CIVITAS Connects at Eurocities Mobility Forum
Image by Sanne Vanderstraeten
CIVITAS Connects at Eurocities Mobility Forum
This year’s Eurocities Mobility Forum took place in Riga, Latvia, under the theme 'Collaborating Beyond Boundaries: Sustainable Mobility for All.' True to this spirit, CIVITAS brought people together by hosting an interactive welcome cocktail in collaboration with the CIVITAS project SCALE-UP, coordinated by the city of Antwerp.
The highlight of the evening was an engaging and informative quiz, allowing participants to test their knowledge while discovering the many opportunities CIVITAS offers. Attendees also had the chance to hear directly from key members of the CIVITAS community, who shared insights into ongoing projects and upcoming initiatives.
Elīna Kirilko on the Replication and Deployment Programme
Elīna Kirilko from the City of Riga took the stage to share her experience as Challenge City in the last cycle of the CIVITAS Replication and Deployment Programme. She described how the programme helped Riga to think outside the box and encouraged cities to apply for the newly launched second cycle.
“Participating in the Replication and Deployment Programme was an invaluable experience for Riga. I highly recommend applying to become a Challenge City. The programme helped us formulate a clearer vision in placemaking and participatory processes and understand the first actions that needs to be taken. It gave us access to expert guidance, peer learning, and support to advance our sustainable mobility goals.” – Elīna Kirilko
Cities interested in joining the next cycle can apply until 25 April.
“Peer-to-peer exchanges are at the core of Eurocities identity. The CIVITAS Replication and Deployment programme can offer cities all over Europe the opportunity to tap into the knowledge generated by the CIVITAS Initiative, where municipalities have been testing innovative mobility solutions for more than 20 years,” said Arianna Americo, Forum and Project Coordinator at Eurocities
Find out more and submit your application here: Apply Now to Become a Challenge City!
Michiel Penne Showcases SCALE-UP Achievements
Another key moment of the evening was the spotlight on the CIVITAS Project SCALE-UP. The project coordinator Michiel Penne from the city of Antwerp shared the project’s impressive achievements and its central aim: to develop and implement 28 innovative mobility measures that can be scaled both vertically (across levels of governance) and horizontally (across urban dimensions).
The cities of Antwerp, Madrid, and Turku served as real-life testing grounds for these solutions, each bringing unique contexts to trial and adapt the measures under realistic conditions. Since its kick-off in June 2021, the project has advanced through various phases of development and testing, and will continue until its conclusion in May 2025.
As the finish line approaches, the SCALE-UP team is eager to share its insights with other cities across Europe. For those interested in following the journey more closely, you can subscribe to the quarterly newsletter SCALE-UP In Action or explore more here: SCALE-UP Project
Dejan Crnek emphasizes the value of the Politicians Exchange Forum
The evening finally also featured a compelling testimony by Dejan Crnek, Deputy Mayor of Ljubljana and a long-time advocate of local political level engagement in the CIVITAS Initiative. He underscored the importance of political leadership in sustainable urban mobility and invited fellow politicians to join the upcoming meetings of the Politicians Exchange Forum (PEF).
“The PEF is an essential platform for local politicians to collaborate, share insights and engage with European Commission representatives on urban mobility challenges,” – Dejan Crnek
Learn more about the PEF and how to get involved: Politicians Exchange Forum (PEF)
CIVITAS: A network of cities, for cities
Sanne Vanderstraeten from Mobiel 21 summed up the evening’s energy by reinforcing CIVITAS’ core mission:
“CIVITAS aspires to be a network of engaged cities that spark inspiration and strengthen each other’s capacity to achieve sustainable urban mobility for all. By meeting each other in an informal way like this, we expand and open up our city network for new members to join.”
Want to learn more about how CIVITAS can support your city’s mobility goals? Visit: www.civitas.eu/become-a-civitas-city or contact the CIVITAS Secretariat at: secretariat [at] civitas [dot] eu.
Authors: Sanne Vanderstraeten, Arianna Americo
