For decades, urban mobility has largely been measured by one question: how quickly can people move from A to B? Roads became wider, parking spaces multiplied, and public space was increasingly designed around the movement and storage of vehicles. Yet across Europe, a different question is beginning to shape the future of cities: what if movement itself could create stronger communities, healthier lifestyles and more attractive places to live?
During the ESWAM webinar "Reclaim the Streets", experts from Finland, the United Kingdom and Belgium shared inspiring examples of how cities are rethinking streets, stations, public spaces and mobility networks. While their projects varied in scale and context, a common message emerged: successful mobility is no longer just about transport. It is about people, places and experiences.
Päivi Raivio from Helsinki challenged participants to look beyond traditional infrastructure and embrace what she calls a place-led approach to urban design. In many cities, mobility projects are still planned as engineering exercises, focusing on traffic flows and transport efficiency. Yet some of Europe’s most successful urban environments show that mobility and placemaking can reinforce one another rather than compete. Cities such as Copenhagen, Amsterdam and Zurich demonstrate how cycling routes, walking networks, greenery, seating and social spaces can coexist to create vibrant urban environments.
The shift is subtle but powerful. Instead of asking how infrastructure moves people, cities are increasingly asking how infrastructure helps people connect. Temporary interventions can often reveal the answer. In Lucerne, for example, parking spaces were transformed into modular public spaces with seating, greenery and opportunities for social interaction. The response was immediate. Within minutes after the installation, people began using the newly created spaces. What had previously been a place for parked vehicles suddenly became a place for conversations, relaxation and community life.
These experiments demonstrate that many cities are sitting on untapped potential. Streets can become destinations rather than corridors. Public space can encourage play, support local businesses, strengthen biodiversity and improve active mobility simultaneously. The lesson is not that cities should remove all cars, but that they should reconsider how much space is allocated to them and whether that space could deliver greater value for residents and visitors. Across Europe, hundreds of cities are already reducing parking requirements and exploring new ways to retrofit existing streets for people rather than vehicles.
The conversation then shifted from streets to stations. Neil Carmichael, Chris Taylor and Maxine Gregory presented an ambitious project undertaken by Northern Rail in the United Kingdom. Faced with a modest budget but a clear ambition to encourage more sustainable travel, the organisation conducted detailed active travel audits across 46 railway stations. The goal was to understand how stations connect to the communities around them and how walking, wheeling and cycling could become more attractive options for passengers.
What makes the project particularly interesting is its focus on practical action. Rather than waiting for major infrastructure investments, the audits identified quick wins, medium-term improvements and longer-term strategic opportunities. The team assessed everything from wayfinding and cycle parking to accessibility, safety, connectivity and local development potential. More than fifty stakeholders contributed to the process, including municipalities, community groups, transport authorities and active travel organisations.
“...... creating environments where active movement becomes the natural choice.”
The findings revealed a familiar challenge. Many stakeholders are eager to improve active travel, yet efforts are often fragmented. Excellent examples of cycling infrastructure, accessible stations and clear wayfinding exist, but they are not always connected into a coherent system. The real opportunity lies in collaboration. By aligning the ambitions of rail operators, municipalities, health organisations and local communities, relatively small interventions can significantly improve the experience of travelling to and from stations.
If the Northern Rail project explored the first and last mile of public transport, Pieter Vandenhoudt demonstrated how entire cities can be connected through what Belgium calls “slow roads.” These are not simply sidewalks or cycle paths running alongside roads. They are human-scale routes, shortcuts, trails and pathways designed specifically for walking and cycling, often hidden within neighbourhoods, parks, green corridors and historic urban fabric.
In Antwerp, the Slow Roads initiative has evolved into a citywide vision. More than 600 kilometres of accessible routes form a network that encourages residents to move actively through the city while discovering places they might otherwise never encounter. The concept goes beyond transport. Slow roads create opportunities for recreation, social interaction, health, play, relaxation and everyday encounters. They encourage people to experience the city rather than simply travel through it.
The project also responds to a broader challenge facing many European regions. Flanders has one of the densest road networks in Europe and maintaining this extensive paved infrastructure consumes a significant share of municipal budgets. At the same time, cities face increasing pressure related to climate adaptation, heat stress, biodiversity loss and public health. The response is not necessarily to build more infrastructure, but to rethink existing infrastructure. Some streets can become greener. Some paved surfaces can be removed. Some routes can be redesigned as shared public spaces where movement, nature and social interaction coexist.
What united all presentations was the recognition that urban transformation is ultimately a human project. Data matters. Mapping matters. Infrastructure matters. Yet the most successful projects begin with understanding how people experience a place. They involve communities early, observe behaviour carefully and use evidence to guide decisions. Whether through temporary parklets in Finland, station audits in the United Kingdom or slow road networks in Belgium, the objective remains remarkably consistent: creating environments where active movement becomes the natural choice.
For municipalities across Europe, this represents both a challenge and an opportunity. The challenge is moving beyond traditional silos that separate transport, health, public space and community development. The opportunity is far greater. Every street, station, pathway and square can become part of a larger network that encourages people to move more, connect more and experience their city in new ways. The future of urban mobility may not be defined by how fast we travel. It may be defined by how meaningful the journey becomes.
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