Roundtable: Tackling urbanization challenges

We warmly invite you to join us for a roundtable discussion about Tackling urbanization challenges – Sharing as a necessity in the future metropolis. The event will happen 17 February 2016, 10-12:30h, at Impact Hub Berlin (Friedrichstraße 246, Berlin-Mitte).

We look forward to an interesting discussion with you and the speakers Katherine Kortum (TRB, USA), Alexander Jung (GIZ, China) and Sebastian Schlebusch (nextbike). The discussion will be facilitated by Bodo Schwieger (team red).

Please find a detailed agenda here. We would greatly appreciate your coming! Please indicate your participation as soon as possible sending an email to contact@german-sustainable-mobility.de.

Transforming Transformation 2016

More than 850 people joined in to discuss how 2015’s global commitments on road safety, development and climate can be turned into action on the ground for sustainable urban transport. As we learned, 2016 will be critical.

While TTDC16 may be over, the conversation hasn’t ended. We invite you to access and widely share the following resources with the hashtag #TTDC16 for continuing the discussion on social Networks:

The presentations of Transforming Transportation 2016 are available here.

For watching the fotos and videos, please click on fotos / Videos

Apply for 2016 ITF Awards

Transport Operators, Manufacturers, Researchers: Apply for 2016 ITF Awards!

Winners to be honoured at global Summit of transport ministers in May / Application deadline 10 February

The ITF Awards honour exceptional achievements in transport-related areas. Winners will be presented with the Award in the presence of transport ministers from around the world at their Annual Summit on 18-20 May in Leipzig, Germany.Read more

Climate Action Award for Local Government 2012-2014

The winning projects of the climate action award for local government from 2012-2014 represent a wide variety of measures available for effective climate action – from climate action in local government properties through cooperation strategies with other relevant stakeholders to public participation initiatives. Other municipalities and regions are urged to learn from and emulate these climate activities and come up with their own ideas. The successfully completed projects presented in this booklet prove that climate action is worthwhile: Click here for the full booklet

Sustainable Transport Award 2016

Yichang, the second largest city in China’s Hubei Province, has been honored by this year’s Sustainable Transport Award. Yichang won the award ahead of finalists Moscow (Russia) and Rosario (Argentina). The Sustainable Transport Award (STA) is given annually to a city that has implemented innovative and sustainable transport projects.

Opening Event Arbeitsgemeinschaft Nahmobilität Hessen (AGNH)

TUMI Friends will be present at this year’s opening ceremony of the AGNH with a stall and will be representing its friends and the Network. In its new mobility policy, Hesse promotes specifically local mobility, especially walking and cycling as non-motorized modes. The new working Group on Local Mobility (Arbeitsgemeinschaft Nahmobilität, AGNH) aims to improve linkages of transport modes, as for example bus- and (local) train stations with cycling and walking. Next to other measures, easier interchange and accessibility could be convincing for many to use public transportation instead of their own car for daily commuting. Tarek Al-Wazir, minister for economic affairs, transport and energy of Hesse and Maria Vassilakou, Vienna’s vice mayor, will share interesting insights and host fruitful discussions about mobile urban society at the opening event.

There, we look forward to the active exchange of experiences and cooperation with you.

An Interview with Hamburg Port Authority Lutz M. Birke

Could you briefly describe your work as the managing authority of one of the biggest ports in the world?

Since 2005, the HPA has provided future-oriented port management from a single source and takes care of the Port of Hamburg’s security and efficiency. The HPA meets the port’s growing demands with intelligent and innovative solutions. Responsible for resource-saving and sustainable planning and execution of the port’s infrastructure measures, the HPA is also the point of contact for questions regarding waterside and landside infrastructure, the security and efficiency of ship traffic, the dock railway, and economic conditions in the port. Further, it safeguards the port’s interests at a national and international level. The challenge for the future is to continue the path of digitalization of the port set by the smartPORT initiative and to implement the respective Projects.

How do you define sustainability in your own work?

To make the Port of Hamburg “greener” and more prosperous – that is the challenge we are facing. Avoiding emissions is a key concern of the HPA. Our own shipping fleet has been operating on sulphur-free fuels since 2009. In addition, both our own and most of the public jetties and wharves for inland waterway carriers, ferries and other service vessels in the port are equipped with shore power plugs. Solar energy and geothermal energy also play a part. Niedernfelder Ufer is home to the HPA’s state-of-the-art building that houses offices and social meeting rooms and incorporates the latest in energy efficient designs. Sustainability plays an increasingly bigger role in our daily working practices and forms an integral part of our objectives. This approach requires the courage to change practices and the commitment of everyone involved. This is the only way the HPA can meet its corporate and social responsibilities as a port operating across regions.

HPA also wants to be a role model for a sustainable port industry.

ally app for convenient public transport – An Interview

To make collective transport more attractive to city residents the developers of the app “ally” have worked on a suitable solution to reduce individual traffic and made a contribution to a greener and more efficient public transport system.

TUMI Friends: Could you briefly describe “ally” and how it differs from other urban mobility and local transportation apps?

Ally offers city dwellers smart navigation through their cities. Our internationally active community if commuters, open data enthusiasts and urban innovators help us to make city transport systems smoother and smarter. Thanks to our sophisticated backend infrastructure, we are able to analyse routes, schedules, prices and navigation behaviour enabling us to go one step further by offering valuable information on transport optimisation.

TUMI Friends: What is your prognosis for the future of urban mobility and what impact will further digitalization and mobile technology have?

Urban mobility will be demand driven, quite similar to how we already consume media and other services today. Our goal is to reduce individual traffic and instead prioritise collective transport. This of course requires the use of innovative technology, in this case, our “transport cloud”. Mobile technology will be able to analyse precisely the supply demand balance and pave the way for data driven collective transport Solutions.

The Future of Urban Habitation

While the population of large cities in Germany is increasing and getting more culturally diverse, various challenges have to be met. There is a need for more workplaces and mixed living quarters that include places for integration and recreational spaces. A compact city structure should combine high-quality infrastructure and a well-suited transport system.

In this context, the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB) recently proposed new sustainability parameters for urban habitation. Besides new affordable living spaces and inner city workplaces, the major themes are sustainable mobility and clean air.Read more

Fast cycling infrastructure – not only for pleasure, but for daily transport

On Nov 27, the cities of Essen and Mülheim celebrate the opening of the fast cycling way ‘RS1’, linking Mülheim Central Station and Essen’s city boundary. The first phase ensures safe cycling almost without any interruptions over a length of five kilometres.

This is just the first part of the ambitious cycle path project which will connect Duisburg and Hamm over a distance of 101 kilometres. It thereby crosses the whole Ruhrgebiet, mainly re-using old railway tracks of the area of industrialisation. Meant for every-day com muting, this cycle path is not mainly about enjoying the landscape, but leads you discover the regional heritage of the coal era from a totally new perspective. This project also carries forward the idea of Essen and the Ruhrgebiet being European Culture Capital in 2010.