CIVITAS City Bologna is Committed to Reclaiming Public Space for People
Image by Unsplash
Last month, the City of Bologna (Italy), a proud Member City of the CIVITAS Initiative, was awarded the prestigious European Mobility Week Award 2024 at the European Commission's flagship awareness raising campaign on sustainable urban mobility in Brussels, Belgium.
Magda Kopczyńskaou, Director General for Transport, alongside Apostolos Tzitzikostas, the newly appointed Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism, was on hand to present the award over to municipal representatives in recognition of Bologna’s outstanding efforts to promoting sustainable urban mobility and creating greener, more people-friendly urban spaces.
The EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK Award celebrates local authorities that have excelled in raising awareness about sustainable urban mobility. During the annual campaign, which takes place every year from 16-22 September, Bologna hosted a variety of information stands and educational activities. For example, ‘Mobility Square’, a lively space at the heart of the campaign, amassed over 2,000 visitors. Many local private and citizen-led organisations were involved in the planning of events, helping to build a sense of shared community ownership.
With over 2,700 towns and cities from 45 countries participating in the Awards, Bologna stood out for its notable efforts in making sustainable mobility activities more accessible to the public. A key highlight was the Bologna30 initiative, which has permanently transformed 70% of roads in the municipality into 30 km/h zones, drastically enhancing road safety and transforming the quality of public space.
In her acceptance speech, Anna Lisa Boni, Deputy Mayor of Bologna expressed her gratitude at the ceremony:
“Receiving this award and the support of the European Commission is incredibly meaningful to us! It reinforces our commitment to advancing sustainable urban mobility and continuing to implement impactful measures to give public space back to people.”
Bologna was joined in the final selection by fellow CIVITAS City, Braga (Portugal) as well as Leipzig (Germany), both of which commended for their strong commitment to improving sustainable urban mobility.
Apostolos Tzitzikostas, Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism, stated:
“This year’s winners have excelled in designing vibrant, people-friendly public spaces which are not only green but also thriving hubs of community and connection. The finalists have demonstrated that popular tourist destinations can also serve local communities by promoting sustainable transport. Congratulations to all!”
The City of Bologna's acheivements were also evident during its most recent involvement in the REALLOCATE Project. As part of the project, The Municipality of Bologna hosted representatives from the City of Barcelona and horizontal Partners; Nudgd, International Federation of Pedestrians, FACTUAL, DEKRA Automobil, Barcelona Supercomputing Center, and the European Cyclists' Federation for a Twinning Visit in early April. The visit was proved a timely opportunity to show first-hand how successful mobility measures have been implemented across the historic city.
During the Visit, participants were welcome to join informative and interactive site visits, peer learning workshops and discussions on the City's ambitious accessibility and inclusive urban mobility plans.
From Bologna's recent win at the European Mobility Week Award 2024 to the REALLOCATE Twinning Visit, the CIVITAS City, is demonstrating its role as a source of inspiration and replication for urban mobility interventions and creating greener, safer and more people-focused public spaces.
