This week, from 19 to 21 March, the International EUROCITIES Mobility Forum will take place in Riga, bringing together around 150 experts from all over Europe. The main theme of this year will be "Smart and integrated transport systems for a sustainable urban future", which will focus on the issues of the development of urban transport systems and public transport, mobility as a service (MaaS), low emission zones, 5G technologies and data-driven innovations.
The Forum will take place in Riga, fostering cooperation between cities and sharing best practices to develop smart, sustainable and data-based mobility. Riga will showcase various projects and local solutions such as the Rail Baltica project, e-ticketing system for public transport, smart traffic lights and shared mobility initiatives that promote sustainable transport infrastructure.
On the first day, 19 March, there will be a panel discussion on transport technology innovations in cities with participation of experts from Turin, Helsinki, EIT Urban Mobility, and Riga will be represented by Arnis Gulbis, Director of the Riga Digital Agency. In working groups, experts will discuss 30 km/h speed limit zones and traffic speed management, cycling infrastructure, data and the impact of the European Union Declaration on Cycling on cycling development.
On the second day, 20 March, Vilnis Ķirsis, the Mayor of Riga, will address the conference participants, followed by the discussion of European city leaders (Malmo, Budapest, etc.) on large-scale cooperation projects, Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) initiatives and cooperation with Member States. There will also be a panel discussion on major transport infrastructure projects, their implementation challenges, political leadership and public involvement. The discussions will bring together politicians from different European cities, including Porto and Rome. Riga will be represented in these discussions by Jānis Lange, the city's Executive Director, and Inese Andersone, the Chair of the Urban Development Committee of the Riga City Council.
The discussions will be followed by four panel sessions where experts from London, Madrid, Zagreb, Lyon, Rotterdam, Goteborg, Brussels and other cities will consider the establishment of low emission zones and regulatory framework, the creation of safe, accessible and people-centred street spaces, discuss on traffic calming measures, multimodal hubs, the urban shift towards automated mobility and changing public behaviour.
On the final day, 21 March, experts from Stuttgart, Florence, Berlin, Lyon and Riga will share their success stories on transport mobility development. At the end of the Forum, participants will go on a business visit to the city to get to know the implemented projects in Riga and its future development plans on site. Participants will look at the development of Rail Baltica infrastructure, pedestrian infrastructure in the Knowledge Mile area, the pilot project area of Riga Technical University, the development of Riga's public transport infrastructure (hydrogen filling station and innovative electric bus charging station), urban planning of Riga's historic centre, street typology and urban design, and the future territory of low emission zone of Riga.
The Forum is organised by Riga City Agency "Riga Digital Agency" in cooperation with the Mobility Planning Board of the City Development Department. The Forum will take place at the University of Latvia, House of Science. The full programme is available here: https://eurocities.idloom.events/Mobility_Forum_2025/pages/programme