EUROCITIES Mobility Forum Held in Riga
From March 19 to 21, the international EUROCITIES Mobility Forum took place in Riga, gathering approximately 150 experts from across Europe. This year’s central theme was “Smart and Integrated Transport Systems for a Sustainable Urban Future.” The forum focused on the development of urban transport systems and public transport, Mobility as a Service (MaaS), low-emission zones, 5G technologies, and data-driven innovations.
The event fostered cooperation between cities and enabled the sharing of best practices to jointly develop smart, sustainable, and data-based mobility. Riga showcased several local initiatives and projects, including the Rail Baltica project, the e-ticketing system for public transport, smart traffic lights, and shared mobility solutions, all contributing to a more sustainable transport infrastructure.
On March 19, the first day of the forum, a panel discussion was held on urban transport technology innovations. Experts from Turin, Helsinki, EIT Urban Mobility, and Arnis Gulbis, Director of the Riga Digital Agency, represented the city. Working groups discussed topics such as 30 km/h zones, traffic speed management, cycling infrastructure, data usage, and the EU Cycling Declaration’s impact.
On March 20, Riga Mayor Vilnis Ķirsis addressed the forum participants. This was followed by a discussion among European city leaders about large-scale cooperation projects, Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) initiatives, and collaboration with member states. A panel discussion focused on major transport infrastructure projects, their implementation challenges, political leadership, and public engagement. Riga was represented by City Executive Director Jānis Lange and Chair of the City Development Committee Inese Andersone.
Later that day, four thematic breakout sessions were held. Experts from London, Madrid, Zagreb, Lyon, Rotterdam, Gothenburg, Brussels, and other cities exchanged views on topics such as low-emission zones, creating safe and accessible street spaces, traffic calming measures, multimodal hubs, the transition to automated mobility, and changing public behavior.
On March 21, the final day of the forum, experts from Stuttgart, Florence, Berlin, Lyon, and Riga shared successful examples of transport mobility development. The event concluded with a study visit around Riga to explore implemented projects and upcoming development plans. Participants viewed Rail Baltica infrastructure, pedestrian infrastructure in the Knowledge Mile area, the Riga Technical University pilot project site, public transport innovations (hydrogen fueling and electric bus charging stations), urban planning in the historical center, street typologies, urban design, and plans for low-emission zones.
The forum was organized by the Riga Digital Agency in cooperation with the City Development Department’s Mobility Planning Division and was held at the House of Sciences of the University of Latvia.
The full programe is available here: EUROCITIES Mobility Forum Programme