Highlights from the 2024 CIVITAS Forum

The CIVITAS Forum, held in early October in Parma, Italy, is the flagship event of the CIVITAS initiative, bringing together cities, experts, and policymakers to discuss smart, inclusive, and sustainable urban mobility. Below are some highlights that took place throughout the forum. 

Breaking Silos: Plenary focus

The opening session highlighted the need for cross-sector collaboration. The call to ‘break silos’ reflected the urgent need to break down the boundaries that currently divide urban development into separate areas to facilitate more efficient urban mobility solutions. Inclusivity was a recurrent theme, with speakers stressing that a mobility system cannot truly be ‘smart’ if it is not accessible to all members of society, including those with disabilities and reduced mobility.

Fostering innovation and trust through collaboration and data sharing

Session two introduced a 'calibrated framework' designed to drive innovation in urban mobility, by encouraging cities to share not only their successes but also the challenges they face. Data exchange emerged as another important theme, with discussions emphasising the need for secure frameworks that enable trust-based data sharing. Building trust among partners was seen as vital, ensuring mutual benefits, protecting privacy, and fostering a collaborative environment where stakeholders feel secure sharing information.

Ensuring universal safety and accessibility in urban mobility design

The session "Ensuring Universal Safety: How Can Urban Mobility Design and Measures Protect All?" highlighted the need to integrate safety into urban transport systems, showcasing case studies, such as Gdańsk's Zone 30 policy which sets a maximum speed limit of 30 km/h across 67% of its road network. Concurrently, the theme of accessibility was explored in a session on “Mobility as a Right,” where speakers emphasised the importance of community engagement on data-driven solutions, and innovative service designs to ensure mobility is a universal entitlement. Strategies discussed included leveraging OpenStreetMap data alongside administrative datasets for real-time accessibility assessments, and the importance of engaging stakeholders from everyday commuters to policymakers in the co-creation process. 

Global collaboration in urban mobility planning

The importance of international cooperation was highlighted through a dedicated session on global mobility projects. The cities of Dublin (Ireland), Lviv (Ukraine), Mérida (Mexico) and Seoul (South Korea) presented their projects, including progress and lessons learned. Mérida has developed Mexico’s first sustainable urban mobility plan (SUMP), drawing from European guidelines. Lviv presented its strategy for involvement in the CIVITAS network to promote sustainable urban mobility in Ukrainian cities. 

Politician's Exchange Forum (PEF)

The Politicians Exchange Forum (PEF) was held during the CIVITAS Forum, aiming to facilitate engagement among local politicians, the European Commission, and stakeholders on sustainable urban mobility. It was dedicated to discussions on ways to finance urban mobility priorities and implement the European Declaration on Cycling.   

Parma's commitment to cycling

On the final day of the forum, Parma demonstrated its dedication to sustainable mobility by presenting its Letter of Commitment to the European Commission, formally endorsing the European Declaration on Cycling. The letter outlines strategic measures such as expanding cycling infrastructure, promoting cycling as a daily mode of transport, and improving road safety for cyclists.

Shaping the future of urban mobility: Addressing evolving needs through updated SUMP Guidelines

The EU Urban Mobility Observatory's SUMP Guidelines Update: Enhancing practicality and relevance workshop took place on Monday, 30th September 2024 (13:30 – 15:30) during the CIVITAS Forum in Parma. The event brought together over 40 participants, including representatives from local governments, transport experts, and researchers to discuss updates to the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (SUMP) Guidelines.

The focus was on ensuring the Guidelines continue to reflect recent trends, developments, and emerging technologies following their last update in 2019. Participants shared challenges in the development, implementation, and monitoring of SUMPs and through interactive discussions identified solutions,  best practices, and tools that could be integrated into the updated Guidelines.

The outcomes from the workshop will feed into the ongoing review of the SUMP Guidelines being carried out under the EU Urban Mobility Observatory.

Looking ahead: Upcoming collaborations and innovations

As urban mobility systems worldwide continue to evolve, the insights from October’s CIVITAS Forum highlight the importance of collaboration, inclusivity, and innovation. From data-sharing frameworks to safety strategies and cross-border cooperation, the discussions from the forum provided a wealth of knowledge and actionable takeaways for policymakers and practitioners alike. 

Author: Dearbhla Mullin

Views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) and do not reflect those of the European Commission.