Thinking Cities #15 was launched online in occasion of the 2020 Annual POLIS Conference and in reflection of the events related to the COVID-19 crisis.
Titled “ONWARDS and UPWARDS”, the new Thinking Cities issue investigates the ongoing adaptation to new mobility challenges that cities have undergone since the pandemic; showcasing some of the pioneering efforts being established by POLIS members, and others, in low carbon transit, road safety, inclusion, public-private partnerships and more.
This issue complemented POLIS' conference, providing a taster of how our members and partners have been pioneering long term sustainable mobility. From Arnhem-Nijmegen, the Annual Conference’s virtual co-host, whose fast cycle networks have become a model for multimodality, to Helmond, a living lab for cutting-edge road safety technology. We also hear from several of our conference sponsors, DPD, Dott and Uber, three very different operators, but all pursing exciting sustainability agendas; as well as how POLIS’ working groups have been expanding conversations around gender and inclusivity in public transport.
“ONWARDS and UPWARDS” features articles from cities and regions across Europe and beyond, including Amsterdam, Arnhem-Nijmegen, Baden-Württemberg, Basel, Bern, Brussels, Budapest, Catalonia, Dublin, Groningen, Helmond, Jerusalem, Kaunas, Leuven, Limburg, Madrid, Occitania, Örebro, Wrocław and Zurich.
In a year which has turned all our lives upside down, inside out and back to front, our cities and regions have proved their resilience and are showing how extraordinarily adaptable they can be in the most trying of circumstances. As we (finally) begin to see the light at the end of what has been a long tunnel, we must rebuild our mobility with long-term sustainability goals front and centre. We can do it, but there is not a moment to lose…
Arnhem-Nijmegen City Region played virtual host to the POLIS 2020 Annual Conference. Innovation meets collaboration with impressive results...
The POLIS 2020 Annual Conference
The POLIS 2020 Annu...Read more
POLIS’ Balázs Németh speaks with László Fendrik, acting CEO of the BKK Centre for Budapest Transport, to find out how the city is preparing for new patterns of urban mobility
Budapest, like man...Read more
How has Helmond come to play host to some of Europe's leading smart mobility innovation initiatives? Isobel Duxfield spoke to the city’s Matthieu Graindorge and Gert Blom to find out.
Home to the B...Read more
Does the subject of coach access to city centres get the attention it deserves? It certainly does now! POLIS' Ivo Cré on a challenge that's ready to be solved.
Throughout Europe, cities ar...Read more
The complex challenges posed by climate change require equally innovative solutions. In an effort to spearhead zero and low emissions freight for last mile delivery, DPDgroup is establishing partnersh...Read more
Ricardo Poppeliers and Peter van Wijlick examine how North Limburg went above and beyond to bring together citizens and stakeholders across its eight municipalities for a truly successful SUMP.
...Read more
Jeroen Berends and Sjouke van der Vlugt, Policy Officers in Urban Planning at the Municipality of Groningen, spoke to Niels Keissen about how the inner city of Groningen can remain safe, clean and att...Read more
Why are Zero Emission Zones for freight a priority? What problems do they solve and what benefits do they bring? POLIS' Giacomo Lozzi reports.
POLIS, together with Transport Decarbonisation Alliance...Read more
The SUMP Award recognises the progress being made in urban mobility. This year’s winner, Brussels Capital Region, demonstrates how our cities and regions are creating SUMPs that develop into accessi...Read more
The Municipality of Örebro is finding new ways to set mobility targets and map out action for change. Per Elvingson finds out how computer modelling of a new rapid bus service is helping the POLIS me...Read more
What happens when a city’s road signs are no longer fit for purpose? Colm Ennis examines POLIS member, Dublin City’s endeavour to replace over 300 bilingual signs on its Inner and Outer Orbital Ro...Read more
In an attempt to secure a practical working definition of the term, POLIS’ Isobel Duxfield examines the shape that gender mainstreaming may take in women’s safety and security on public transport....Read more
At its core, the European Union is an operation that unites its Member States. However, this integration is more than metaphorical roads and bridges; public transport networks are a crucial link betwe...Read more
Urban Vehicle Access Regulations (UVARs) have made significant progress in combatting pollution in cities and regions. POLIS’ Niklas Schmalholz assesses how UVARs can coordinate sustainable mobility...Read more
Sergio Fernández Balaguer explains how POLIS member, Madrid is gearing itself up for an automated future.
The last decade has seen exciting developments in autonomous vehicle technology. F...Read more
How the Internet of Things can enable Public Transport in the pandemic era, by Harald Remmert.
Across the world and in industries as varied as factories and restaurants to commercial real e...Read more
One small trip for cities...
...one giant leap for Mobility as a Service. As digital technologies evolve, the opportunities for intelligent and integrated service provision are becoming ever mo...Read more
Shin Pei Tsay and Zuzana Púčiková, examine the role of ride-hailing in sparking widespread electrification.
Time is of the essence to act against climate change, with road tra...Read more
Giovanni Huisken and Tiffany Vlemmings on navigating the way to public-private cooperation: Amsterdam pilots proactive traffic management.
That sinking feeling, when you think you...Read more
POLIS’ Niklas Schmalholz examines two projects, eHubs and MOMENTUM, that are transforming mobility in the Belgian City of Leuven – with more than a little help from its own citizens.
Tr...Read more
Shared micromobility services are more popular than ever. However, operators still face a number of challenges when it comes to local safety regulations. Alexandre Gauquelin, Sebastian Schlebusch and...Read more
Citizen-centric policymaking is a solution that helps to include every socio-economic, cultural or ethnic group in an urban environment, as Niklas Schmalholz and Pasquale Cancellara discover.
...Read more
Baden-Württemberg is somewhat of a late mover in sustainable mobility. However, what it lacks in experience, the Region and federal State makes up for it in tough action. Christoph Erdmenger and Simo...Read more
The ‘Thinking Cities’ magazine aimed to help shape the debate on sustainable transport in Europe and internationally. For cities and regions it was an exciting opportunity to help stakeholders und...
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www.polisnetwork.eu
11/02/2025
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If you’ve found a malfunction or have ideas for improvement, we’ll be happy to hear from you. You can reach out to the website’s operators by using the following email
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Disability profiles supported in our website
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Cognitive Disability Mode: this mode provides different assistive options to help users with cognitive impairments such as Dyslexia, Autism, CVA, and others, to focus on the essential elements of the website more easily.
ADHD Friendly Mode: this mode helps users with ADHD and Neurodevelopmental disorders to read, browse, and focus on the main website elements more easily while significantly reducing distractions.
Blindness Mode: this mode configures the website to be compatible with screen-readers such as JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, and TalkBack. A screen-reader is software for blind users that is installed on a computer and smartphone, and websites must be compatible with it.
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Notes, comments, and feedback
Despite our very best efforts to allow anybody to adjust the website to their needs. There may still be pages or sections that are not fully accessible, are in the process of becoming accessible, or are lacking an adequate technological solution to make them accessible. Still, we are continually improving our accessibility, adding, updating and improving its options and features, and developing and adopting new technologies. All this is meant to reach the optimal level of accessibility, following technological advancements. For any assistance, please reach out to
