AUTREMENT project

The AUTREMENT project – Urban and Territorial Planning to Reinvent Mobility and Engage Tunisian Citizens – is a collaborative initiative between the local authorities of Strasbourg (France) and the Tunisian cities of Kairouan and Mahdia. Located 200 kilometers south of Tunis, Mahdia is a coastal city, while Kairouan, with a population of 570,000, lies in Tunisia’s central region. Running over two and a half years, the project addresses the growing challenge of sustainable urban mobility and planning. It is part of the Strasbourg – Kairouan decentralized cooperationi launched in 2016 to improve urban transport.
Its vision is to “promote walking and cycling, enhance urban mobility, encourage public participation in local affairs, and improve the quality of life for residents while boosting economic and tourist appeal”.
The project aims to position Kairouan and Mahdia as pioneering cities in Tunisia for active mobility, citizen engagement, and local democracy. The initiative benefits from the extensive experience and expertise of the City and Euro-metropolis of Strasbourg, which leads the project.

The project aims to position Kairouan and Mahdia as pioneering cities in Tunisia for active mobility, citizen engagement, and local democracy. The initiative benefits from the extensive experience and expertise of the City and Euro-metropolis of Strasbourg, which leads the project.
The project focuses on three key areas:

• Capacity building: Providing municipalities of both cities with training in local governance
• Public space design and planning: Implementing 10 micro-projects, 7 in Kairouan and 3 in Mahdia, to renovate and enhance urban spaces
• Citizen engagement and awareness: Organizing activities among citizens to help engage them in their cities.

In addition, the project includes several targeted initiatives:

• Development of the Sustainable and Shared Mobility Plan for Kairouan (PMUDP – Plan de Mobilité Durable et Partagée).
• Promotion of active mobility, with a primary focus on cycling, through the creation of infrastructure and dedicated services.
• Support for cycling by launching of a call for proposals for associations. Selected projects including bike schools, repair workshops, awareness campaigns, and cycling tourism, receive financial support and guidance from project partners and a bicycle incubator.
• Organization of the Inter-Regional Forum on Active Mobility in Mahdia for knowledge-sharing.
• Hosting of a bicycle parade to promote cycling culture and advocacy.
• Establishment of a bike house in Kairouan as a hub for cycling activities and services.
• Enhancement of citizen participation in local governance through workshops, ensuring inclusive and sustainable urban planning.

The project adopts a participatory, bottom-up approach that prioritizes citizen engagement and collaboration. Design studies for developments in Kairouan and Mahdia were conducted with strong input from public consultations, ensuring that initiatives align with the priorities identified by municipalities through community feedback. These efforts aim to create lasting improvements in daily life while fostering long-term community involvement.

In response to the priorities identified by local elected officials, awareness-raising activities and further consultations were organized. By integrating collaborative urban micro-projects and actively involving citizens—particularly youth, women, and local stakeholders—the project seeks to foster inclusive and sustainable urban development.
This initiative is the result of a partnership between local authorities from Strasbourg (France) and the cities of Kairouan and Mahdia (Tunisia). It is supported and implemented by the European Association for Local Democracy (ALDA), the Cooperation for the Development and Improvement of Urban and Peri-urban Transport (CODATU) and the Centre for Studies and Expertise on Risks, Environment, Mobility and Planning (CEREMA) based in France. The project cost is approximately $3.1 million, 95% subsidized by the European Union.