On the opening morning of the 16th ITS European Congress in Seville the Smart Mobility Summit of Cities and Regions brought together 16 European mission cities, including five out of Spain’s seven mission cities, to explore collaborative approaches to urban mobility challenges.
Among the key topics discussed were smart mobility solutions, transport and mobility management, electrification of mobility and transport, and innovative services.
“We concluded this morning a very important and inspiring summit,” says Dr Angelos Amditis, chairman of event organisers ERTICO-ITS Europe. “At the event local and regional leaders came together to discuss strategies for building a cleaner, smarter and more livable urban spaces.”
The summit highlighted ongoing challenges in implementing smart mobility solutions. “Inclusiveness remains the elephant in the room, as all our experts said, easier to say than to implement,” notes Dr Amditis. “So this is something which is still a challenge for all of us, for our cities, for our governments, for our authorities, how to make sure that we have an inclusive transport system.”
The Congress, organized by ERTICO-ITS Europe in collaboration with the European Commission and hosted by the city of Seville, focuses on three main pillars: clean mobility, resilient mobility, and connected mobility systems.
The three-day Congress continues with plenary sessions, technical demonstrations including autonomous shuttles and cooperative intelligent transport system corridors, and an exhibition featuring over 100 exhibitors representing both public and private sectors.
Joost Vantomme, CEO of ERTICO-ITS Europe, emphasizes the importance of balancing technological advancement with human needs: “It’s nice to have these technologies. And this is 16th Congress of technology. It’s a festival of technology. But who is using it? Who is asking questions, do we need this? Can it be afforded? So that kind of approach, so the human factor will also be part of the sessions.”
The Congress features four key elements: Connected, Cooperative, Automated Mobility (CCAM); new technologies including AI and edge computing; societal aspects and human factors; and resilience for both physical and digital mobility systems
“It’s all about collaboration,” says Amditis. “It’s all about bringing together all the different stakeholders. It’s all about working together towards this common goal, and having all this in mind that what we do here is not just for technology, it’s not just for the expert, but it’s for our citizens, and it’s important everything we discuss to be really user centered.”
