Multicriteria evaluation of urban mobility actions in the framework of sustainable urban mobility plans: the case of the Great Walk of Athens

The European Union has been actively promoting sustainable urban mobility plans (SUMP) for cities to explicit strategies and effective tools toward sustainable mobility. In 2019 with SUMP at its early phases, the Municipality of Athens opted to pre-emptively implement an ambitious urban mobility project, the so-called Great Walk of Athens that despite considerable funding and effort invested was eventually abandoned. Drawing from strategic planning literature, we combine methods to systematically design such project. For this purpose a hybrid SWOT-analytic hierarchy process (AHP) generates strategic objectives then detailed in short- and long-term actions aligned with EU priorities such as active travel promotion, governance strengthening, and digital innovation. The study demonstrates how multi-criteria decision methods can enhance participatory planning, improve transparency in ranking, and support the integration of mobility projects within broader SUMP strategies. While the findings are context-specific, the approach offers transferable insights for cities across Europe facing similar mobility challenges.