Events highlights
Over two days of workshops, site visits, and hands-on exchanges, participants explored real-world solutions, shared lessons learned, and discovered new ways to make walking, cycling, and inclusive transport a vibrant part of everyday urban life.
The event opened with welcoming words from Christoph Holstein, State Secretary at the Hamburg Ministry for the Interior and Sports, who emphasised the strong link between active mobility - walking and cycling, and an active, healthy lifestyle in cities. This introduction set the scene for the keynote and panel discussion, Moving differently, living better: The active mobility revolution. Marianne Weinreich, active mobility expert, highligted that active mobility enables LIFE – Liveable, Inclusive, Free, and Engaged cities. She highlighted that when cities are designed to be liveable, they prioritise people; when they are inclusive, everyone can move safely; when they are free, communities benefit from less noise, pollution and inactivity; and when they are engaged, they foster stronger connections between people and their urban environment.
Active Mobility Gallery: Learning from City to City
Cities including Brussels, Faenza, Turku, Coimbra, Pombal, Varaždin, and Hamburg presented posters showcasing innovative active mobility projects from EUI, UIA and URBACT, highlighting local actions, lessons learned, and transferability to other contexts.
Valuable lessons from the discussions of the Active Mobility Gallery: Cities across Europe leading the way
- In Brussels (BE) case, discussions focused on behavioural change, accessibility, intermodality, and the reallocation of urban space. The city’s communication efforts towards families and incentives such as tax breaks for carbo bikes sparked reflection on how to expand participation while ensuring inclusive and measurable outcomes.
- The Varaždin (HR) discussions highlighted how smaller cities face distinct challenges and opportunities. Political commitment, especially from the mayor, was recognised as a key strength driving small-scale but effective interventions. Tailoring measures to local realities proved essential for success.
- Pombal’s (PT)conversation centered on behavioural change and the city’s ongoing effort to shift away from a deeply rooted car culture. The exchange in Pombal highlighted a clear awareness of cultural and economic barriers and the need for transparent communication, equitable access, and intergenerational inclusivity.
- Turku (FI): Conversations addressed behavioural change, safety, and intermodality. Issues such as bus lane use, mixed commuting for students, and road safety during winter underscored the need for year-round planning and operational flexibility.
- Faenza (IT): The city stood out for its participatory approach and creative engagement methods. Feedback mechanisms and gamification were viewed as powerful tools to encourage citizen involvement and enhance safety.
- Coimbra (PT): The discussion focused on data-informed planning. The city’s strategic use of data was recognised as a foundation for developing inclusive, adaptive, and evidence-based mobility services.
- Hamburg (DE): Exchanges revolved around behavioural change, accessibility, and data management. Participants questioned whether city administrations have the technical capacity to manage large data volumes and explored time-restricted car-free zones around schools as a potential solution for space reallocation.
Site visits – Experiencing active mobility in Hamburg
After the morning full of exchanges and inspiring ideas, participants embarked to see real world examples across Hamburg.
Key takeaways from the EU City Lab
Beyond the city-specific discussions, several insights emerged from the exchanges, offering valuable reflections on how European cities are advancing sustainable and inclusive mobility:
- Behaviour change: changing mobility behaviour remains a challenge due to entrenched habits and the persistent “car mentality.” Everyday routines, convenience, and cost barriers make transition difficult. Yet, cities showed that with clear communication, local engagement, and realistic planning, resistance can gradually turn into participation.
- Accessibility & inclusion: Faenza, as part of the Econnecting URBACT network demonstrated that accessibility grows through participation. By co-designing mobility solutions with citizens, young people, and employers, the city fostered ownership and engagement. Combining digital tools with human interaction proved essential to reach diverse groups and make inclusion a shared responsibility.
- Intermodality & modal shift: Pombal illustrated how behavioural change depends on infrastructure readiness. Long-term progress requires aligning infrastructure, culture, and communication so that sustainable modes become the natural choice.
- Urban–rural linkages: the connection between cities and their surrounding regions is often weakened by infrequent services and limited data. Turku’s regional plan showed how integrating ticketing, bike sharing, and design standards across municipalities can strengthen cohesion. Similarly, Coimbra’s use of regional data from 19 cities demonstrated how collaboration at scale can guide smarter investment.
- Public space reallocation & low-traffic zones: successful space reallocation depends on communication, inclusion, and visible local benefits. Cities that integrate community anchors - such as cafés, workshops, or public seating—avoid gentrification and foster acceptance. Gradual implementation and transparent communication help residents adapt and embrace low-traffic environments.
- Safety: it was a recurring theme across cities. In Faenza, improvements emerged through co-creation rather than enforcement, while Brussels’ Vision Zero approach combined a 30 km/h citywide limit, strict monitoring, and safety audits for all new infrastructure. Both examples showed that real safety relies on inclusive design and data-informed collaboration.
Follow-up and next steps
The next phase of the EUI Policy Lab on integrated and active mobility continued with a series of online focus groups, designed to validate and enrich the initial findings, foster peer learning, and engage the wider urban mobility community.
The first webinar, “Under the Surface: The Infrastructure and Systems Powering Active Mobility” (10 November 2025) explored how cities improve safety, accessibility, and efficiency through infrastructure and operational measures.
The second webinar “Shifting Mindsets: Behavioural and Inclusive Pathways to Active Mobility” (21 November 2025) focused on behavioural change and inclusion. Exploring how communication, participation, and equitable access can drive a long-term cultural shift towards walking, cycling, and other active modes.
If you missed it, all slides and recording of the webinars can be found on their dedicated EUI events page!
