The City of Bologna will host the CIVITAS Forum 2008
The City of Bologna has been selected to be the host of the CIVITAS Forum 2008 thanks to its proven commitment towards sustainable transport and its experiences in welcoming international groups. Bologna will be the perfect location for providing an efficient platform for the exchange of ideas and experiences and for visiting best practice examples on site.
The CIVITAS Forum gathers all participating CIVITAS demonstration cities, and other cities that are committed to introducing ambitious, clean urban transport strategies. It is organised every year and hosts many instructive workshops and plenary sessions, where participants can debate about sustainable mobility concerns. The CIVITAS Policy Advisory Committee (PAC) designated Bologna as the host city for the next edition of the CIVITAS Forum based on specific selection criteria:political commitment to host the CIVITAS Forum conferencerelevance of local measures to the forum themelogistic and organisation skillsThe new urban traffic master plan approved by the City of Bologna in June 2007 contains urban mobility related proposals that are perfectly in line with the spirit and objectives promoted by the CIVITAS Initiative. The main objectives of the Plan are to:shift modal split towards public transport and more ecological modes of transport with at least 6%improve the quality of public transport service, increase its demand, and promote it with mobility management actionsdeploy an innovative model for fare integration in the transport systemdeploy road safety systems and policiesstimulate a behavioural change in the urban mobility field through awareness raising campaignsBy the year 2010, Bologna wants to increase public transport use by 17%, cycling by 31% and reduce car use by 14%. One of the finalists of the European Mobility Week Award 2007, the City of Bologna continuously proves its commitment towards sustainable mobility. It also has developed good organisational skills and is able to guarantee both the logistic and financial resources needed for the successful organisation of the Forum 2008.
