Madrid and Barcelona hold their place in the ranking of the 25 cities in the world best prepared to adapt to urban mobility, according to the latest annual report 'Urban Mobility Readiness Index', carried out by the US consulting firm Oliver Wyman in collaboration with the University of Berkeley in California.
More specifically, Madrid and Barcelona are in 20th and 24th place, respectively, "thanks to the soundness of their transport infrastructures," in the "upper-middle" zone of the global ranking with an outstanding degree of readiness, according to the report.
In this edition, Helsinki ranks first, followed by Amsterdam, in contrast to London and Tokyo, which slip down the index, overtaken by other cities that "are ramping up their efforts to modernise their mobility networks".
The results were obtained by analysing up to 57 metrics grouped into five broad dimensions: social impact, infrastructure, market attractiveness, system efficiency and innovation. With these factors, the report identified the cities best equipped to solve urban mobility challenges.
Oliver Wyman's Global Head of Automotive and Mobility, Climate and Sustainability, Fabian Brandt, highlighted that Madrid and Barcelona have high quality and well-connected roads, thanks to investment in the traffic system, road safety education and enforcement.
Innovation failings
As for Madrid, the study authors highlight the city's investments in autonomous vehicles and implementing several automated transport lines as part of its metro network.
From a sustainable point of view, the report highlights the capital's initiatives to clean the air, such as the transition to electric vehicles by investing in charging stations, even though the results show that the Spanish capital is among the worst cities in the European Union for the number of charging points per capita.
Barcelona, meanwhile, stood out for being well-connected and accessible through its multimodal public transport network, which is complemented by a sound rail system, according to the results. Barcelona also benefits from a national road network that provides "strong regional connectivity".
On the less positive side, partner and head of financial services and mobility in Spain and Portugal, Pablo Tramazaygues, noted that both cities "lag behind their European counterparts in innovation, with room for improvement".
As for Barcelona's room for growth, the study notes that its market share remains moderate compared to its European peers due to the relatively low charging station density. The authors also argue that the low charging station density in the city hampers mobility.
