SMALL heads to Amsterdam to foster inclusive shared mobility

The SMALL project, Interreg North-Sea's community for accessible shared mobility, met in Amsterdam last month to set the course for piloting inclusive shared transport solutions in European cities and regions. Read more below!

SMALL goes to Amsterdam! On 22-24 May 2024, the project held a 3-day meeting that brought partners together with mobility providers, academics and end users’ representatives to determine European best practices for launching shared mobility options comfortable for all users.

The SMALL roundtable

First up, on 22 May, the second edition of the SMALL Roundtable was held. Organised by POLIS and Mpact, the roundtable is a yearly event bringing together stakeholders from the shared mobility field to discuss the challenges that the project pilots are experiencing. Through this format, the aim is to support the SMALL pilot cities in setting up their inclusive shared mobility pilots.

After a successful first edition last year in Brussels, which resulted in the launch of the first SMALL Insights paper in September 2023, this second edition welcomed participants in Amsterdam to discuss the challenges and considerations that need to be taken into account when implementing inclusive shared mobility pilots. The discussions covered a range of topics, from organisational, infrastructure, and regulatory aspects to business, financial, and operational considerations. Finally, the roundtable concluded with one of the guiding questions of the project: 'how do we keep people with reduced mobility top of mind when setting up our pilots, and in the aftermath of the project?'.

Photo of attendees at the second SMALL roundtable in Amsterdam

Attendees during the second SMALL roundtable in Amsterdam.

Among the different insights discussed during the event, public-private partnerships and user-focused solutions were centre stage. Stay tuned for the upcoming SMALL insights paper, which will summarise and review all that was discussed - to be launched in Autumn 2024!

The SMALL partner meeting

After the roundtable, on 23 May, the SMALL partner meeting began with each pilot sharing their updates, including new launches in France and ongoing challenges. Once again, co-creation remained at the heart of the meeting with different workshop sessions and exercises to understand user engagement in more detail. The day concluded with the inspiring Amsterdam for All event, where various accessibility projects were showcased, including SMALL.

On the following day, the meeting focused on developing robust performance metrics for the pilots. A city cycling tour followed, comparing Amsterdam's and Copenhagen's cycling environments. The day ended with an accessibility board game, emphasizing mobility challenges, and a discussion on shifting focus from personas to universal mobility needs. This final conversation set the stage for impactful progress as partners work on pilot sites and impact measurement.