The end of November marked an exciting milestone for the Active Cities project, as partners gathered one last time to share their results and learnings at Europe’s yearly mobility gathering: the POLIS Conference.
Our contributions throughout the conference served as the official final event for Active Cities, allowing partners to celebrate 3.5 years of collaboration carried out across eight cities and in partnership with three knowledge partners. The aim was simple: to share the successful strategies and innovative pilots that make our cities more active, liveable, and healthy.
Hamburg's periscope in action!
Showcasing - Active Cities on Display
The project’s dedicated booth in the exhibition area was a hub of activity throughout the two-day event, inviting conference participants to explore the outcomes of the Active Cities pilots.
Each city presented a poster detailing their main results, complemented by engaging citizen engagement materials. Concrete examples of these on-the-ground interventions included:
- Lund brought balance exercises, demonstrating their use with older adults to build confidence and encourage more walking.
- Hamburg showcased their tools for understanding children’s mobility, including a fun quiz and the periscope, a simple cardboard structure with mirrors that helps adults experience the street from a child’s vision scope.
- Lille shared their custom-made mobility game, a playful way to spark discussion about changing mobility habits.
Leading the Mobility Dialogue - Active Cities Sessions
Beyond the booth, several partners were selected to present their findings as part of the official conference programme, demonstrating the project’s influence across various mobility challenges:
Conference Session | Presentation Topic | Partner |
THINKING AHEAD: INNOVATIVE STEPS FORWARD | Spoordok: The story of a former industrial district turned pedestrian-friendly for new inhabitants | Wieger Postma, Municipality of Leeuwarden |
PEDESTRIAN POWER: LEADING BY WALKING | Walk for life: A walking campaign for women 65+ | Helena Runesson and Cajsa Andersson, City of Lund |
PEDESTRIAN POWER: LEADING BY WALKING | Redesigning the street to support walking: The ‘Pedestrian Friendly Paddepoel’ pilot in Groningen | Femke Niekerk, Municipality of Groningen |
MINDSETS IN MOTION | Citizen science for reduction of car dependency: An interactive, scenario-based approach to understanding mobility behaviours and preferences | Gustav Friis, City of Aarhus |
PAVED WITH PURPOSE: STREETS FOR ALL | Walkability App to assist participatory public space interventions for walking and assess their impact in the Active Cities Project | Carlos Canas, Walk21 |
Looking Ahead - The Future of Liveability and Health
Attending the POLIS conference was also an opportunity to network and get inspired by the cutting-edge work of cities and regions across Europe. It provided important context on how global trends and politics are currently shaping the future of mobility, reinforcing the crucial role Active Cities has played in keeping mobility as a key driver to improve liveability and health in urban environments.
While the conference marked the final consortium gathering, the work continues. The Active Cities partners are now focused on finalising and widely disseminating their final Policy Briefs, ensuring our project learnings translate into lasting change for local governments across the North Sea region and beyond.