Event
18/09/2026 Matera, Italy & Online
City Flows 2026: Mobility for Everyone
The fourth edition of City Flows will take place on Friday, 18 September 2026, in Matera, Italy, as part of EUROPEAN MOBILITY WEEK.
The 2026 edition of City Flows will focus on more accessible, inclusive, and safe mobility, with disability as a lens through which to rethink transport systems, public spaces, and independent living.
Featuring international experts and representatives from universities, public institutions, and local governments, City Flows is an interactive and engaging conference. The programme includes keynote speeches, presentations of the latest research findings, panel discussions, and collaborative workshops.
The event is organised by Fondazione Unipolis ETS, European Transport Safety Council, and Consigli Regionali Unipol, under the patronage of POLIS.
Programme
- - Opening Remarks
- Antonio Nicoletti, Mayor of Matera
- Paola D'Antonio, University Pro-Rector for Inclusion, Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD) at the University of Basilicata
- Luca Giordano, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility, Regulatory Affairs and Intra-group Operations – Unipol Assicurazioni
- - Scenario | Mobility that enables autonomy. Research presentation
- Marisa Parmigiani, Managing Director, Fondazione Unipolis
- - Keynote 1 - Rethinking mobility: the city that creates opportunities
- Salvador Rueda, the urban planner who transformed Barcelona. Founder of the Agència d'Ecologia Urbana de Barcelona and creator of the Superblocks model.
- - Keynote 2 - Preventing crashes, protecting people: road safety
- Antonio Avenoso, the European voice of road safety. Executive Director of the European Transport Safety Council.
- - Keynote 3 - Sensory politics: cities and the case for sensory decolonisation
- Magda Mostafa, among the world's leading experts in inclusive design. Architect, researcher and creator of the ASPECTSS™ Design Index.
- - Data and Evidence Session:
- Post-car city: Matera, a porous city – Maria Valeria Mininni, Professor of Urban Planning - University of Basilicata
- The urban digital twin as a tool for accessibility – Giordana Castelli, Coordinator of the Interdepartmental Centre for Urban Science (CISC) at the National Research Council (CNR)
- European cities towards more inclusive mobility – Andréia Lopes Azevedo, Senior Project Manager, POLIS Network
- Italian cities between strategies and innovation for accessibility – Vito Parisi, Delegate for Mobility, ANCI – National Association of Italian Municipalities
- - Roundtable #1 – Designing mobility for everyone
- Federico Parolotto, Board Member, Fondazione Mobilità in Città ETS and CEO, MIC-HUB
- Valentina Tomirotti, Journalist, author and accessibility advocate
- Vincenzo Falabella, President, Italian Federation for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and their Families (FISH)
- Barbara Centrone, Researcher and trainer in Disability Studies and Neurodiversity
- Ivano Marchiol, Councillor for Public Works, Mobility and Green Spaces, City of Udine
- - Roundtable #2 – Building autonomy: rights, skills and services
- Enrique Lorca, President, European Driving Schools Association (EFA)
- Raffaele Moretti, Head of the UNASCAbile project, UNASCA (Italian association of driving schools)
- Lucia Vecere, Manager, Mobility and Road Safety Office, ACI
- Massimo Improta, Technical Director, Services, Assistive Devices and Community Support Area, INAIL Prosthetics Centre
- Claudio Puppo, National President, A.N.G.L.A.T. (National Association for Accessible Transport)
- Giulio Guerrini, Director, federMobilità (Association of Public Transport Authorities)
- Closing remarks
- Francesca Sbianchi, President, Italian Disability Forum (FID) and representative of the European Disability Forum (EDF)
- - Networking lunch
- - City Lab | Accessible Matera: a local agenda for independent mobility
- Curated by the University of Basilicata. Facilitated by commonground. The City Lab is the local workshop of City Flows 2026. Building on the data and evidence presented during the morning plenary session, participants will explore Matera through the lens of inclusive mobility and accessibility, connecting the characteristics of the urban environment with people's needs and the capacity of institutions to respond.
- - Action Lab | Policies and tools for safer public spaces
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Curated by Fondazione Mobilità in Città ETS. Facilitated by Commonground. The Action Lab is the national workshop of City Flows 2026, focusing on the policies and tools needed to create safer, more accessible and inclusive cities. Building on the discussions held during the morning plenary session, local authorities, researchers, professionals and organisations will work together to identify governance models, policy tools and practical mechanisms that can embed accessibility into urban decision-making.
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How to attend
Participation, both in person and online, is free of charge. Registration is mandatory.
The event is held in hybrid mode. Please note that only in-person participants will have access to the full programme, including the networking lunch and the afternoon workshops (in Italian).
For more information and to register, click here.
Topics
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