Cities, regions, and projects explore new recipes for urban mobility in new Cities in motion #7

The latest issue of Cities in motion, 'What’s on the (Mobility) Menu?', invites readers to think of urban mobility as a menu—where cities and regions serve their own selection of specialties.

From the essential staples of walking, wheeling, and cycling to more complex courses like buses, trains, shared vehicles, and micromobility, this edition examines how health, sustainability, and equity can become the main course in cities’ mobility planning.

Through 19 articles, interviews, and case studies, 'What’s on the (Mobility) Menu?' highlights innovative, inclusive, and practical approaches to urban transport from across Europe and beyond. Cities are experimenting boldly, finding new ways to nourish everyday travel while balancing environmental goals, public health, and accessibility.

As POLIS Secretary General Karen Vancluysen observes:

'Urban mobility is a menu that must serve everyone. Cities are constantly testing, learning, and refining their offerings, ensuring that every citizen has a seat at the mobility table'.

#POLIS25

Happy if Healthy: Interview with Sam Johnson HERE
Serving Better Mobility: Interview with Jan Peter Balkenende HERE

Access

Push, Pull, Park HERE
Public Transport, Reimagined HERE
Ageing Gracefully, Moving Freely HERE
Finding the Way HERE

Environment & Health

Happy—Reluctantly: Interview with Maarten De Schepper HERE
Under the LENS HERE

Governance & Integration

Steering Change HERE
Healthy Living by Design: Interview with Senna Maatoug HERE
From Car Trips to Travel Chains HERE
Micromobility, Macro Shift: Interview with Michael Brous HERE
Mediterranean Metamorphosis HERE
URBAN(E) Spark: Interview with Roos Lowette and Thomas Benz HERE
Epic Fails HERE

Traffic Efficiency

Starting Small: Interview with Matthieu Graindorge HERE
Smart Cycling Revolution HERE
Next Stop HERE

Safety & Security

Move with Women HERE

Testing new recipes

Across Europe and beyond, new approaches to mobility are being tested. Sam Johnson of the World Bank proposes dedicating up to 10% of national road budgets to active mobility, while Professor Jan Peter Balkenende frames mobility poverty as a social hunger, affecting access to education, work, and healthcare.

Examples from Catalonia, Japan, Örebro, and Helmond demonstrate how interurban planning, data-driven decisions, and citizen engagement can deliver mobility systems that truly nourish daily life

Innovation and equity on the menu

Innovation continues to reimagine mobility’s ingredients. Lyft Urban Solutions’ adaptable micromobility networks and Europe’s Smart Cycling Roadmap enhance active travel, making it safer, greener, and more connected. Projects like URBANE in Mechelen and Karlsruhe experiment with shared parcel networks and autonomous deliveries, finding new ways to ease street congestion. Even when pilots fail, every experiment adds to the collective recipe book, proving that transport innovation, like cooking, thrives on trial, error, and creativity.

A balanced menu is not only about variety but also fairness. MobiliseHER in India demonstrates how participatory, data-driven planning empowers women and marginalised communities. Similarly, designing streets and transport systems for people with visual impairments shows that accessibility must be baked into every stage of planning—not sprinkled on top.

The head chefs: Coordination and strategy

At the systemic level, coordination and foresight are the head chefs behind mobility transformation. Switzerland’s long-term rail strategy and Europe’s road transport research under STREnGth_M and LeMesurier illustrate how collaboration, data, and planning refine the recipe for zero-emission transport, ensuring innovation reaches the streets, communities, and citizens who depend on it.