COVID-19 has a disruptive impact on the way we live and move around, on cities and society as a whole. EIT Urban Mobility will do what it can to support its partners and stakeholders in mitigating the socio-economic impact of COVID-19 on mobility, its impact on the transport sector and on cities and the way we live as a whole. We will post news and articles regularly here, so check in every now and then for updates.
How the Covid-19 pandemic is changing urban mobility
The current necessity of social distancing is re-shaping urban transport. In several cities the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic is already evident. Like the ‘bike revolution’ started in the Netherlands after an economic and social crisis in the Seventies, the pandemic may be a fly-wheel for sustainable mobility in many polluted urban areas.
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How mobility patterns and infectious diseases are related?
Check the latest study on Association between mobility patterns and COVID-19 transmission in the USA: a mathematical modelling study. Within 4 months of COVID-19 first being reported in the USA, it spread to every state and to more than 90% of all counties.
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Five COVID-19 aftershocks reshaping mobility’s future
While researchers work to develop a vaccine, with the threat of infection looming, consumers are newly refocused on health. We see this prominently in the mobility sector, with passengers largely favoring modes of transportation perceived as safer and more hygienic, such as private cars over ridesharing.
Read the entire article here
COVID-19: Putting people first!
Posted on 10 September 2020. The worldwide outbreak of COVID-19 has brought the world to a standstill, and tourism has been the worst affected of all major economic sectors. Against a backdrop of heightened uncertainty, up-to-date and reliable information is more important than ever, both for tourists and for the tourism sector. What are the tourism organisations doing in this regard?
Read the entire article here.
Public space, waste and mobility
Posted on 18 August 2020. In times of COVID-19 cities are adapting themselves. An overview of the measures the City of Amsterdam has taken on mobility, waste and public areas.
Read the entire article here.
How COVID-19 will shape urban mobility
Posted on 7 August 2020. Just a few months ago, cities all over the world were in the midst of a mobility renaissance. (…) Then came COVID-19. When lockdowns halted normal everyday life, commuting and leisure trips for many millions of people came to an abrupt halt. Urban transportation usage plummeted to its lowest level in decades.
Read the entire article here.
How cities can keep clean air after coronavirus
Posted on 9 July 2020 – Many urban dwellers have gazed in awe at their newly clean cities over the last few months. But three – Copenhagen, Oakland and Mexico City – are leading the way in making such transformations permanent. How?
Read the entire article here.
Learning from the COVID-19 emergency to transform cities
Posted on 26 June 2020 – To tackle the problems brought about by the pandemic, cities are experimenting with various policies. Alessandro Balducci, Professor of Planning and Urban Policies at the Politecnico di Milano, identies two paths that cities are thinking about taking in terms of adapting their urban spaces which could have an impact which lasts beyond the current crisis.
Read the entire article here.
Life after COVID: Europeans want to keep their cities car-free
Posted on 16 June 2020 – With the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic appearing to subside, Europe is giving its love to wide bike-friendly boulevards and café terraces instead of car-clogged streets. New polling data from 21 cities across six European countries shows a clear majority in favor of measures geared at preventing a return to pre-pandemic levels of air pollution.
Read the entire article here.
COVID-19 Mobility Landscape: Europe vs United States
Posted on 14 June 2020 – While the world is in the process of being completely transformed due to the COVID-19 crisis, there has been an unequal response seen in the mobility ecosystem. In many ways the crisis has laid to bare the ongoing trends that have been brewing for some time.
Read the entire article here.
Universities will never be the same after the coronavirus crisis
Posted on 5 June 2020 – The coronavirus crisis is forcing universities to confront long-standing challenges in higher education, and some of the resulting changes could be permanent. Over the long term, universities might shift many classes online, have fewer international students and even refashion themselves to be more relevant to local and national communities.
Read the entire article here.
Some tips on how to travel safely on mass transit during COVID-19
Posted on 28 May 2020 – As lockdowns start to ease, trains, buses and planes are becoming an even greater focus of anxiety, with larger numbers of people considering when and how to resume travel. What factors most affect your risk of catching Covid-19 while using mass transit? Here are some tips of experts about necessary precautions to take.
Read the entire article here.
Tel Aviv converts 11 streets in the city center into pedestrian zones
Posted on 19 May 2020 – The Tel Aviv-Jaffa Municipality will convert 11 popular streets into pedestrian zones shut to vehicles in the coming weeks, seeking to encourage local trade and make the city more pedestrian-friendly.
Read the entire article here.
Robot dog reminds visitors of social distancing in Singapore park
Posted on 17 May 2020 – The government of Singapore has deployed a four-legged robot dog in a local park to remind visitors of the importance of social distancing starting on 8 May 2020. As part of the two-week trial, the robot called Spot, will be deployed over a 3 km stretch in the River Plains section of the park during off-peak hours, and it will be accompanied by at least one park officer.
Read the entire article here.
How COVID-19 will impact future mobility solutions
Posted on 11 May 2020 – Over the long term, COVID-19 could have a lasting impact on mobility as it drives change in the macroeconomic environment, regulatory trends, technology, and consumer behaviors. The trends may vary by region, however, so responses and outcomes for mobility players will differ by location. As the global pandemic spreads, mobility players need to prepare for the new world ahead. But how?
Read the entire article here.
How do people really experience working from home as an alternative to commuting?
Posted on 6 May 2020 – The University of Amsterdam investigated, through an online survey, people’s perceptions and experiences of working from home as an alternative to commuting. The main questions explored were: What do people see as the main advantages and disadvantages of working from home? Do they miss the experience of commuting to work? Do they think they will likely work from home more often after the current restrictions are lifted? Check out all key results of this research!
Read the entire article here.
Temporary bike lanes will help traffic during the pandemic
Posted on 30 April 2020– The Municipality of Budapest has decided to establish temporary bicycle lanes for several key routes around the city. The capital’s aim with this decision is to provide its residents with an alternative and safer way to travel during the coronavirus pandemic.
Read the entire article here.
Paris plans to create 650 km of pop-up ‘corona cycleways’
Posted on 28 April 2020 – Paris is the latest global city to roll out emergency bike lanes for the use of key workers and others during the lockdown. 650 kilometers of cycleways—including a number of pop-up “corona cycleways”—will be readied for May 11 when lockdown is eased in France.
Read the entire article here.
Milan announces ambitious scheme to reduce car use after lockdown
Posted on 21 April 2020 – Milan is to introduce one of Europe’s most ambitious schemes reallocating street space from cars to cycling and walking, in response to the coronavirus crisis.
Read the entire article here.
Will COVID-19 fundamentally change mobility?
Posted on 16 April 2020 – The mobility sector has been one of the industries most affected by the outbreak. This article provides interesting information of the immediate impact of the isolation measures on the industry and explores the degree to which the long term consequences may affect mobility even after the peak of the pandemic passes.
Read the entire article here.
Digital lessons from COVID-19
Posted on 14 April 2020 – The coronavirus pandemic has already had a profound effect on how we leverage and continue our societal digital transition. What are the key lessons being learned? What type of new digital deal must prevail to adequately power a post-coronavirus world? Read the entire article here.
Big data and behavioural analyses to guide through the crisis
Posted on 11 April 2020 – In response to COVID-19, Technical University of Denmark (DTU) has initiated a big data & machine learning research project including, among other things, behavioural psychology. The research will help us understand the connections between the government’s handling of the crisis, media coverage, the population’s behaviour, and spread of the virus.
Read the entire article here.
City bike season to start in Helsinki earlier than last year
Posted on 7 April 2020 – At the request of the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), the City of Helsinki, HKL and the City of Espoo decided to bring forward the opening of the city bike season because the use of the bikes could provide one way to mitigate the spread of the virus.
Read the entire article here.
Corona-free mobility: cars and non-motorized mobility
Posted on 1 April 2020 – The comeback of the private car in times of Corona. How to ensure safe mobility and a good life for all, even in times of Corona?
Read the entire article here.
We’re not going back to normal
Posted on 30 March 2020 – To stop coronavirus we will need to radically change almost everything we do: how we work, exercise, socialize, shop, manage our health, educate our kids, take care of family members.
We all want things to go back to normal quickly. But what most of us have probably not yet realized—yet will soon—is that things won’t go back to normal after a few weeks, or even a few months. Some things never will.
Read the entire article and additional documentation here.
Up to 50% drop in air pollution due to reduced traffic in cities
Posted on 27 March 2020 – European Environment Agency’s (EEA) data confirm large decreases in air pollutant concentrations largely due to reduced traffic and other activities, especially in major cities under lockdown measures.
Read the entire article and additional documentation here.
