Innovative mobility solutions showcased in Brno

BUas, specifically the Built Environment domain, is involved in a number of European projects. CIVITAS ELEVATE, focusing on promoting sustainable urban mobility for the CIVITAS Initiative, is one of them. A recent CIVITAS event showcased innovative mobility solutions and best practices. Innovative start-ups from Czechia, Slovakia, Israel and Spain inspired representatives of Czech and Slovak municipalities and other urban mobility stakeholders with an interest in or focus on sustainable urban mobility at the Urban Mobility Incubation Workshop at the Impact Hub in Brno (Czechia).

Young and experienced professionals of the afore-mentioned start-ups also intrigued attending regional authorities, mobility and urban planning companies, NGOs and others. These start-ups showcased their innovative mobilty solutions:

• Tirn Technology: software to simulate different traffic scenarios, allowing the user to compare and verify the deployment of different bus models to predict charging requirements, total costs, or their carbon footprint
• Tunnll: on-demand bus services (responsive transit) allowing each existing operator in a small city to serve many more passengers with the same buses and drivers
• RoadTwin: an artificial intelligence traffic management platform that helps prevent traffic jams by managing them just before they start to form
• eParkomat: real-time parking space prediction technology
• ITC: a web application that allows transport modelling using a server-based solution in a way that city or regional representatives can easily test different traffic scenarios themselves in seconds and
• CITYA: Shared rides on demand for affordable yet sustainable commuting between the suburbs and the city centre.

Representatives of the Municipality of Říčany shared their positive experience of the cooperation with start-ups, the implementation of innovative solutions in the field of public transport and the promotion of cycling from the city's perspective. Many other public authorities in the audience were triggered by this best practice city and got engaged in a lively conversation with the Representatives of the Municipality of Říčany.

In addition, European examples of public-private partnerships, the CIVITAS Initiative, the regional network CIVINET Czech and Slovak Republics and EIT Urban Mobility were presented and perceived well. The Smart Cities Klub from Slovakia shared their interesting experience in how to change the mindset in urban mobility. On the same day, a few representatives of Slovak mobility stakeholders approached the speaker of the Smart Cities Klub (SK) to get to know more and expressed their interest in becoming a member.

This event strived to prepare mobility authorities and other stakeholders for an accelerated shift towards sustainable mobility. About 40 participants made use of the opportunity to meet other mobility stakeholders and to discuss inspiring sustainable urban mobility solutions. This Urban Mobility Incubation Workshop was organized by CIVITAS, with local support from the CIVINET Czech and Slovak Republics and EIT Urban Mobility Innovation Hub East. The workshop aimed to provide local authorities and other mobility stakeholders with knowledge, tools and methods that can be used to develop successful mobility interventions that are acceptable, financially viable, legally possible, self-sufficient in the long run and increasing the quality of life in cities.

For more information, please contact:

• Uli Lerche, Researcher & Project Officer Sustainable Mobility at Breda University of Applied Sciences / CIVITAS ELEVATE ([email protected])
• CIVINET Czech and Slovak Republics
• EIT Urban Mobility Innovation Hub East