Decarbomile Project Highlighted at the UBC events in Brussels
On December 4-5, 2024, the Union of the Baltic Cities (UBC) hosted a board meeting and policy debate in Brussels, Belgium. This gathering saw representatives from over 40 cities across the Baltic Sea Region, showcasing their commitment to regional cooperation, sustainability, and resilience in the face of socio-economic and environmental challenges.
The UBC Board meeting served as an essential platform for city leaders, policymakers, and experts to engage in discussions on how to address some of the most pressing issues facing the European Union today. Topics ranged from climate change mitigation and sustainable urban development to enhancing economic connectivity and security within the region.
One of the topics discussed was the Decarbomile project, an ambitious initiative aimed at reducing carbon emissions within the transportation sectors in Europe. This project aligns with the EU’s Green Deal, targeting a sustainable transition towards a carbon-neutral future. The presentation of Decarbomile showcased its successes and established it as a model for other European cities looking to minimize their environmental impact.
Examples from the Decarbomile project on innovative approaches to urban mobility and sustainability done by Logroño, Nantes, Hamburg, and Istanbul were highly illustrative during the event. Several of these examples have proven very useful for UBC Member Cities in considering how to shape their policies on urban development and the environment.
Logroño revitalized a former Triporteurs hub into a modern cargobike facility, utilizing advanced NGS trackers and sensors for data gathering and delivery route optimization, including the TricyLift from Fleximodal. This redevelopment has positioned Logroño as a leader in sustainable urban logistics.
Nantes transformed an urban space to accommodate both professional and personal uses of bicycles and cargo bicycles, including specific zones for rental, parking, repair, and goods holding, enhancing last-mile delivery operations and maintaining urban functionality.
Hamburg integrated e-mobility into its urban logistics by establishing a new hub at a MIGROS store, focusing on data collection, development of ICT tools, and testing forecasting and optimization algorithms, including the deployment of e-cargo bikes, to reduce carbon emissions and model effective e-mobility integration.
Istanbul’s Metropolitan Municipality opened a 500m² Urban Consolidation Centre, operated in cooperation with MIGROS and Iletmen, using power-autonomous modified shipping containers to consolidate goods, optimizing logistics operations and reducing environmental impacts.
These discussions at the UBC event in Brussels underlined practical implementations of the Decarbomile project and showed the commitment of each city to sustainable urban environments. The different approaches in Logroño, Nantes, Hamburg, and Istanbul were very valuable blueprints and a source of inspiration for other regions in an effort to integrate sustainable practices into their urban logistics framework.
The event also enabled an exchange of ideas and best practices, allowing cities to learn from one another in areas like digital transformation, public participation in policymaking, and integrating environmental considerations into economic planning.
The outcomes of this UBC events are expected to lead to a series of follow-up initiatives aimed at addressing the specific challenges and opportunities highlighted during the discussions. These initiatives will likely focus on increasing intercity cooperation, utilizing technology for sustainable development, and enhancing the Baltic Sea region’s resilience against future challenges.