Turning possibility into sustainable practice: stories of city-led mobility

Across Europe, cities are recognising the need to reshape mobility systems as climate and environmental pressures grow. Transport, particularly private cars, accounts for 29% of EU greenhouse gas emissions and contributes to pollution, road danger and the unsustainable use of public space, with broader impacts on public health and urban form.

Electric vehicles are an important part of the transport mix. They have an important role to play to help reduce emissions. But they are not a panacea as they have other environmental impacts and continue to require car-centric infrastructure to the detriment of other users of urban space. This has led many local governments to try and refocus on walking, cycling, public transport and shared mobility as ways to travel around. Making this shift though, can be challenging amid political pressures, limited capacity and the ways modern streets have traditionally been designed and used. 

The Sustainable Cities Mobility Challenge (SCMC) emerged as a response to this need. Through a partnership between Climate KIC and FedEx Cares, with funding administered via CAF America, SCMC supports cities to implement targeted, high-impact mobility interventions that show what change looks like in practice. Its ambition is not to solve transport in one leap, but to help cities make visible and credible progress that builds confidence, demonstrates what is possible and plants seeds for systemic transformation. 

Being flexible: evolving the approach

Initially, FedEx Cares and Climate KIC planned to match innovative mobility solutions from start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with the needs of European cities. But conversations with municipal transport teams quickly revealed something important: many solutions were already known and proven, and what cities truly needed was the support and resources to put them into action. This insight reshaped the programme into a city-led model with local authorities at its core.

At Climate KIC, we also recognised that many city teams avoid applying to EU-funded programmes because of the administrative burden. We therefore placed strong emphasis on a straightforward but robust application process, ensuring that smaller cities, often those with the most acute capacity constraints, could participate fully.

With this refined approach in place, the call was launched. Many teams that typically avoid traditional EU-style calls applied. Every applicant, whether funded or not, received feedback to help strengthen future bids, and from a pool of 43 applications across 19 countries, four cities were selected for the first pilot: Hackney (UK), Espoo (Finland), Olot (Spain) and Karasu (Türkiye). These cities were chosen for their strong proposals, their political commitment and their potential to inspire others as replicable models.

Turning plans into action  

Across the portfolio, the chosen cities focused on practical, visible interventions that could make everyday travel cleaner, healthier and easier. Cycling became a shared entry point, with each project shaped by local needs and contexts. 

In the small, Catalan city of Olot, home to around 35,000 people, residents had raised concerns about the lack of secure places to leave their bikes for longer periods. In response, the city’s SCMC project focused on planning secure, longer-term cycle parking at key destinations such as the hospital and the bus station. 

Further north, Espoo was expanding access to cycling through skills, confidence and inclusion. The city’s project centred on enabling women and girls from its growing immigrant communities to learn how to cycle, offering training to 128 participants along with bike-repair workshops and city-bike subscriptions. 

In Hackney, cycling again provided a foothold for change, this time focused on commercial journeys. High pollution and inequality shaped the urgency of the borough’s actions. “As many as 7% of all deaths among people in Hackney over 30 can be attributed to air pollution,” said Ali Howes, Senior Transport Planner at the Zero Emissions Network (ZEN). As part of the network’s expansion, the borough wanted to support small businesses to explore alternatives to diesel and petrol vans. Cost was a significant barrier. “This is why the project includes grants so that small businesses can shift to a cargo or e-bike,” explained Howes.

Further south-east in Karasu, the high seasonal influx of tourists was placing new pressures on local streets and mobility patterns. Abdulkadir Özden, Assistant Professor at the Sakarya University of Applied Sciences, recalled “the chaos” due to “the increased motorised traffic”. “It is essential to plan for more sustainable modes of transportation,” he said. Karasu’s SCMC project focused on creating tangible improvements through new micromobility routes, cycle parking and repair stations. 

Navigating on-the-ground realities

As these projects unfolded, each city encountered obstacles shaped by political rhythms, administrative constraints and community dynamics. In Olot, regional and local elections paused decision-making and brought in a new council. This created delays in procurement and planning approvals for the secure cycle parking residents were waiting for. In Hackney, difficult choices had to made as the scheme attracted four times more applications for grants than ZEN could support. Mayoral elections also triggered restrictions on consultation, slowing progress, and a cargo-bike product recall required the team to rethink procurement and manage expectations among businesses awaiting trials.

For both cities, Climate KIC played an active role in keeping the projects moving. We met transport officers, councillors and local partners to help maintain momentum during periods when projects could have easily stalled. This hands-on engagement provided continuity and gave implementing teams the backing they needed to keep political attention focused on delivery.

In Espoo and Karasu, challenges looked different. Espoo’s work with first- and second-generation immigrant women required strong community trust, coordination with local organisations and businesses, and sensitivity to different levels of cycling confidence. Karasu, meanwhile, faced minor delays resulting from weather conditions and ongoing construction linked to bridge building, which required flexibility in sequencing micromobility corridor installation and engagement with students and residents.

As well as the direct input, Climate KIC supported the cities through hosting ‘Meet and Share’ sessions. These online meet-ups allowed cities to get together and share progress, challenges and learning, and helped them feel less isolated. The cities repeatedly reported that this peer support strengthened confidence and improved project design.

Seeing change on the ground

Across the cities, the effects of the SCMC became visible both in the physical environment and in the experiences of the people moving through it. Improvements to local infrastructure helped make cycling easier and more appealing. In Olot, secure longer-stay cycle parking was added at key destinations such as the hospital, bus station and sports centres, easing concerns about bike theft that had discouraged cycling. In Karasu, 2.2 kilometres of new micromobility corridors were created alongside wider upgrades to bike infrastructure, providing safer and more accessible routes for everyday travel. Özden is feeling positive about the rise of cycling in the region. He says: “We want to create change from the beginning – from the younger generations. Let them have safer paths so that when they become teenagers, they walk and cycle more.”

These changes were accompanied by clear shifts in behaviour. In Espoo, 128 immigrants and refugees are now cycling, even those who never rode a bike before arriving in Finland. With the help of tailored training, bike repair workshops and city bike subscriptions, women and girls are building confidence, independence and new ways to take part in everyday life. Veli-Pekka Korhonen from the City of Espoo noted that many came to realise that biking offered a newfound sense of freedom and flexibility.

In Hackney, the expansion of the ZEN supported similar behavioural change by helping more businesses shift to zero-emission transport through cargo bike hubs, grants and trials of e-bikes and e-vans. Fourteen businesses received grants to purchase cargo bikes, which they now use to transport tools and equipment, carry out repairs and client visits, deliver documents and food, and provide cycle education and training for vulnerable groups. Cargo bikes are also available to residents through an on-demand public bike-share service, offering access for more casual users or for those unable to store or afford one. Alongside this, ZEN is providing cargo bike training to local businesses and has developed a practical toolkit that other local authorities can use as a template for creating their own cargo bike share schemes.

What this experience taught us

Cities with strong political support, demonstrated early in the application process, were better able to navigate delays, resistance to change and shifting political landscapes. Equally important was the role of meaningful community engagement. In Karasu, local university students were actively involved in planning and implementation, while in Hackney and Olot, a clear focus on community needs helped strengthen local ownership and improve project outcomes.

At the same time, it became evident that administrative and regulatory constraints required dedicated support. Cities benefited from Climate KIC’s guidance in navigating funding rules, adjusting scopes of work and ensuring compliance, support that proved essential in keeping several projects moving forward despite having strong concepts and political will.

We also can see clearly that there is a need for this work. Applications increased sharply across the three calls, from 43 to 79 to 152. This proves that cities across Europe are actively seeking this kind of practical, flexible and supportive model but often lack the funding or guidance to act.

The most powerful lesson is that small pilots can spark wider transformation. A secure bike parking facility, a protected bike lane or micromobility route, or even support in learning to ride a bike might appear modest, but each can alter expectations, create connections, influence conversations and give decision-makers the confidence needed to scale successful ideas.

Looking ahead

The SCMC has shown what becomes possible when cities are given the space, support and confidence to imagine and implement new approaches to mobility. Across diverse contexts, municipalities used modest resources to deliver real, visible improvements and shift how people think about movement, public space and urban life.

With FedEx funding set to conclude in 2026, Climate KIC is now seeking new partners to sustain and expand this work. The trajectory is clear: demand is rising, cities are ready and the SCMC model has demonstrated that the right combination of funding, technical input and peer support can unlock progress that is both practical and transformative. The next phase of this journey will focus on scaling these early successes, deepening learning across the network and continuing to help cities turn ambition into tangible change on the ground.

The outcomes across the portfolio show that modest interventions, when backed by political will, cities’ passion, technical support and peer learning, can unlock real momentum. They provide early foundations for long-term change by demonstrating viable alternatives, building confidence among residents and officials and shifting narratives about what streets are for.