SnowHowYear-round active mobility – resources and network

Resources

8 resources

  • GuidelineCore resource

    Snow Space Guide – guidelines for a better winter

    Eeva Huuhtanen, Timo Perälä · 2024 · Finland

    A comprehensive guide to handling snow and dimensioning snow storage space in the urban environment. It explains why year-round planning matters and how it supports municipalities' strategic goals, and walks through every stage of the built-environment process, from legislation and strategic planning to street-space supervision. Intended for commissioners, planners, builders and maintenance operators in both the public and private sectors.

    • Planning & Design
    • Maintenance & Operations
    • Policy, Strategy & Governance
  • ResearchStrategy

    Assessment of Seoul's Snow Removal Operations and Improvement Strategies

    Oh Han Jin, Park Daegeun, Lee Keesei, Ma Gyeonghoon · 2026 · South Korea

    This policy research report evaluates Seoul's winter maintenance operations using weather and operational evidence, including data from the 2020/21 to 2024/25 winter seasons. It identifies increasing road icing risks, fragmented responsibilities between municipal agencies, inconsistent maintenance standards and shortcomings in the prioritisation of vulnerable locations. The study proposes risk-based maintenance planning, improved coordination between districts, GIS-supported resource allocation, more consistent deicing practices and greater use of weather and road surface data in operational decision-making. Although its scope extends beyond active mobility, the findings are particularly relevant to improving the reliability, safety and governance of winter maintenance for pedestrian areas and urban transport networks.

    • Maintenance & Operations
    • Data & Monitoring
    • Policy, Strategy & Governance
  • Guideline

    Community-driven small sport facilities

    Dan Kollar · 2025 · Slovakia, Austria

    This practical guide explores how community-driven, small-scale sports facilities can promote inclusive physical activity, independent mobility and stronger neighbourhoods year-round. Featuring six European case studies, it highlights grassroots initiatives, participatory planning, funding approaches and cooperation with municipalities, offering lessons for creating accessible sports and play spaces close to home.

    • Planning & Design
    • Health, Safety & Wellbeing
  • ResearchCase study

    Residents’ Seasonal Behavior Patterns and Spatial Preferences in Public Open Spaces of Severely Cold Regions: Evidence from Harbin, China

    Shuai Liang, Hong Leng · 2025 · China

    This study develops a computer vision-based method for analysing how residents use public open spaces across all four seasons in Harbin, China. Using longitudinal video observations of a residential square, the researchers extracted pedestrian trajectories, identified five distinct behavioural patterns and examined their relationships with spatial characteristics through geographically weighted regression. The automated classification achieved an overall accuracy of 87.5%. The findings show that activity patterns and spatial preferences vary seasonally, with features such as greenery, shading, facilities and sky visibility influencing how people use outdoor spaces. The methodology offers urban planners a data-driven approach to evaluating and improving public spaces for year-round activity in cold-climate cities

    • Planning & Design
    • Data & Monitoring
    • Behaviour & Mobility Management
    • Health, Safety & Wellbeing
  • Presentation

    Snow Removal and Winter Maintenance in the city of Montréal

    Martin Savard, directeur, Ville de Montréal · 2021 · Canada

    A municipal administrative presentation outlining Montréal's winter maintenance arrangements for the 2021–2022 season, including snow clearance priorities, operational service targets, responsibilities and provisions for sidewalks and cycling routes. It illustrates how active mobility infrastructure is addressed within the city's winter maintenance planning.

    • Maintenance & Operations
    • Policy, Strategy & Governance
  • Report

    Regional Winter Maintenance plan for Savilahti, Kuopio

    Timo Perälä, Eeva Huuhtanen, Pekka Tahkola · 2019 · Finland

    This study develops an integrated approach to winter maintenance and winter urban planning for the Savilahti district in Kuopio, Finland. Commissioned by the City of Kuopio and prepared by Navico Oy, it combines a literature review, international expert consultation, stakeholder engagement, maintenance practitioner workshops and site assessments to identify practical solutions for creating a more sustainable, attractive and functional winter city. The report challenges the conventional approach of treating snow and ice primarily as problems to be removed. Instead, it proposes treating winter as an integral part of urban planning and snow as a resource that can support recreation, wellbeing and the quality of public spaces. Its recommendations address local snow storage and reuse, snow logistics, snow melting systems, anti-skid treatments, digitalisation and collaborative maintenance arrangements. Particular emphasis is placed on maintaining safe and attractive conditions for walking, cycling and public transport. The study recommends adapting maintenance methods to prevailing winter conditions, reducing unnecessary snow transport, considering snow melting systems at critical pedestrian and cycling locations, and incorporating maintenance requirements into urban design from the outset. Beyond technical solutions, the report highlights the importance of governance, procurement, stakeholder participation and organisational change. It offers a practical framework for municipalities seeking to move from reactive snow removal towards proactive, integrated year-round urban management.

    • Planning & Design
    • Maintenance & Operations
    • Policy, Strategy & Governance
  • GuidelineStrategy

    Winter City: Principles and Strategies for Winter Planning and Design of Montreal's Active Public Space Network

    Olivier Legault; Vivre en Ville (publisher), Research collaboration: Olivier Roy-Baillargeon · 2018 · Canada

    An illustrated planning and design guide for creating accessible, comfortable and active public spaces throughout winter in Montreal. It presents five guiding principles and practical strategies for developing connected winter networks, integrating walking, cycling, universal accessibility, snow management and public space design.

    • Planning & Design
    • Maintenance & Operations
    • Policy, Strategy & Governance
  • ToolkitDataset

    Oulu Winter Cycling Maintenance Tracker

    City of Oulu · 2017 · Finland

    Oulunliikenne.fi is a public transport information platform that provides real-time monitoring of winter maintenance operations and road weather conditions on Oulu Region's main cycling network. The map-based service displays maintenance vehicle locations and historical records of snow ploughing, gritting and other maintenance activities, allowing users to check when individual route sections were last maintained. The platform also includes road weather stations located along the cycling network, providing real-time weather and surface condition data together with camera images of actual cycling conditions. These observations help cyclists assess route conditions and complement maintenance records with information about the current state of the infrastructure. The service demonstrates how cities can combine operational maintenance data, weather monitoring and visual observations in a single public interface to improve transparency, support informed travel decisions and communicate winter cycling conditions. It also provides a practical example of data-driven winter maintenance management and year-round cycling information services.

    • Maintenance & Operations
    • Data & Monitoring