Join CIVITAS at the Urban Mobility Days Conference 2025
Image by European Commission, DG MOVE
The Urban Mobility Days Conference (UMD25), is just around the corner. With so many sessions and activities happening, it can be hard to decide what to attend. That’s why CIVITAS is here to guide you through the sessions you won’t want to miss.
Each conference day focuses on a specific theme (urban nodes, cycling, and public transport), while addressing cross-cutting topics such as competitiveness, innovation, and tourism. Urban Mobility Days is the perfect space to network and exchange ideas on key European urban mobility issues. Whether you’re a policymaker, local authority, academic, urban transport practitioner, or city planner, there is something relevant for you.
Visit the CIVITAS/CIVINET stand to meet the team behind the initiative. Stop by for a coffee break or a quick pit stop between sessions, learn more about the core pillars of CIVITAS: becoming a CIVITAS City, ongoing CIVITAS projects, our CIVITAS National Networks (CIVINETs), the Politicians Exchange Forum, our Educational Network, or any of the CIVITAS affiliate communities.
To view the full Urban Mobility Days conference programme, click here.
CIVITAS looks forward to seeing you there!
29 September 2025
15:00-18:00 | Side Event – CIVITAS Deep Dive ON Exploring SUMPS
In this final session of the CIVITAS Deep Dive on SUMPs, participants will present their Action Plans, developed over three online sessions, focusing on specific challenges linked to Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans. The session offers an exchange of ideas and solutions, with feedback from peers and experts. CIVITAS Community members are welcome to join, gain insights into city-level challenges, and contribute feedback.
Day 1: 30 September 2025 – Urban Nodes Day
09:00-12:00 | Politicians Exchange Forum
By registration only.
This high-level gathering offers local political leaders a dedicated space for dialogue with European Commission representatives, mobility innovators, and representatives from CIVITAS cities. The meeting will focus on how cities can drive innovation, competitiveness, and sustainability, in line with this year’s overarching theme for Urban Mobility Days 2025: A New Plan for Europe’s Sustainable Prosperity and Competitiveness.
09:00-12:00 | SIDE EVENT – CIVITAS DEEP DIVE ON DATA IN MOBILITY
This concluding session of the CIVITAS Deep Dive on Data in Mobility gives participants the opportunity to present their Action Plans on data collection, use, and interpretation in the mobility field. The session will foster discussion, feedback, and knowledge sharing, offering the wider CIVITAS Community a chance to learn from real-world city challenges and innovative solutions.
Afternoon break-out sessions 1
15:30-16:45| National SUMP Support Programmes paving the way for the next generation of SUMPs
The revised TEN-T Regulation calls for Member States to designate National SUMP Contact Points and develop National SUMP Support Programmes (NSSPs) to help municipalities prepare and implement their SUMPs.
In this session, we hear from the European Commission, National SUMP Contact Points and urban nodes. Join us to find out more on the steps taken so far under the different NSSPs, and to look ahead at how to succeed with the next generation of SUMPs in urban nodes.
Afternoon break-out sessions 2
17:00-18:15 | Urban mobility indicators: the way ahead
Urban mobility indicators allow cities to measure their progress towards sustainable, accessible and safe urban mobility. The revised TEN-T Regulation requires data to be collected for specific indicators in the field of sustainability, safety and accessibility. The indicators will be set out in an implementing regulation.
This session provides an opportunity to hear from representatives of the European Commission, the Member States and urban nodes on the way ahead implementing the Regulation on Urban Mobility Indicators.
17:00-18:15 | Planning sustainable mobility for tourist flows
Tourism is a major economic activity in the European Union, accounting for up to 10 % of its GDP, or 4.5 % of its total gross value added, with a wide-ranging impact on economic growth, employment and social development. However, cities face the challenge of integrating tourist travel alongside local transport needs.
This session explores destination and event management strategies and SUMPs, which can prevent disruption and promote sustainable travel choices. Experts discuss long-distance arrivals, local organisation of tourist flows, and innovative mobility solutions from cities. Case studies on large-scale events (e.g. Paris Olympic Games 2024) highlight best practice examples of sustainable mobility for tourist flows.
Day 2: 1 October 2025 – Cycling Day
Morning break-out sessions 2
11:30-12:45 | Cycling and transport poverty: enabling cycling for all
While cycling is a safe and logical mobility choice for many, it is also a relatively low-cost option for people affected by transport poverty. However, more can be done to ensure accessible, affordable and safe cycling for all.
What opportunities are there to improve access to cycling and bike-share services, including through the Social Climate Fund? How can community-led initiatives play a role in improving access and education? How can multimodality (including cycling) be harnessed to tackle transport poverty?
This topic is the focus of a newly formed CIVITAS Policy Group, consisting of the session's speakers and additional subject matter experts, which is developing a policy paper for release in 2026.
Afternoon break-out sessions 2
17:15-18:30 | Cycle logistics at the core of last-mile deliveries
The session is moderated by the CIVITAS Cluster lead for Urban Freight and Logistics Anne-Charlotte Trapp and will feature two CIVITAS projects Decarbomile and CodeZERO with speakers from the Metropolitan City of Nantes (Helena Aguiar) and So.De, a social cargo-bike delivery system in Milan (Elia Cipelletti).
As cities strive for cleaner and more efficient freight distribution, cycle logistics is emerging as a viable solution for last-mile deliveries.
This session explores the business models, vehicle types, and urban infrastructure needed to support cycle-based distribution. We also examine barriers faced by traditional logistics players, and strategies to accelerate a shift towards cycle logistics, including the role of logistics hubs. Join us to discover how cities and businesses can optimise cycle logistics for a more sustainable urban future.
17:15-18:30 | EU digital wallets and urban mobility
The Smart and Sustainable Mobility Strategy identified paperless transport as one of the 2030 milestones, and refers to digital certificates for drivers and vehicles, contactless payments for parking and tolls, and better information on urban vehicle access regulations.
This session explores the potential of EU digital wallets in the domain of urban mobility. This includes a potential digital wallet for ensuring compliance with urban vehicle access regulations.
Day 3: 2 October 2025 – Public Transport Day
Afternoon break-out sessions 1
15:15-16:30 | Better connectivity between urban areas and the outskirts
Suburban public transport networks face a unique set of challenges in meeting the needs of residents and commuters living in peripheral urban areas. These include limited network coverage, lower population density, and the need for flexible, cost-effective solutions. To address these issues, it is crucial for regional and local authorities, public and private operators, and mobility service providers to collaborate effectively. By working together, they can ensure better connectivity, improved accessibility for all users, and an optimal level of service.
This session explores strategies to maximise the potential of suburban public transport systems, with discussions on integrated solutions to considerably improve public transport services for people living or working in the outskirts.
15:15-16:30 | Gender-inclusive solutions for urban public transport
Becoming an attractive and equitable employer is a key priority for a sector that aims to reflect the diversity of its passengers and better serve the whole community. A major imbalance remains with regard to the employment of women. At a time when it is increasingly difficult to attract and retain sufficient staff, it is urgent to remove the barriers that prevent women from entering the public transport sector. It is well known that supportive policies are needed to offset challenging working conditions and ensure an appropriate work-life balance, but the number of female employees remains low.
This session looks at transferrable good practice examples for attracting and retaining women in the urban public transport sector.
15:15-16:30 | Reimagining urban mobility: innovative design and provision of urban public transport services
What challenges do operators face?
What are the main problems passengers complain about? And what innovations can bring solutions to these issues?
This session takes stock of the latest innovative design solutions for vehicles, stations and services that can help urban public transport operators improve their overall operations, efficiency, safety and security, and foster an attractive and competitive public transport sector in Europe.
While the session will address broader challenges and innovations in urban public transport, CIVITAS will also be represented through speakers such as Ana Costa (CIVITAS Initiative), Patrik Tóth (BKK – CIVINET Magyar and CIVITAS UPPER partner), and Mircea Steriu (UITP – coordinator of CIVITAS project, UPPER), alongside other invited panellists.
