Re-live Urban Mobility Days 2023

The Urban Mobility Days 2023 conference was held in Seville, Spain, organised by the European Commission, Directorate-General for Mobility & Transport (DG MOVE), and the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the EU. The conference drew in over 800 participants from across Europe and beyond, both on-site and remotely, and it provided an opportunity for exchange, insights and new discoveries in the field of sustainable urban mobility.

From events discussing the common European mobility data space, enabling a Just Transition, and how to integrate shared-mobility solutions in the urban mobility ecosystem, Urban Mobility Days speakers covered a rich and wide range of pressing urban mobility questions.

As 2023 is the European Year of Skills, Urban Mobility Days also had a specific focus on transport skills.

We hope that you enjoyed the panel sessions and exhibition, and most importantly took some inspiration for how sustainable mobility practices can be shared with your community. For those who weren’t able to join the sessions live, or for those who want to re-live any part of the three days, we are glad to share the recordings and conference materials, which are laid out below. Photos of the event are also available here.

Day 1: 4 October 2023

Opening Ceremony

Master of Ceremony:

• Marinda Hall

Speakers:

• Adina-Ioana Vălean - European Commissioner for Transport - European Commission
• Ignacio Manuel Flores Berenguer - Deputy Mayor of Seville responsible for Security, Mobility and Human Resources
• Rocío Díaz Jiménez - Regional Minister of Development, Territorial Planning and Housing - Government of Andalusia
• Raquel Sánchez Jiménez - Minister of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda - Spain

 

Meet the CIVITAS Community

Moderated by Marcel Rommerts, CINEA, Head of Unit Horizon Europe Transport

Speakers:

• Andreas Piller - Sustainable Mobility Officer - ICLEI Europe
• Arianna Americo - Project & Forum Coordinator - Mobility, Eurocities 
• Uli Lerche - Consultant Capacity Building - DTV Consultants
• Nina Nesterova - Professor Sustainable Development of Tourism and Transport - Breda University of Applied Sciences

Panellists:

• Stella Aaltonen - Project Manager - City of Turku
• Ilie Bricicaru - Director of Road Infrastructure Safety Observatory - Technical University of Moldova
• Theocharis Tsoutsos - Director of Renewable and Sustainable Energy Lab - Technical University of Crete

 

Workshop: Engaging with the Public and End Users on Sustainable Urban Mobility Solutions

Co-hosted by EIT Urban Mobility and POLIS

 

Plenary 1 - Urban Mobility Community Support to Ukraine

Moderated by Marinda Hall

Speakers:

• Ihor Terekhov – Mayor of Kharkiv, Ukraine (video message)
• André Sobczak - Eurocities - Secretary General 
• Kris Peeters - EIB - Vice-President responsible for Transport
• Magda Kopczyńska - DG MOVE, European Commission - Director General
• Lola Ortiz Sánchez - Municipality of Madrid - General Director of Planning and Mobility Infrastructures

 

Project Pitches (Session 1)

1. REALLOCATE - Francesco Pilla - Full Professor and Chair | Smart and Sustainable Cities - University College Dublin 
2. ELABORATOR) -  Anna Antonakopoulou - Smart Mobility Applied Systems Team Leader - ISenseGroup/ICCS  
3. AMIGOS - Stephanie Keßler – State Office, Senate Chancellery - Senate of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg
4. NEMO - Peter Liljenberg - Head of Operations and Consultancy - Opus RSE 
5. AiRMOUR - Patrick van Egmond - Managing Director - LuxMobility 
6. DISCO - Paola Cossu - Chief Executive Officer and Shareholder - FIT Consulting srl 
7. UNCHAIN - Elena García Jiménez - Project Manager - ETRA I+D 
8. UPPER - Mircea Steriu - Project Manager - International Association of Public Transport  
9. SPINE - Makis Kouloumbis - Projects Portfolio Director - Inlecom Systems Ltd. 
10. SUM - Luce Brotcorne - Senior Researcher - INRIA 

 

The Whys and Wherefores of Urban Nodes

Moderated by Torsten Klimke, Head of Unit, European Commission, DG MOVE

Speakers:

• Maria Corral, Deputy Director General, Planning, Trans-European Network and Logistics of the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda (Spain)
• Yo Kaminagai, Head of Design in the Projects management Department at RATP
• José Lugo Moreno, Councillor for Mobility at City Council of Seville
• Fernando Liesa, Secretary General of ALICE

 

Transforming Urban Public Transport – a Global Perspective

Moderated by Mohamed Mezghani, UITP, Secretary General 

Speakers:

• Laura Delgado Hernandez - EMTA - Board Member 
• Tu-Tho Thai - Information Technology for Public Transport - Manager, Projects & Partnerships
• Stephane Feray-Beaumont - Alstom - Group Innovation & Smart Mobility – Vice President 
• Juan José Rodriguez - Urban Transport of Seville - Chief Operating Officer

 

Linking Urban Mobility and Urban Space to Achieve Climate Neutrality

Moderated by Barbara Pons, Barcelona City Council, Commissioner for 2030 Agenda

Speakers:

• Karen Vancluysen - POLIS - Secretary General 
• Rosalinde Van der Vlies - Directorate-General for Research and Innovation (EC RTD) - Deputy Cities Mission Manager 
• Janet Ågren - City of Umea - Deputy Mayor
• Kristina Krupaviciene - European Economic and Social Committee - Member
• Joost Vantomme - ERTICO - CEO

 

 

Day 2: 5 October 2023

Mobility for Sustainable Tourism

Moderated by Sylwia Borkowska, Strategy and Policy Coordinator at the European Commission, DG MOVE

Speakers:

• Bente Grimm - NIT - Head of Tourist Mobility Research
• Nina Nesterova - Stichting Breda University of Applied Sciences - Professor Sustainable Development in Tourism and Transport
• Chris Greenwood - Moffat Centre for Travel and Tourism Business Development - Senior Research Fellow
• Patrick Torrent I Queralt - NECSTouR - Vice President

 

The Energy Needs of Urban Mobility

Moderated by Laurianne Krid, FIA Region I, Director General

Speakers:

• Alessandra Barbieri - Municipality of Florence - Manager of Fundraising and European Projects Office
• John Smith - An Post - Head of Sustainable Infrastructure and Facilities Management
• Gabriele Simakauskaite - Chargeup Europe - Policy Manager
• Paul Wilczek - Eurelectric - Head of Energy Policy, Climate & Sustainability
• Laurent Probst - Île-de-France Mobilités - Director General and Vice President of EMTA

 

All You Ever Wanted to Know About the Common European Mobility Data Space

Moderated by Dim Gkatzoflias, European Commission, DG MOVE, Policy Officer

Speakers:

• Johanna Tzanidaki - ERTICO - Chief Innovation Officer
• Daniel Serra - EIT Urban Mobility - Director Ecosystems and Stakeholders
• Peter Staelens - Eurocities - Head of Mobility
• Thomas Geier - European Metropolitan Transport Authorities (EMTA) - Policy Advisor

 

Safe Urban Public Space for Children

Moderated by Claire Depré, European Commission, DG MOVE, Head of Unit Road safety 

Speakers:

• Tracey Lydon - An Taisce - the National Trust for Ireland - Programme Manager, Safe Routes to School
• Susanna Hauptmann - Radland - Managing Director, Radland Lower Austria
• Eva Oosters - City of Utrecht - Deputy Mayor for environment and zero-emission transport 
• Antonio Granado Pérez - Ministry of Interior (Spain), Directorate-General for Traffic - Director of the Traffic Management Centre in the Southwest area
• Annemie Drieskens - COFACE - President

 

Urban Vehicle Access Regulations: are Perspectives Converging?

Moderated by Ivo Cré, POLIS, Director Policy and Projects

Speakers:

• Rosemarie Cramer - Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management - Advisor International Sustainable Logistics
• Jehan de Thé - Europcar Mobility Group - Group Public Affairs Director
• Nigel Williams - European Parking Association - President
• Carlotta Bonvicini - Reggio Emilia - Councilor for Sustainability Policies
• Raluca Marian - International Road Union - General Delegate of the Permanent Delegation to the EU

 

Urban Air Mobility – User Needs and Acceptance

Moderated by Pia Peitl, European Commission, DG MOVE, Policy Officer

Speakers:

• Daniel Garcia-Monteavaro - ENAIRE - Head of the Drones Business Development Department
• Astrid Szogs - Regionalmanagement Nordhessen GmbH - Managing Director MoWiN.net e.V. and Clustermanager Mobility
• Geert Van Waeg - International Federation of Pedestrians - President
• Kai Bauer - European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) - Principal Advisor to Safety Management and Intelligence Director and Project Manager for the IAM Hub 
• Patrick van Egmond - LuxMobility - Managing Director

 

National SUMP Support Programmes: How to Tailor Support to the Needs of Cities

Moderated by Isabelle Vandoorne, European Commission, DG MOVE, Deputy Head of Unit

Speakers:

• Maria Perkuszewska - Ministry of Infrastructure, Poland - Plenipotentiary of the Minister of Infrastructure for Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans in Poland; Co-Leader of EGUM SUMP Sub-group
• Wolfgang Backhaus - Rupprecht Consult - Managing Director
• Alexandre Santacreu - European Metropolitan Transport Authorities (EMTA) - Secretary General
• Alan OBrien - EIB JASPERS - Senior Transport Advisor
• Manuel Márquez Pigner - Junta de Andalucía - Head of Unit 

 

Urban Logistics: Delivering Sustainability on Time

Moderated by Fernando Liesa, ALICE, Secretary General

Speakers:

• María Luisa Melo - DHL Express Europe - Director Public Affairs & Regulatory Western & Southern Europe
• Pieter Leonard - Colruyt - Capability Manager Transport
• Gabriela Lněničková - City of Prague - Member of the City Assembly, Committees for Transport, Urban Planning and Foreign Affairs
• Hélène De Solère - CEREMA - Logistics Project Manager
• Tu My Tran - ICLEI - Head Sustainable Mobility (including EcoLogistics initiative)

 

Funding and Financing Urban Mobility: Lessons Learnt and New Ideas

Moderated by Herald Ruijters, European Commission, DG MOVE, Acting Deputy Director General

Speakers:

• Ángeles Marín - Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda (Spain) - Director of the Mobility Strategy Office
• Françoise Guaspare - Île-de-France Europe - Senior Policy Advisor
• Paloma Aba Garrote - CINEA - Director
• Valentina Oriol - City of Bologna - Deputy Mayor
• Emil Boc - European Committee of the Regions - Chair of the COTER Commission

 

Cycling into the Future

Moderated by Marinda Hall

Speakers:

• Herald Ruijters - European Commission, DG MOVE - Acting Deputy Director General
• Manuel Calvo Salazar - EstudioMC (Seville) - Ecourbanism and Sustainable Mobility Consultant
• Karima Delli - European Parliament - MEP
• Jill Warren - European Cyclists Federation (ECF) - CEO
• Maria Jose Rallo - Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda (Spain) - General Secretary for Transport and Mobility
• Georges Gilkinet - Federal Public Service Mobility and Transport (Belgium) - Deputy Prime Minister + Minister of Mobility

 

Day 3: 6 October 2023

Sustainable Urban Mobility Indicators: Good Practice in Collecting Data

Moderated by Ines Hartwig, European Commission, DG MOVE, Policy Officer

Speakers:

• Thomas Lymes - Eurocities - Co-chair of SUMP sub-group of Expert group on urban mobility 
• Polona Demšar Mitrovič - Ministry of the Environment, Climate and Energy of the Republic of Slovenia - Secretary 
• Peter Munnery - Sofiaplan - Expert - Transport Infrastructure, Planning & Mobility 
• Neri di Volo - EIB JASPERS - Principal Advisor and Lead Transport Specialist

 

How to Integrate Shared-Mobility Solutions in the Urban Mobility Ecosystem

Moderated by Thomas Avanzata, UITP, Spokesperson of the European Union Committee

Speakers:

• Gregor Beiner - Taxis 4 Smart Mobility (T4SM) - Chairperson
• Eirini Zafeiratou - Bolt - Vice President Global Public Policy & Regulation, representing Move EU and MMfE
• François Hoehlinger - Intermobility - Mobility leader & Co-founder
• Ana Ariño - Bird Spain and Portugal - Managing Regional Director 
• Marijke De Roeck - City of Antwerp - Communication & Participation Manager

 

Best of Mobility Management Actions

Moderated by Robert Thaler, Senior Sustainable Mobility Expert, former Head of Department Active Mobility and Mobility Management at the Austrian Ministry of Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology (recently retired), former President of the European Platform on Mobility Management (EPOMM)

Speakers:

• Katharina Paoli Brunat - Nudgd.io - CEO / Co-Founder 
• Marcin Domański - Metropolia GZM (Winner of MOBILITYACTION Award) - Deputy Director, Transport Department
• Melanie Schade - National Focal Point Mobility Management, Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development (BBSR) within the Federal Office for Building and Regional Planning (BBR), and Vice President of the European Platform on Mobility Management (EPOMM)
• Hannah Hook - EIT Urban Mobility Fellow - Postdoctoral Researcher in Social and Economic Geography
• Juan Caballero - Campaign Manager - European Mobility Week (Eurocities)

 

Project Pitches (Session 2)

1. GEMINI) - Shaghayegh Rahnama - Researcher - ITAINNOVA 
2. GREEN-LOG - Akrivi (Vivian) Kiousi - Senior Business Innovation Manager, Head of Transport Lab RID Department - NetCompany-Intrasoft 
3. SOLUTIONSplus - Oliver Lah - Coordinator - Urban Living Lab Center 
4. eBRT2030 - Flavio Grazian - Project Manager – Knowledge & Innovation - UITP - International Association of Public Transport 
5. USER-CHI - Ángel Moya - Project Manager - Department of Technology - ETRA I+D 
6. SHOW) - Clarisse de Cerjat - Project Coordinator - Eurocities 
7. ULTIMO - Ricardo Alcala Farrugia - Southern Europe Business Developer - Padam Mobility (Siemens Mobility) 
8. ORCHESTRA - Runar Søråsen - Senior Business Development Manager - ITS-Norway 
9. TANGENT - Arka Ghosh - Research Associate - Universidad de Deusto 
10. FRONTIER - Pol Torres Álvarez - Data Scientist & Researcher - EURECAT 

 

Plenary 3 – Just Transition and Skills in Urban Mobility

Moderated by Marinda Hall

Speakers:

• Jaime Moreno - Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda (Spain) -  Director-General for Land Transport
• Livia Spera - European Transport Workers' Federation - Secretary General 
• Maria Tsavachidis - EIT Urban Mobility - CEO
• Kevin Mayne - Cycling Industries Europe - CEO

 

Conclusions

Moderated by Marinda Hall

Speakers:

• Heral Ruijters - European Commission, DG MOVE - Acting Deputy Director General
• Teije Gorris - DTV Consultants - Team Lead Capacity Building
• Brechtje Walburgh Schmidt - DTV Consultants - Consultant Capacity Building
• Uli Lerche - DTV Consultants - Consultant Capacity Building