These days, European cities and regions are getting creative – and personal – when it comes to inspiring new mobility routines and making them stick. The following examples from URBACT cities and networks show the power of starting with small soft mobility actions to inspire long-lasting behaviour change and positive impact.
Changing mobility habits through education
Many cities recognise the importance of instilling walking and cycling habits at an early age, but for those with no programmes in place, where do they start? In Ferrara (IT) and Škofja Loka (SI), a nudging programme through the S.M.ALL Action Planning Network is engaging with school communities to make the trip to school fun for school children and families. Often these types of projects just need a local school champion, perhaps a parent or teacher, to kick things off.
Individual action, while empowering, can only do so much. Brno (CZ), one of eight partner cities involved in the SCHOOLHOODS Action Planning Network, is working directly with children and families to develop interventions that make walking and cycling to school more attractive, safe, and fun. “These interventions help make the school surroundings more welcoming, where kids can play with friends and stay active before and after classes,” explains Claus Köllinger, URBACT Lead Expert of SCHOOLHOODS. Importantly, using a ‘made by Brno children’ solution also creates local pride and ownership.
For more long-term planning, Bright Mobility Management (Gscheid Mobil) – an URBACT Good Practice – has launched a variety of projects in Munich (DE) aimed at informing, educating, and encouraging new behaviours for the trip to school. Its WALKING BUS project creates safe, group oriented, and accompanied trips to school that are often easily organised and implemented by the school community. Similarly, the ON THE BIKES – READY – GO and SCHOOL RALLY projects are building the necessary skills for older children to cycle safely ahead of high school.
Incentivising good habits
Most people won’t change their mobility behaviours simply because it’s the right thing to do. Incentive programmes help make actions feel rewarded, thus encouraging people to continue to develop good habits. But how can cities know which approach is best for their residents?
The PUMA Action Planning Network is using transnational collaboration and knowledge exchange to push cities to learn from and build on other’s success. A few examples of these network exchanges include Larissa (EL), which has implemented an e-cycle sharing scheme, and Zagreb (HR), where streets are being redesigned to prioritise pedestrians and cyclists.
“These exchanges reflect the core spirit of the network: peer learning, testing ideas, and building better urban futures together,” explains Karolina Orcholska, URBACT Lead Expert of PUMA. “While transport systems vary, the goal remains shared – cities where sustainable mobility is not just available, but preferred.”
More tangible rewards are also exciting incentives for trying something new. In Faenza (IT) the Bike to Work app rewards users for tracking their kilometres (EUR 20 cents per kilometre, up to EUR 50 per month). In Hannut (BE) the Ride to Buy app reward users with EUR 10 for every 100-km cycled.
The former has inspired 1 235 people to get on their bikes to make 188 357 trips, saving 86 837-kg of CO2, and fostering collaborations between companies, school, and local authorities. Hannut’s locally developed app is a source of pride for the community, with 670 active users cycling more than 112 000 km, and the initiative supporting the development of 70-km of safe and secure cycle paths in the city and surrounding areas, helping more people see that cycling can be a safe and enjoyable travel option.
It is worth noting that Faenza and Hannut are two of 116 URBACT Good Practices recently selected in 2024. They are among a handful of practices testing out sustainable mobility solutions.
Meeting people where they are
Walking and cycling programmes are great ways to inspire active and sustainable mobility actions, but they are not always the most realistic choice for those with reduced mobility or living in small and rural communities. This is a challenge many smaller cities and regions are searching for ways to address. In the Municipality of West Mani (EL), the Newspaper of Tomorrow tool is empowering local elementary school students to share their vision and fresh perspectives for a more sustainable future, and influencing the public debate. A relatively small action many cities and regions could implement that gives children a voice in the development of their future. West Mani is one of nine municipalities involved in the ECONNECTING Action Planning Network, which advocates for regional mobility solutions within the ’30-minute territory’.
URBACT’s Beyond the Urban Action Planning Network focuses on urban-rural connectivity using digital tools. By sharing grassroots examples with other European cities, like the ride-sharing bench in Grafing (DE), the network supports small-scale solutions with big impact for people who cannot drive. Residents needing a lift simply hold up a sign for where they wish to travel and a community member can offer them a ride, shifting single-rider trips into a community-based transport option that strengthens local connection and pride.
SIT FLEXI, another recently awarded URBACT Good Practice, follows a more top-down approach to a similar principle, working with local taxis and ride hailing to fill a gap in the public transport network for rural residents in the Intermunicipal Community of Coimbra Region (PT). The programme sees 446 bookings per month servicing 630 locations through a partnership with 130 taxi drivers and has been valuable in reducing social isolation and providing a safe travel.
Want to keep citizens engaged in accessing public services? Municipal Attendance Vehicle, an URBACT Good Practice from Palmela (PT), provides 32 ‘bus stops’ to more remote communities. As in Coimbra, this practice helps reduce operating costs, with a net positive to communities through social connection and wellbeing.
The challenge of measuring qualitative impact
The city examples, their impact stories and ongoing work, reflect a positive shift in urban mobility planning that focuses on lasting, sustainable, and inclusive change. Yet, measuring changes in mobility behaviour is a long game that presents its own challenges. Because the results of this impact will be long term, constant measuring and adapting are required. Mentioned above, Munich’s Bright Mobility programme is proof of how a city can benefit from tracking results over short-term project timelines. Data collection requires subjective observation and based on qualitative evaluation of feelings of improved safety, access, and awareness.
The takeaway: turning inspiration into active mobility
Many cities and regions are struggling with similar challenges of reducing emissions, encouraging physical activity, and improving access to mobility alternatives to residents for whom driving is not an option. Looking at the examples above, shifting mobility behaviour doesn’t have to involve massive investment and infrastructure changes.
Often big impact is possible by providing the right tools in the right place at the right time:
• Education and engagement with children and families foster a more physically active and engaged citizenry.
• Particularly for small and rural communities, community-organised ridesharing/hailing are low-cost, low-carbon alternatives for people who cannot rely on public transport, while keeping them connected to vital services.
• Incentives, provided in partnership with local businesses and capitalising on local app developers, reward citizens with short-term gratification in support for long-term shifts in mindset.
Do you want more URBACT strategies, network outputs, good practices and expert insights on urban mobility approaches and policies?
Join us in Hamburg (DE) on 28-29 October for the next EU City Lab on Active Mobility.
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Article by Melissa Bruntlett, URBACT Ad Hoc Expert, Director, Modacity Creative.
