Skip to main content

2015 Polis Conference debates urban mobility in making the city smarter

At the 2015 Polis conference, taking place in Brussels this week, 400 mobility professionals from across Europe and beyond have come together to debate urban and regional mobility. European Vice-President Jyrki Katainen, Commissioner for Jobs, Growth, Investment and Competitiveness said at the conference's opening plenary session on "Smart Cities. What's in a name? Talented people want to work in smart sustainable cities. Polis is a crucial network in helping cities to share and to get access to know-ho
November 20, 2015 Read time: 2 mins
%$Linker: 2 Internal <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 4 9782 0 oLinkInternal <span class="oLinkInternal"><span class="oLinkInternal">RSS</span></span> Events (Diary) false /rss/events/ true false%>At the 2015 Polis conference, taking place in Brussels this week, 400 mobility professionals from across Europe and beyond have come together to debate urban and regional mobility.

European Vice-President Jyrki Katainen, Commissioner for Jobs, Growth, Investment and Competitiveness said at the conference's opening plenary session on "Smart Cities. What's in a name? Talented people want to work in smart sustainable cities. Polis is a crucial network in helping cities to share and to get access to know-how and proven practice in other countries than their own."

Polis also launched its new policy paper Sustainable Urban Mobility and the Smart City, which states that the role and potential of urban mobility in making the city smarter is currently not sufficiently recognised.

Karen Vancluysen, Polis secretary general said at the plenary session: "The Smart City knows what it wants, knows how to intervene, is interested to assess results and change course if needed, and in this process is able to take everybody along. The current European framework for smart cities, with focus on ICT, Energy and Transport is rather narrow. ICT is an enabler of many smart mobility measures, but still, not all transport solutions need ICT to make them smart."

"Smart cities are going to be more than technology. We therefore encourage and support Polis to put the citizens at the heart of a smart cities vision", said Jon Lamonte, CEO 817 Transport for Greater Manchester and Chair Passenger Transport Executive Group.

The 2015 Polis Conference has also marked the launch of Polis' new 'Global Platform' allowing local governments from beyond Europe to become associated Polis members, the release of the latest edition of Thinking Cities and the launch of the CH4LLENGE project's SUMP self-assessment tool.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Eutrain conference on international cooperation in transport research
    August 27, 2013
    The Eutrain (European Transport Research Area International) conference on international co-operation in transport research is aimed at gathering European and global scientific, policy making and business communities to discuss themes and instruments for the promotion of future international cooperation in the field of transport research. The conference takes place in Brussels on 9 and 10 October and is organised within the framework of the Eutrain project, an FP7 project funded by the European Commissio
  • FHWA developing 2015 infrastructure guidance for connected vehicles
    January 23, 2014
    The US Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) plans to issue deployment guidance on connected vehicles to transportation infrastructure owner/operators in 2015 and is seeking input on what would best support decision-making and deployments at the state and local level. The FHWA is specifically seeking input on the following: • What type of guidance is needed to best support the successful deployment of connected vehicle technologies? • What specific issues would you like to see addressed for plannin
  • Huber+Suhner showcase EV charging technology
    March 23, 2017
    International manufacturer of components and systems for optical and electrical connectivity, Huber+Suhner, will showcase its automotive solutions at the Electric & Hybrid Vehicle Technology Expo Europe in Sindelfingen, Stuttgart, 4-6 April. One of the highlights will be its cooled charging cable for high-power charging stations, which is able to multiply the power-throughput of a charging cable and reduce charging times to below 20 minutes, putting fast charging within reach, even with big battery packs
  • EU cities back Polis declaration for safer streets
    February 13, 2020
    European cities expressed support for ‘The New Paradigm for Safe City Streets’ declaration at the annual Polis Conference in Brussels.