An interview with Olof Rabe, Mobility Projects Manager, City of Malmö

What activities did Malmö undertake to help it win the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK Award?

There are several activities that I think contributed to our success, but if I have to highlight some of them I would say that the temporary reformation of a street, the opportunity for citizens and visitors to discuss mobility issues with officials, and our whole-day conference were three activities that turned out well.

For the whole week we devoted a street in the centre of Malmö to EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK, focusing on the number of pedestrians and cyclists, and reforming the street into a welcoming space for all people. That became a great activity and left a strong impression that people in the city still talk about.

During the week officials from our Streets and Parks Department were present on the street, and visitors got the opportunity to discuss Malmö’s mobility issues with them.

We also held a whole-day conference on the theme of the year. Invited speakers from different fields talked about the issues from their perspective. Local politicians debated the theme and the information presented. At the end the audience had the opportunity to discuss in smaller groups.

What does winning the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK Award mean to the city?

The award is a recognition that we are doing good work when it comes to sustainable mobility. I also think that the award makes the citizens of Malmö proud of their city. Of course, for those involved in the project it is really a fantastic response. As the success of the project increases, the demand also grows to make more efforts for active travel.

What are the benefits of taking part in EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK from a city perspective?

We have ambitious goals for our future traffic system, as clearly stated in our Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (SUMP). To accelerate towards our goals, we must first create a greater demand for sustainable mobility. This requires working across all levels in the city. Citizens of Malmö, property owners, shopkeepers and other stakeholders have a key role to play in this development. EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK is particularly important in this process. It creates commitment and demands in a way that can facilitate the work to reach the city’s goals.

What advice would you give to cities that are looking to follow in your footsteps and take home the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK Award?

- Try to combine the event with a city development project.

- Involve the city inhabitants, property owners, business owners and other stakeholders which are most affected by the event and the development project.

- Concentrate the event to a specific location in the city, link all activities to the theme, present the permanent measures under the week, and rather focus on fewer but clearer activities. Also try to have activities every day.

- Evaluate the project. We allowed external actors to do a visitor survey during the week as well as a project evaluation of the entire work process before, during and after the project.