As Europe faces unprecedented climate challenges, our cities stand at the epicentre of transformation. Transport emissions continue to rise, threatening our environmental goals and urban quality of life. Yet, within this challenge lies an extraordinary opportunity to reimagine mobility, drive innovation and create more liveable, inclusive cities.
My journey from climate activist to policymaker has convinced me that sustainable urban mobility is not just an environmental imperative – it’s a catalyst for economic revitalisation and social progress. The current transport landscape is unsustainable. Transport remains the only sector where greenhouse gas emissions have increased since 1990, according to the European Environment Agency, and our cities bear the brunt of this environmental burden.
Our approach to fixing this must be holistic. We need to create and empower innovative ecosystems such as university campuses or startup accelerators, that support breakthrough mobility solutions, knocking down the bureaucratic barriers that currently stifle much of Europe’s innovation.
This means developing regulatory sandboxes, small-scale test environments, that allow cities to experiment with and scale cutting-edge transport technologies. By simplifying procurement processes and providing targeted funding, we can accelerate the development of sustainable urban transport solutions that address real community needs.
The agile innovation programme "Rapid Application for Transport," for example, has worked with 46 cities until 2025 to identify real mobility issues and launch a competition to fund the best solution that solves that challenge.
EIT Urban Mobility, an urban mobility innovation community funded by Horizon Europe, have long championed this cause. Their manifesto, an initiative which I support, calls for a multi-pronged approach to achieving the EU’s sustainability goals, from empowering local communities to supporting innovative startups and SMEs.
Robust funding and financing are, of course, part of the package needed to move forward. More importantly, key initiatives need to be integrated within an ecosystem that offers skills for working with new technologies and data skills, while involving consumers and providing access to testbeds and new markets.
Comprehensive training programmes that upskill urban planners, researchers and professionals across the mobility sector are essential for this. But skills development is only part of the equation. We must also address the glaring gender gap in urban mobility, where female entrepreneurs remain significantly underrepresented. The EIT Supernovas programme, for example, supports women-led startups and female investors, through education, networking and community.
Fairness must be at the heart of our mobility strategy. Sustainable transport cannot be a privilege just for metropolitan centres. Our policies must ensure that rural and suburban communities have access to alternative transport options, effectively bridging the urban-rural divide.
This means developing integrated mobility solutions that connect different regions, support local economies and reduce overall carbon emissions. Initiatives providing income support to the most vulnerable citizens and companies affected by the greening of transport like the Social Climate Fund (SCF) are fundamental to an inclusive transition.
The potential is transformative. By reimagining urban mobility, we can simultaneously reduce pollution, create green jobs and position Europe as a global leader in sustainable technology. This is not just about transport; it is about creating cities that embody our values of innovation, fairness and environmental stewardship.
With over 70% of Europeans living in urban areas, the stakes could not be higher. We have the tools, the technology and the talent. What we need now is political will and coordinated action.