• The primary outcome of IMMENSE is an integrated platform for city authorities to inform, implement and evaluate TDM schemes on urban roads by applying a demand-based pricing strategy
  
  
• During the two-month pilot, the system will be tested with users in Esplugues de Llobregat (Catalonia) and Munich (Germany), with an integrated system platform and end-user application capable of managing urban traffic demand through a dynamic pricing strategy.
  
  
• The pilot has been launched to coincide with the European Sustainable Mobility Week celebration.
  
  

Barcelona, 21 September 2023 – The Immense project enables the development of digital tools to simulate with test users an innovative pay-by-distance satellite toll system to be implemented in the low-emission zones of Esplugues de Llobregat (Barcelona) to promote smart and connected mobility, encouraging shared transport and active travel. 

The proposed solution, which will be tested for two months with the participation of citizen testers, will simulate a demand-based pricing strategy, where users will be informed about the payment defined by a fixed fee to access the low emission zone, and a variable fee depending on the number of kilometres travelled, the level of usage and the congestion at the time of access.

The project aims to help the municipality of Esplugues de Llobregat to support the efficiency of their Low Emission Zones (LEZs).

To achieve a final solution that could be scalable and useful to other cities, Immense has the active participation of Munich and Esplugues de Llobregat, as both have different consolidated management schemes, including low emission zones and vehicle access regulations. In addition, Immense will serve as a platform for city authorities to simulate, report, implement and evaluate these schemes.

About IMMENSE

IMMENSE proposes the creation of a TDM tool that can dynamically influence traffic demand on road ecosystems depending on congestion and pollution levels. By using a dynamic rate system with game design elements or “gamification” (such as automatically rewarding users with points for reducing travel time along congested routes if they choose an alternative one), the IMMENSE solution discourages users to access congested roads at times when high demand occurs. This way, pollution, and congestion levels will be reduced when it is more needed, also improving safety and helping the quality of life in surrounding areas. Moreover, users who access cities through more sustainable modes will get rewarded with discounts on active and greener solutions.

Project partners: CARNET, Abertis Mobility Services, UPC, City of Munich, Ajuntament d’Esplugues de Llobregat
CIMA Engineering & Environmental, S.L.

• Karos transforms empty car seats into a new mode of public transport
• Karos lands in Vitoria-Gasteiz with a pilot experience co-funded by EIT Urban Mobility

Vitoria-Gasteiz, September 2023 – Karos was born in 2014 in France and has services in Denmark, Germany, and Spain. It is a leading European app for car sharing between home and work, and since its launch, it has made 8 million journeys, avoiding around 13,600 tonnes of CO2.

The app is now coming to Vitoria-Gasteiz, thanks to a project developed by EIT Urban Mobility, to reduce the thousands of journeys from the city centre to the industrial estates every morning. The Mobility survey of industrial parks revealed that more than half of the workers would share a car to get to work. Until now, this was only possible with an acquaintance.

Carpooling solution for daily commuting in suburban areas

EIT Urban Mobility, in collaboration with the Basque city of Vitoria-Gasteiz, and our silver partner, Karos, we plan to create a carpooling network for commuters of the city who have no other option than driving a car, adapting our carpooling app to the Spanish market and involving local employers.

The aim of the project is helping hundreds of companies to reduce their carbon footprint: if fewer cars exist for the same workers, there will be less pollution. Car sharing is currently the most sustainable and efficient way to get to work: you reduce emissions, save time and spend less money.

What is Karos?

Karos lands in Vitoria-Gasteiz with a pilot experience co-funded by EIT Urban Mobility, an initiative of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), a body of the European Union, as a result of one of our “Small Calls“.
The project is aimed at companies to reduce the carbon footprint of their staff and offer them more comfortable journeys. The objective is to minimise overall commuting emissions and save time and money.

Drivers create the route in the app and wait for others to sign up. For each journey, the driver will receive at least €1.5 for each person they transport, and passengers select a route and travel to work for free. Each passenger saves time and pays nothing.

The app is available in Basque, Spanish, and English. It was launched in 2014 and is already present in European countries such as France, Germany, and Denmark.

Karos is Silver partner at EIT Urban Mobility Innovation Hub South.
More info available here: https://www.karos-mobility.com/

The Municipality of Braga has launched the “Reactivity Braga – Diversity and Sustainability” initiative to encourage Braga residents to embrace more sustainable, inclusive, and eco-friendly transportation options. In return, citizens can accrue points to exchange for discounts at local businesses.

This represents an innovative intermodal urban mobility project supported and promoted by EIT Urban Mobility, in collaboration with Braga Urban Transport (TUB) and the Business Association of Braga. The project hinges on a reward and gamification system, where users are incentivised to choose public transportation, bicycles, electric scooters, or walking for their commutes.

This approach makes the mobility experience more appealing and enjoyable, motivating citizens to adopt more mindful and sustainable transportation practices.

The project began on 10 August and is slated to run for three months. To participate, Braga residents need to complete a specific form. Upon registration approval, users can access an online platform to track their performance, view accumulated points, and observe their contributions to promoting sustainable mobility in Braga.

During the project’s presentation press conference, Olga Pereira, Braga’s City Councillor and President of the Board of Directors of TUB, remarked that this initiative is part of ongoing efforts to transform the mobility habits of Braga residents toward sustainability: “Reactivity Braga follows the success of last year’s Bicification project, which inspired us to apply for this new project in partnership with TUB. Reactivity relies on buses as the core component but also encourages walking, cycling, and scooting.”

“The great thing about the REACTIVITY project is its intermodal approach, which combines different modes of transport to offer citizens flexible and convenient options for their daily journeys,” explained Olga Pereira, Braga City Council councillor. By integrating public transport with bicycles and electric scooters, the project extends the reach of public transport stops, providing citizens with more comprehensive and accessible mobility throughout the city. “The municipality remains committed to working in favour of more sustainable mobility in the municipality, which benefits everyone’s quality of life,” said the councillor.

REACTIVITY promotes sustainable mobility through a unique reward and gamification component. By participating in the project, users can accumulate points and achieve goals by opting for more sustainable modes of transport.  With the project’s rewards and gamification mechanism, users can win vouchers, which can be discounted at various commercial establishments that are partners of the initiative. Around 30 shops are already involved, but the aim is to extend this range to a more significant number of establishments. “We started out with around 30 shops, but given the extraordinary receptiveness of local businesses, the aim is to increase the number of shops involved significantly,” said Rui Marques, AEB’s director-general.

Local traders joining the REACTIVITY project represents a unique opportunity to boost their businesses and establishments. By joining the network of partners that accept vouchers generated by users, shops have access to greater visibility and attract customers. In this way, traders not only benefit from increased customer flow, but also contribute to a more sustainable and dynamic city.
Over the next three months, Braga’s people can participate in this pioneering initiative. Through the online platform dedicated to the project, citizens can monitor their performance, accumulate points and check their contribution to more sustainable mobility in Braga.

About REACTIVITY

The REACTIVITY project rewards public transport and active mobility to reduce emissions; backs data-driven urban; and traffic planning and engaging with citizens, thus helping cities promote sustainable mobility and intramodality while discouraging car dependence.

This project meets the needs of city managers for digital tools to enable urban multi-modal and multi-source mobility planning, providing a solution to support intermodal transport, including public transport, cycling, walking, kick-scooters, and car-pooling. The mobility monitoring support is achieved through an active mobility plugin integrated in a multi-data source web dashboard.

The solutions will be implemented and tested in Braga (Portugal) and Lecce (Italy) during the second half of 2023. The expected outcomes of REACTIVITY are an increased share of public transport (+6%) and active mobility (+ 15%) and the reduction of kilometres driven by private cars (-2.5 M) and of CO2 emissions (-320 tons) in each city.

Discover more: reactivity-eit.eu

• The European Innovation Council (EIC) announced the 12 cities from 10 countries that have advanced to the semi-final stage of the ninth edition of the iCapital Awards. The cities aim to become the 2023 European Capital of Innovation or the European Rising Innovative City.
  
  
• Supported by the European Innovation Council (EIC) under Horizon Europe, the prize recognises cities’ role in shaping the local innovation ecosystem and promoting game-changing innovation.

The city of Lisbon has taken another step in the race to become the European Capital of Innovation 2023 by being chosen as one of the six semi-finalists for this honour awarded by the European Commission. The Portuguese capital is now competing with two other Ukrainian cities – Kiev and Lviv -, two Turkish cities – Istanbul and Basaksehir – and one Polish city, Warsaw.

Lisbon’s application, presented under the title Lisboa Unicorn Capital, is based on the idea of the city as a “home and space for all those who believe, take risks and innovate, undertake and endeavour to make the impossible possible, while at the same time contributing to improving the community’s quality of life”, says a statement from the municipality. To this end, the city presented the jury with a dossier of the work carried out so far, particularly in the environment, culture, economy, and mobility.

For the Mayor of Lisbon, Carlos Moedas, this choice reflects the city’s commitment to establishing itself as a Unicorn Factory: “Innovation is fundamental to the growth, competitiveness, and development of our society. Lisbon is today a recognised stage in innovation and has had an enormous capacity to attract companies and professionals from all over the world. Being part of this selection by the European Commission is proof and recognition of the intense work done to be at the forefront and place Lisbon as a city of innovation.”

The European Capital of Innovation Awards (iCapital) was established in 2014 to reward those European cities that are courageous enough to open their governance practices to experimentation, to boost innovation, to be a role model for other cities, and to push the boundaries of technology for the benefit of their citizens.

In addition to the monetary reward, the prize brings high visibility through renewed public interest and increased media coverage.

Past winners include Barcelona (2014), Amsterdam (2016), Paris (2017), Athens (2018), Nantes (2019), Leuven (2020), Dortmund (2021), Vantaa (2021), Aix-Marseille Provence Metropole (2022) and Haarlem (2022).

(Original article published at Smart Cities Cidades Sustentaives)

• The Generalitat of Catalonia expressed their interest in collaborating with EIT Urban Mobility in a meeting between EIT Urban Mobility’s CEO, Maria Tsavachidis and the Catalan Minister for Foreign Action and European Union, Ms Meritxell Serret Aleu.
• Catalonia’s minister for business and labour, Mr Roger Torrent, emphasised the importance of collaboration among both entities in a recent interview to MOVEMNT
• Mr Oriol Martorí, General Director of Transport and Mobility of the Generalitat of Catalonia explained to us also how the region is implementing their mobility plans and the importance of collaborating with European entities.

Barcelona, July 2022 – Promoting and implementing sustainable urban mobility is a key issue for the government of Catalonia, as evidenced by the initiatives and policies they have initiated. The government has recognised the importance of sustainable mobility to address economic, social, and environmental issues in the transport policy at the urban scale, using long-term strategic planning, aiming to establish more sustainable mobility patterns within the region to improve city life while preventing the congestion and environmental problems that plague many urban areas.

With this objective, the Generalitat of Catalonia collaborates with local and European entities to promote and transform urban mobility. A collaboration that helps the Catalan government stay updated on the latest trends, policies, and technological advancements in urban mobility. Through these policies and initiatives, the government aims to provide reliable, accessible, and environmentally friendly public transport options for residents and visitors in Catalonia.

Watch here the interview to Oriol Martori, Generalitat de Catalonia tells us about the urban mobility plans for the region:

As a European leader in the topic, EIT Urban Mobility, an initiative of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), a body of the European Union, and the Generalitat of Catalonia have initiated a series of conversations to establish a collaboration to strengthen our collaboration with our common goal to fight against climate change and implement more sustainable mobility. From one side, EIT Urban Mobility facilitates access to expertise, resources, knowledge, and networking, all the necessary ingredients for creating a successful receipt. EIT Urban Mobility ecosystem brings together stakeholders, including industry experts, research institutions, and governmental bodies. This community of experts will provide the Catalan government with access to a wealth of expertise and resources in urban mobility that includes research findings, best practices, innovative technologies, and funding opportunities, as well as participation in workshops, conferences, and working groups where they can exchange ideas, experiences, and lessons learned with other stakeholders from different regions and backgrounds. An agreement that will enhance the government’s capacity to develop and implement sustainable mobility solutions and stay updated on the latest trends, innovations, and policies in sustainable urban mobility, fostering a more informed and evidence-based approach to decision-making.

In addition, EIT Urban Mobility also provides the opportunity to participate in piloting and demonstration projects, allowing to test and validate new sustainable mobility solutions in real-world settings.

EIT Urban Mobility’s CEO, Maria Tsavachidis and the Catalan Minister for Foreign Action and European Union, Ms Meritxell Serret Aleu.

By collaborating with the Generalitat, EIT Urban Mobility can tap into this expertise and gain a deeper understanding of the local context, including regulatory frameworks, infrastructure constraints, and cultural factors. This understanding can inform the development of tailored and context-specific solutions, enhancing the effectiveness of EIT Urban Mobility’s initiatives in the region. The collaboration with the Generalitat allows EIT Urban Mobility to have a voice in the regional policy-making process. By working closely with the government, EIT Urban Mobility can contribute to developing sustainable urban mobility policies and strategies at the regional level, advocating for supportive policies and regulations that enable innovative urban mobility solutions to be adopted and scaled up. Through this partnership, EIT Urban Mobility can influence the policy landscape in Catalonia, promoting sustainable mobility practices and supporting the region’s transition towards more efficient and environmentally friendly urban transportation systems.
The collaboration among both entities will allow the government and EIT Urban Mobility to align its sustainable urban mobility policies with broader European initiatives and frameworks.

Read HERE the interview with Mr Roger Torrent, Catalonia’s minister for business and labour

(original article by CARNET)

Despite the efforts to promote sustainable transportation systems, cities still face challenges in distributing public street space to different uses. For example, double-parking caused by delivery vehicles is one of the main negative impacts of the outburst in last-mile deliveries. This impacts private vehicles and vital roads, generating conflicts with pedestrians, cyclists, public transport, and emergency vehicles. In addition, data on curbside (e.g., parking, loading zones) is unstructured and insufficient to take proper decisions. There is a need for innovative measures to help cities reduce congestion and trips, achieve sustainable mobility goals, improve delivery efficiency, and potentially increase revenues. Last year, a consortium of EIT Urban Mobility’s partners began the FlexCurb project to find new and innovative solutions. Co-funded by EIT Urban Mobility, the project aims to overcome all these challenges through a series of tools used by drivers and public administration.

Thanks to the success of 2022, the project recently kicked off its 2023 edition. Its main focus during 2023 will be to validate the solution in real-life environments further and adapt the existing technology to the particular case of the pilot city of Strasbourg, France. Also, the Connected Vehicles extension for the FlexCurb Planning platform will be designed and validated during the year. This will reveal historical patterns of curb use and inform actions to reduce occupancy rates, and illegal parking, redistribute curb spaces, and promote sustainable mobility and logistics.

In addition, the FlexCurb Driver App is being upgraded. New features will be added, and the main objective will be to help drivers inform about their operations by displaying the areas of the city with the most and least parking activity based on historical patterns at a given time. This feature will help to control the flow of vehicles, as many drivers will be able to evaluate whether it is convenient for them to drive their cars based on the parking activity mentioned.

These tests intend to keep enhancing the app and adapting it to the needs of users and councils. Looking back, during 2022 the project achieved significant results in developing innovative solutions for curbside management with the cities of Leuven, Strasbourg, Funchal, and Toulouse. One of them was creating the concept of Shared-Use Mixed Zones (SUM Zones), which integrates parking management, urban vehicle access regulations, and freight management with flexible curbside management.

Considering the needs of various stakeholders, including pedestrians, cyclists, public transportation, and freight services, the proposed curbside management solutions can potentially revolutionize urban mobility by promoting a balanced and inclusive transportation ecosystem. This approach will reduce the environmental impact of conveyance, minimize vehicle emissions, and support the shift towards greener modes of transportation.

The partners involved in the project are CTAG, Urban Radar, CARNET, Ghent University, the city of Funchal, Toulouse Métropole, Ville et Eurométropole de Strasbourg, city of Leuven, POLIS Network, and FIT Consulting.

If you want to know more about the FlexCurb project, you can visit the project website here: https://urbanradar.io/flex-curb/

The city of Braga, located in the beautiful country of Portugal, has been selected as a co-chair of the prestigious EIT Urban Mobility City Club. This achievement highlights Braga’s commitment to transforming urban mobility and establishing itself as a leading city in sustainable transportation solutions. With its rich history, vibrant culture, and forward-thinking mindset, Braga is poised to drive innovation and shape the future of urban mobility. This nomination is valid until the end of this year, and in early 2024 there will be new votes for the biennium 2024/2025.

Braga’s selection as a co-chair of the EIT Urban Mobility City Club is a testament to the city’s ongoing efforts to drive innovation in sustainable transportation. Braga has long been recognized as a city that embraces innovation and seeks sustainable solutions to address the challenges of urbanization. The city’s strategic vision focuses on fostering a more liveable, inclusive, and environmentally friendly urban environment. Through its active participation in various urban mobility initiatives, Braga has positioned itself as a key player in shaping the future of transportation.

According to Olga Pereira, President of the board of directors of Transportes Urbanos de Braga, this nomination and the support received by the cities that integrate this project is further proof of Braga’s commitment to issues related to urban mobility improvement. “This recognition is another stimulus for us to continue working, in partnership with other European cities, for a more and more sustainable mobility, for the benefit of a better quality of life for all European citizens”, she said, recalling Bicification as an ‘excellent example’ of a joint project with very positive results.

City Club is a platform, created by EIT Urban Mobility, for cities to collaborate, sharing best practices, upscaling ideas and putting them to work. Every year the club produces a list of key challenges facing cities, which can be tackled by innovation projects and fed into our innovation, education, and business creation programmes. The cities on this platform will act as Living Labs to test projects and improve innovation in urban mobility. It will also serve to disseminate the projects under development among citizens. The club also serves as a sounding board for citizens and a means of outreach.

Discover more about EIT Urban Mobility City Club here: https://www.eiturbanmobility.eu/city-club/

• The unveiling of the book “FURNISH: New Methodologies to Intervene in Public Space” took place on 22 May at the headquarters of the Urban Ecology Department of the Barcelona City Council.
• The event brought together a diverse audience, including public administration authorities, industry leaders, and academic stakeholders, to explore fresh perspectives on collaborative public space design and highlight innovative proposals revolutionising urban landscapes.
• The FURNISH project was co-funded by EIT Urban Mobility

Drawing from over three years of immersive work within city communities, the book captures experiences and ideas that have emerged as part of the FURNISH project. This ground-breaking publication aims to redefine how public spaces are conceptualized, encouraging vibrant, sustainable, and inclusive urban environments that are developed with the collaboration of citizens.

This project was born after the lockdown triggered by the COVID-19 crisis, which increased awareness of the value of urban public spaces. The responsibility of avoiding crowded spaces, which represented a serious risk of resurgence of COVID-19 cases, raised the question of how cities can expand their public space and how we can design our cities safely. Consequently, the FURNISH project, co-funded by EIT Urban Mobility, aimed to collaboratively redesign public spaces to answer their current needs.

The FURNISH project aims to design, digitally fabricate, deploy, test and monitor urban elements to adapt temporary public spaces to meet the new challenges and opportunities presented by the COVID-19 crisis. FURNISH aims to merge the challenge of gaining more public space through tactical urbanism, which can reconfigure a street to expand the area for pedestrians and leisure, with local digital manufacturing, to accelerate positive change on mobility to make urban spaces more liveable.

The 2021 edition of the project was inspired by the first edition’s success and hoped to foster strong relationships and emphasize the importance of reconnecting with the streets. Collaborations with schools proved fruitful, revealing communities with a remarkable inclination for co-creation. Working closely with children and teachers, the project not only produced impressive design prototypes but also became a social endeavour, amplifying voices that are often overlooked in the decision-making process and including them in the final 2022 edition of the project.

During the three editions of the programme, one of the notable achievements of the FURNISH project is the development of 12 prototypes of urban elements, each contributing to a unique aspect of public space design. These prototypes, marked by their open-source nature, can be replicated and adapted worldwide, allowing cities and communities around the globe to benefit from the project’s collective knowledge and insights.

Two core principles, co-design and co-manufacturing, have underpinned the project’s methodology. By involving various stakeholders and users in the design process, FURNISH has fostered a sense of ownership and inclusivity, ensuring that public spaces truly meet the needs and aspirations of the communities they serve. The resulting designs reflect a harmonious blend of creativity, functionality, and sustainability, setting new benchmarks for urban landscapes.

Furthermore, the social impact analysis conducted throughout the project has highlighted the transformative potential of inclusive public space design. By prioritizing community engagement and considering the broader social implications, FURNISH has laid the foundation for meaningful change in urban environments. The book presents a comprehensive overview of these analyses, reinforcing the project’s commitment to creating socially responsible urban spaces.

With the book “FURNISH: New Methodologies to Intervene in Public Space,” a new chapter in urban design has begun, embracing co-creation, open-source solutions, and social impact analysis.

More information about the FURNISH programme: https://furnish.tech/

Partners involved in the project: Milan City Council, AMAT – Milan’s Agency for Mobility, Environment and Territory, CARNET, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, IAAC – Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia

(original article published by CARNET) 

Portugal has been making noteworthy progress in urban mobility in recent years. The country has set ambitious goals and objectives, driven by the motivation to reduce the environmental impact of transportation and create more sustainable cities. One of the primary objectives of Portugal’s urban mobility policies is to reduce carbon emissions and promote sustainable transportation. To achieve this, the country has set a target to have 40% of all urban trips made by walking, cycling, or public transport by 2030. This goal is part of Portugal’s National Energy and Climate Plan, which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030.

The motivation behind Portugal’s push for sustainable urban mobility is to create more liveable and healthy cities for its residents. The country’s urban areas are among Europe’s most congested and polluted, significantly impacting public health. By promoting sustainable transportation, Portugal aims to reduce traffic congestion, improve air quality, and create more pleasant urban environments.

Portuguese cities are working towards achieving these objectives. Portugal’s capital city, Lisbon, has been working on making its transportation more sustainable for several years. The city has implemented a bike-sharing program, a car-sharing service, and an electric tram system. It has also invested in a network of bike lanes and pedestrian paths, which has helped increase cycling and walking in the city. Cities like Porto, Braga or Cascais has made significant investments in public transportation.

How is EIT Urban Mobility supporting Portugal’s objectives?

Since 2021, 39 projects have been implemented in the country to promote innovation and foster collaboration in urban mobility, two of which are particularly noteworthy: RAPTOR and #ChallengeMyCity.

Rapid Applications for Transport (RAPTOR) is a competition that swiftly creates and tests solutions to niche urban mobility challenges. Participants compete to provide the most innovative, feasible, and impactful solutions. The RAPTOR programme was implemented in 2022 in the city of Cascais with successful results, helping to solve three challenges identified by the city.  

#ChallengeMyCity is a programme enabling European cities to tackle their most pressing urban challenges by testing market-ready innovative mobility solutions.  Its objective is to test the best solutions through a six-month pilot and evaluates their social, economic, and environmental impact and estimate long-term integration into the city’s mobility strategy, to make mobility more sustainable and accessible for all.

The programme will be implemented in 2023 in Braga, which has just won the European Mobility Week 2022 prize for its remarkable activities in promoting sustainable mobility and continues to take steps towards improving its urban mobility ecosystem. Through #ChallengeMyCity programme, it is seeking innovative solutions to face four identified challenges. A total of 240.000 € will be invested in testing these solutions.  https://portocanal.sapo.pt/noticia/326280

But in addition to these two main programmes, other projects have been developed in the country thanks to our collaborative work, resulting in an investment of more than 1.5 million from EIT Urban Mobility since 2021. The city of Lisbon becomes one of the most illustrative examples, with more of 16 projects implemented. 

As Portugal continues to prioritize sustainable and innovative urban mobility solutions, programmes like RAPTOR and #ChallengeMyCity will continue to play a significant role in driving progress and promoting collaboration.

#ParkingDayBCN23 is back

Park(ing) Day is an annual event that takes place all over the world, when different environmental, architectural, artistic, social, local residents’ and citizens’ entities temporarily repurpose public parking places as parks, gardens and other types of public space. The initiative advocates the urgent need to rethink urban spaces and increase the number of green areas and public spaces for play and socialising, as well as an improvement in air quality, aiming to move towards lifestyles and scenarios that are more respectful our environment and of people.

The idea came into being in 2005 in San Francisco, where the Rebar art and design studio proposed a new way of showing and expressing these demands. More information on the event on an international scale is available at parkingday.org

In Barcelona, the event is organised by ISGlobal and Espai Ambiental Cooperativa in collaboration with EIT Urban Mobility and the support of the Barcelona City Council.

How can I take part?
The organising entities hope to bring this event to Barcelona for yet another year, and we would like to invite other people, organisations and groups to participate in it with us, in order to spread this message all over the city. The aim is to coordinate the different actions and publicise them jointly.
Parking spaces can be occupied with plants, notices, furniture and other objects in order to carry out different actions, such as talks, workshops, exhibitions or simply occupying a space in order to spend the day there. For inspiration, we suggest you visit the website and consult the programme and photos from previous years.
We want to create a network, and a different city model, couples with a collective vision!

Registrations are open to all kinds of entities, collectives and individual citizens. You have until 5 June to register your car park using this form.

Friday 15 September 2023
This year Park(ing) Day will be held on Friday 15 September in all the city’s districts, coinciding with European Mobility Week. 

Do not miss any detail
To keep up on the news on Park(ing) Day 2023, you can go to our website: www.parkingdaybcn.org, or follow our Instagram site, Twitter and via the hashtag #ParkingDayBCN23.

You can also join the Park(ing)Day BCN participants’ WhatsApp group through this link

• Park(ing) Day is an international event, organised annually in cities around the world, that has one simple goal: to give the streets back to the citizen
• Its aim is to reclaim the streets from cars and instead use them to promote public activities, such as art, music, and recreational activities
• Park(ing) Day 2023 will be happening on 15 September. In Barcelona, the event is organised by ISGlobal, Espai Ambiental Cooperativa and EIT Urban Mobility

The Park(ing) Day movement was born out of a desire to reclaim the streets from cars and instead create a new public space that could be used for a variety of activities. The event was started by a group of San Francisco-based activists who wanted to create a space for public activities that were free from the constraints of cars. They hoped that reclaiming the streets for public activities could create a more vibrant urban space and encourage more people to engage with their city.
The event is celebrated annually in cities around the world.
Parking Day focuses on showing how cities belong to the citizens, not the cars. The idea is to encourage people to think differently about how they use public spaces and to create a sense of community among residents of a city.

EIT Urban Mobility organises Park(ing) Day 2023 in Barcelona

In Barcelona, Park(ing) Day is organised by ISGlobal, Espai Ambiental Cooperativa and EIT Urban Mobility, as part of our mission of putting the citizens at the centre of our activities. The event is designed to create an opportunity for citizens to come together and create a new vision for the city. Participants will be encouraged to think about how they can create a more sustainable and liveable city.

The event will also have a range of activities, such as workshops, music shows, workshops for kids and discussions.

Park(ing) Day is a fantastic opportunity for citizens to come together and reclaim their streets. It is also a reminder of how cities should be designed for people, not for cars. By joining this event, citizens can help create a better, more sustainable future for their city.

Participation at the event is free and open to all kinds of entities and groups. Individual citizens can also join a parklet. More information is available here: parkingdaybcn.org

Future mobility combines technology, infrastructure, and services to offer a better and more effective mobility experience. This involves utilising electric and driverless vehicles, intelligent transportation networks, and creating new services that will completely change how we move.

Businesses pushing the boundaries of conventional transportation systems are the game changers in this industry. Also numerous start-ups are also utilising innovative technology to provide cutting-edge mobility solutions.

To reach the future of mobility, we need to change how we think about transportation and prioritise the environment, safety, comfort, and its cost-effectiveness. This necessitates the incorporation of fresh services, technology, infrastructure and, public-private collaborations, spending on research and development. The implementation of new legislation also needs to receive more attention.

EIT Urban Mobility 5GMED programme

For the past ten years, the start-up ecosystem has been fast evolving as technology and innovation have fundamentally altered how businesses are run. As a result, more start-ups are emerging in cities worldwide, many of which are devoted to creating original answers to problems facing modern society. 

The 5GMED project is a prime illustration of how EIT Urban Mobility influences future transportation direction. Through this initiative, we are collaborating with partners to create 5G-enabled services that will give drivers more significant information so they can plan their routes and travel times more effectively. The initiative is also utilising Big Data and Machine Learning to raise our transportation networks’ sustainability, efficiency, and safety. 

This program is designed to create an environment that encourages innovation and entrepreneurship in urban mobility. The 5G Turbo program provides financial support to start-ups working on projects related to 5G, connected vehicles, autonomous driving, and other related areas.

The 5G Turbo programme has already greatly influenced the start-up ecosystem in Europe by giving businesses working on ground-breaking solutions for urban mobility access to crucial funds and resources. The programme offers access to networks of investors and possible partners, financial help, mentorship, and advice from subject-matter experts. 

More information about our 5G programme: eiturbanmobility.eu/projects/5gturbo-accelerator