The global transport transition – future-proofing urban mobility

Context

More than 50 per cent of the world’s population currently live in cities. By 2050, this will be almost 70 per cent, or around 6.5 billion people. Cities around the world are already facing gridlock, with rising noise and air pollution. To achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement and the United Nations 2030 Agenda, a fundamental transition to sustainable transport is needed.

Political priorities such as the European Green Deal, which aims to make the EU climate-neutral, and the European Union’s Global Gateway worldwide infrastructure initiative underline the importance of a global transport transition.

Mobility is a basic requirement for inclusive and just cities. In particular, the needs of women and disadvantaged groups need to be considered more.

Objective

The transport transition towards climate-neutral, inclusive, safe and affordable mobility for all has been initiated in cities worldwide.

Approach

The project operates in four fields of activity:

1. It advises the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and develops technical contributions on topics such as sustainable urban transport, slowing climate change, and fairness.
2. It performs public relations work with the Transformative Urban Mobility Initiative (TUMI) and a network for promoting women in the transport sector (Women Mobilise Women, WMW).
3. It drives forward digitalisation in transport. This includes digital services via the TUMI Mobility Data Hub, which offers publicly available mobility data, and provides the necessary skills for processing mobility data.
4. It trains network partners through traditional training courses and new platforms that include a podcast.

Last update: April 2025