscious shared micromobility networks by using Micromobility Planner, and taking more informed, strategic decisions.”
ENDS
Notes to editor:
- Micromobility Planner is available for every local authority in the UK and Ireland
- Media demos of the new software are available on request
- Images show screenshots from Micromobility Planner
About Micromobility Planner
Micromobility Planner is a powerful online tool developed to help towns and cities plan for shared micromobility solutions. Using advanced data analytics, Micromobility Planner provides granular insights for local authorities to make informed decisions on where and how to deploy micromobility services.
Micromobility Planner is a collaboration between Momentum Transport Consultancy and Spatial Design Hub, aimed at empowering cities to integrate shared mobility into their urban landscapes. By addressing both operational and strategic challenges, it serves as a vital tool in building connected, inclusive and sustainable cities.
Micromobility Planner is one of the proud winners of the Transport Research and Innovation Grants (TRIG) 2023, funded by the UK Department for Transport (DfT) and Catapult Connected Places.
About Momentum Transport Consultancy
Momentum is a leading integrated, people-first transport consultancy based in London, Montreal and Houston. Founded in 2012 the company creates transport strategies and solutions that inform, integrate with and are integral to every aspect of the built environment today and for the future. Focusing on the emerging, universal and critical issues facing development Momentum works with clients to address the multi-faceted challenges of the industry and to create forward-looking solutions. The company’s three core areas of specialism in planning, insight & analytics and engineering are bound together by a shared vision to improve the environments we live, work and play in. The company works in markets including commercial, cultural and heritage, education, major events, masterplanning, public realm, residential, retail and stadia and venues.
About Spatial Design Hub
Spatial Design Hub, the GIS and app developer for Micromobility Planner, is a leader in cutting-edge geospatial analysis, bespoke cloud-based digital solutions and GIS consultancy services. Renowned for integrating spatial data into practical decision-making, Spatial Design Hub partners with leading transport, urban planning and architectural consultancies to deliver transformative results. Our consultancy services provide tailored support for analysing, managing, and visualising complex data, empowering clients to make informed decisions. The company excels in turning intricate datasets into actionable insights, driving smarter, more sustainable urban planning and mobility solutions that meet the unique needs of local authorities and communities.
“Houston is one of the largest US cities. It’s experiencing a lot of growth in terms of population size.
There are a lot of folks moving down to Texas in general, and into Houston specifically. And so there’s a lot of infrastructure growth. The city and the local community recognizes that you can’t build a way out with freeways.
And so there’s a very big push to invest in transit, invest in sustainable modes, bikeways and more walkable communities. It’s a really great place to be. Houston has traditionally had the reputation of an oil and gas town, but it’s way more than that.
It’s a very cosmopolitan city, very diverse, very rich, with a lot of great industries here. And back to the transit and infrastructure side of things, there’s a big push to expand transit offerings, expand light rail, bus rapid transit, and make transit more accessible and usable.
The same goes for bikeways. Houston has over 1,800 miles of high-comfort bike lanes and natural trails. And so there’s a lot of investment, a lot of interest and a desire to really rethink how people travel around the city.”
From Conversations in Momentum: S3 #8 Conversations In Momentum – Hassan Madhoun on Momentum’s new US office, 4 Nov 2024
In this edition of Momentum Moments, David Hart and John Mulhaire discuss the opportunities around building refurbishment.
In this edition of Momentum Moments, some of the Momentum team discuss Momentum’s Sustainability Working Group, aimed at collaboratively improving the impact projects can have on the environment.
In this edition of Momentum Moments, Derek Griffiths and Joe Tang introduce Momentum’s work on public realm, showcasing the Nova, Victoria development.
In this edition of Momentum Moments, Ben Stutman and Katie Mulkowsky discuss progressive transport planning and the implementation of pocket parks across London.
Based in Clerkenwell, the company will be showcasing its expertise in urban design by hosting two ‘re-imagining streets and spaces’ walking tours of the local area which will focus on examples of good urban and transport planning.
Will Durden, director at Momentum said: “Many people will be surprised to hear a group of engineers and transport planners talk about the work they do as ‘design’. But design, and specifically urban design, is an integral and essential part of everything we do at Momentum. Urban design focuses on the physical features of the places where people live and work. Where architects focus on individual buildings, urban designers plan for the municipal services, streets and public spaces in between them. Put simply it is about connecting people and spaces.
“We’re proud to be Fringe Partners of Clerkenwell Design Week this year. Clerkenwell is home to our London office, and to more creative businesses and architects per square mile than anywhere else in the world, making it truly one of the most important design hubs.”
Clerkenwell Design Week takes place from 21-23 May 2019.
About Momentum
Momentum is a leading integrated, people-first transport consultancy. Founded in 2012 the company creates transport strategies and solutions that inform, integrate with and are integral to every aspect of the built environment today and for the future. Focusing on the emerging, universal and critical issues facing development Momentum works with clients to address the multi-faceted challenges of the industry and to create forward-looking solutions.
The company’s three core areas of specialism in planning, insight & analytics and engineering are bound together by a shared vision to improve the environments we live, work and play in. The company works in markets including commercial, cultural and heritage, education, major events, masterplanning, public realm, residential, retail and stadia and venues.