The winners of the 2017 CIVITAS Awards were recently revealed during an award ceremony in Torres Vedras (Portugal). This year's "Bold Measure Award", which is given to the city that adopts a daring and innovative approach that has not been widely implemented yet, was given to ICLEI Member Bologna (Italy).

Bologna was honored for their "Bella Mossa" project, which rewards citizens with discounts and prizes each time they complete a trip sustainably, such as by using public transport, cycling or walking, acquiring healthy habits.

Sustainable trips are tracked through the BetterPoints platform, which works through a GPS-installed app. The scheme is a public-private partnership, with 50 shops (small to very large) providing discounts and prizes.

The CIVITAS awards highlight the most ambitious, innovative and successful efforts in the field of sustainable urban mobility.

For more information, visit the CIVITAS website.Image copyright: sourced from Flickr more   3 October 2017 EcoMobility World Festival sees strong European representationThe official opening of the Ecomobility World Festival 2017 took place on Sunday 1 October in Kaohsiung, kicking off a month long celebration of sustainable forms of mobility.

The festival will include workshops and cultural tours, events, and performances. The highlight of the festival will be the three-day EcoMobility World Congress, during which leaders and technical experts from around the world will come together to discuss the future of urban mobility and sustainable transport. This year's World Congress will feature a number of European speakers, with the Mayor of Bonn (Germany), Ashok Shridharan, and the Mayor of Utrecht (Netherlands), Jan Van Zanen, representing their respective cities.

The opening ceremony began with a celebratory parade through the streets of Hamasen, the historic neighbourhood that plays host to the festival. Hamasen is undertaking a month long experiment in sustainable mobility by prioritising cleaner methods of transport such as walking, cycling, and electric vehicles. Through the festival, the city of Kaohsiung is taking a bold step towards transforming their transportation culture.

During the opening ceremony, Mayor Chen Chu of Kaohsiung celebrated the transformation of the Hamasen neighbourhood. Gino van Begin, Secretary General of ICLEI, acknowledged the leadership shown by Mayor Chen and her commitment to sustainable transport. Mr van Begin also highlighted the important example set by Kaohsiung for other cities around the world in hosting this Festival.

Mayor Yeom of Suwon (South Korea), the host city of the first EcoMobility World Festival in 2013, celebrated the opening of Kaohsiung's EcoMobility Festival. He congratulated Mayor Chen on her leadership and expressed his hope for further collaboration and partnership between the two cities.

These remarks show the power of city to city collaboration and exemplify how cities can work together to build the future of sustainable urban transport.

For more information, visit the festival website.Image copyright: sourced from EcoMobility World Festival 2017 more

» Publication Date: 04/10/2017

» Source: Iclei Europe

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