Safer streets, inclusive planning, and a culture of shared responsibility – the TÜV Award “New Mobility City” 2026 recognises German cities already building the urban future. EIT Urban Mobility is proud to have been part of this recognition.
The TÜV Award New Mobility City, developed by TÜV-Verband in cooperation with the Initiative für sichere Straßen, was created to identify and celebrate exactly that: German municipalities that have made mobility a genuine driver of quality of life and modern urban development.
EIT Urban Mobility joined as jury partner, bringing a European perspective on sustainable urban mobility to an evaluation process grounded in scientific analysis of mobility and accident data across more than 700 German municipalities.
Dortmund: proof that sustainable mobility is built with communities, not just for them
Besides the winning cities Hattersheim am Main and Mannheim, Dortmund’s “Mobil mit Herz” prize (literally, “Mobility with Heart”) speaks most directly to EIT Urban Mobility’s own mission. The award – given to cities with over 500,000 inhabitants – went to the Dortmund not for a single flagship project, but for embedding shared ownership of mobility challenges into the fabric of how the city operates.
Rather than top-down implementation, Dortmund actively involves residents and diverse stakeholder groups in mobility planning. Concrete outcomes include the expansion of a city-wide cycle route network and a focused programme of school route safety improvements – translating long-term strategy into tangible, everyday impact.
“Dortmund makes road safety a shared task for the entire city”, stated the jury of the TÜV Award New Mobility City.
This is precisely the model EIT Urban Mobility advocates for across European cities: mobility transformation that is participatory, data-driven, and built to last. EIT Urban Mobility’s City Partnership Manager Ulyana Vynyarchuk represented the organisation on the interdisciplinary jury, alongside experts from science, politics, and civil society.
The prize: investing in the people who drive change
As part of the “Mobil mit Herz” prize, Dortmund will receive a place on the EIT Urban Mobility Emerging Leaders programme: a six-month leadership development initiative delivered by RMIT Europe in collaboration with EIT Urban Mobility.
Designed for mid-career professionals across public and private sectors, the programme develops the leadership and strategic skills needed to navigate complex urban mobility systems. Participants benefit from:
- Cohort-based peer learning in small groups of 6-10 professionals
- Executive one-on-one coaching for personal leadership development
- Cross-sector exchange between city teams, mobility companies, and consultancies
For a city like Dortmund this programme offers exactly the leadership infrastructure needed to sustain and scale that ambition.
Could you be the next Emerging Leader?
Whether you work in transport planning, sustainability, infrastructure, technology, or urban development – this programme is built for you.
Find out more and apply: www.rmit.eu
