The CIVITAS Forum in Thessaloniki brought together cities, projects and mobility professionals from across Europe to exchange experiences and explore how transport systems and public spaces can become more inclusive, accessible and responsive to the needs of different people and communities.
For InclusiveSpaces, the Forum provided an opportunity to contribute to these discussions, share insights from our work and connect with other projects working towards more inclusive mobility.
Looking at accessibility from different perspectives
During the session “Inclusive and Accessible Public Transport for All”, moderated by Yannick Bousse (European Commission), speakers presented practical examples of how accessibility can be addressed across different parts of the passenger journey.
Floridea Di Ciommo, coordinator of InclusiveSpaces, highlighted the importance of looking beyond physical infrastructure when considering accessibility. People experience transport differently depending on factors including disability, age and gender. Understanding these different perspectives is therefore essential when designing mobility services that work for a wider range of people.
The session brought together examples from several projects tackling different aspects of inclusive mobility.
WeeDRIVE.app is working with families to co-design solutions that make it easier for children to travel to after-school activities while reducing reliance on private cars. Through the project, weekly trips increased from 19 to 68, demonstrating how involving families in the design of mobility solutions can help address everyday travel needs.
The CUSTOM-App project is developing digital support for people with visual and hearing impairments when navigating public transport, showing how technology can help make the passenger journey more accessible.
The SPINE project is exploring how mobility hubs can better connect different transport modes. Its work includes mapping existing hubs, analysing their design and identifying opportunities to improve the location of transfer points, with this information also being integrated into digital tools.
Together, these examples demonstrated that inclusive mobility requires different approaches working alongside each other, from service design and digital accessibility to the physical environment and the way people experience their journeys.
Accessibility is more than infrastructure and technology
The discussion also highlighted four areas where gaps can remain along the passenger journey: services, digital support, physical interchange and emotional accessibility.
One question in particular stood out: as more mobility apps and digital services are introduced, what happens to people who face barriers to using digital tools?
Digital solutions can play an important role in improving accessibility, but they cannot be the only answer. Human assistance remains important, while analogue options need to be considered alongside digital services. There is also a need to think about the longer-term availability and maintenance of digital tools once a project comes to an end.
These considerations point to a broader principle: inclusive mobility is not simply about developing new technologies. It is about understanding how people actually experience the entire journey and ensuring that different solutions work together around their needs.
Connecting projects, cities and experiences
Beyond the sessions, the CIVITAS Forum offered valuable opportunities for InclusiveSpaces to connect with other European projects and cities working on related challenges. These exchanges helped create links between different approaches and experiences, while highlighting the value of collaboration in developing more inclusive transport and public spaces.
For InclusiveSpaces, these connections are particularly relevant as the project continues to explore and demonstrate tools and approaches that can help create environments that are more accessible and responsive to different users.
The discussions in Thessaloniki reinforced an important message: there is no single solution to inclusive mobility. Creating spaces and journeys that work for more people requires a combination of accessible services, supportive technology, inclusive physical environments and a better understanding of people’s different experiences.