CIVITAS NMS partnership shares insights and extends invitation for upcoming events in Barcelona and Karlsruhe
Whether by attending the CIVITAS Forum's NMS event in Parma to identify key challenges in collaboration between cities and scale-ups for large-scale deployment of new mobility services or by participating in discussions in Brussels to explore potential solutions, the contributions made to the New Mobility Services (NMS) initiative have been significant.
For those unable to attend, this is a brief summary of the progress made through the CIVITAS NMS partnership, with an invitation to future sessions in Barcelona and Karlsruhe to continue shaping the future of urban mobility.
Key insights from Parma and Brussels
NMS Partnership at the CIVITAS Forum Conference in Parma
NMS Partnership at the EWRC in Brussels
The CIVITAS Forum and the European Week of Regions and Cities highlighted key issues and co-created potential solutions in the realm of urban mobility. The following summarises the primary insights gained:
Understanding between cities and scale-ups
- Challenge: Cities and scale-ups often face mutual misunderstandings, with cities lacking awareness of scale-up needs, and scale-ups being unfamiliar with the social and public priorities of cities.
- Proposed solution: Develop a dynamic overview of city requirements and engage stakeholders for a deeper understanding of the local context.
Funding constraints
- Challenge: Short-term innovation budgets are seen as a barrier to long-term collaboration between cities and scale-ups.
- Proposed solution: Incorporate scaling plans into pilot phases and offer scale-ups a competitive advantage in future tenders based on successful pilot outcomes.
Regulatory Challenges
- Challenge: Inconsistent regulations across different cities create complications for implementing new innovations.
- Proposed solution: Standardise and simplify tender processes to support innovation and foster cooperation between cities and scale-ups.
Internal Government Barriers
- Challenge: Internal silos within city governments and political instability can hinder long-term mobility solutions.
- Proposed solution: Adopt Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMP) and establish cross-department innovation units, such as the one implemented by Transport for London (TfL), to align internal collaboration.
Procurement Delays
- Challenge: Lengthy procurement processes present obstacles to rapid innovation.
- Proposed solution: Begin with small pilot projects and quick feedback loops to reduce timelines, and create 'sandbox' environments for public-private collaboration.
What’s next?
The focus now is on further networking and building stronger connections between cities and scale-ups. Upcoming events will provide platforms to build upon the work already done and foster deeper collaboration.
- Barcelona, 5 November 2024 – A dedicated session on connecting cities and scale-ups, with an emphasis on networking and collaboration during the Smart Cities Expo World Congress.
- Karlsruhe, 28 November 2024 – A dedicated session at the Annual POLIS Conference, where progress will be consolidated, and the next steps for action will be discussed.
For those interested in contributing to the ongoing efforts to shape the future of urban mobility, participation in the upcoming sessions in Barcelona and Karlsruhe is encouraged.
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