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Urban Mobility Days 2025: Bologna takes center stage with the URBANE project

From 30 September to 2 October, Vilnius — European Green Capital 2025 — hosted the Urban Mobility Days, the main European Commission event dedicated to policies for sustainable urban mobility. Representatives from European institutions, local administrations, academia, NGOs, and industry stakeholders gathered to discuss the Union’s new priorities in competitiveness, innovation, and the green transition.

During the panel “Innovation in urban logistics: competitiveness versus sustainability”, participants discussed how to balance economic growth with sustainability in urban logistics. Among the speakers was Luca Bellinato, Head of the Mobility Systems Unit in the Sustainable Mobility and Infrastructure Department of the Municipality of Bologna, who presented the city’s experience within the European URBANE project, funded by the Horizon Europe programme and developed under the CIVITAS initiative. Bologna has long pursued strategic planning for urban logistics through PULS — the Urban Plan for Sustainable Logistics — approved in 2019 as part of the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan. PULS defines objectives and actions aimed at reducing the environmental impact of freight distribution and improving the efficiency of the logistics system.

The plan includes the creation of proximity logistics areas on the edges of the historic centre, where goods can be transferred from traditional vans to electric vehicles and cargo bikes, with the goal of reducing emissions and congestion caused by last-mile deliveries. Thanks to URBANE, Bologna has established an urban Living Lab and three pilot micro-logistics hubs, testing a collaborative business model involving multiple operators. The micro-hubs are equipped with digital monitoring systems and blockchain technology for the secure management of freight flows.

In summary, the project aims to optimise and green the last mile of deliveries, while also developing infrastructure and digital platforms for data sharing and solution replicability. Bologna’s experience — aligned with the goals of the 2030 Agenda and the city’s participation in the European mission “100 climate-neutral cities by 2030” — represents a concrete example of how innovation and public-private collaboration can foster more sustainable and competitive urban logistics across Europe.

 

Ultimo aggiornamento: mercoledì 26 novembre 2025

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