The CIVINET Greece-Cyprus Mobility Academy 2023 was officially launched (in person) on Friday 10 February, with a workshop held in Thessaloniki, at the premises – and with the kind sponsorship – of the Technical Chamber of Greece / Section of Central Macedonia (TCG/SCM).
It is the first time that our Network has taken the initiative to develop a 6-month program of practical self-training for its full members, but also inviting any other Greek Local Authorities who wish to exchange their knowledge and experience with other cities in Greece and Europe.
The approach of the programme is based on the fact that the European cities face many common challenges, and their possible solutions do not need to be discovered from scratch, but they can be developed through focused training and networking of the municipal officials.
In this context, six Greek cities (Kavala, Kozani, Karpenisi, Nea Smyrni, Heraklion, Hersonissos) met in Thessaloniki and participated in a workshop organised by the CIVINET team. The workshop was opened with a very influential speech by Jim Walker, founder and director of the international organisation WALK21.
The topics that the participating municipalities plan to work on are:
- Light Rail Transport schemes for mid-sized cities (trams, cable cars etc)
- Integrated urban regeneration
- Walking and cycling networks
- Shared streets
- Micromobility sharing schemes
- Urban vehicle access regulations (UVAR)
- On-demand mobility services for PRM and visitors, using electric micro-vehicles in areas with steep slopes and pedestrianised city centres
- Smart urban logistics
The event ended with a tour at the centre of Thessaloniki guided by a city representative.
Next stop of the Mobility Academy is the double trip to Zagreb and Ljubljana in cooperation with the cities and CIVINET Slovenia-Croatia-SEE!