News

Last Thursday REALLOCATE partners achieved a double-win at last week’s award ceremony, with Budapest and Nudgd winning the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK and the MOBILITYACTION awards! They received their prestigious awards amid the nearly 200 mobility enthusiasts who attended the public ceremony, which took place at La Bellone (Brussels, Belgium).

Deputy-Mayor of Budapest, Kata Tüttő, shared her enthusiasm on stage, highlighting what the recognition of the EUROPEANMOBILITYWEEK award meant for her city:

“2023 was a tough year […] Like many other cities, we faced skyrocketing energy prices and public services in need of a lot of energy. And we see many cities cutting public services; street lighting, public transport […] needed to make a decision. Who is carrying the burden of all these crises? […] If I cut streetlights, who is carrying the burden? It is a very different feeling for women than men to go on a dark street. If I look at public transport. Who are the main users? I see a lot of women. […] Budapest decided not to go back but to go forward.”

Budapest’s response was to make cuts to investment elsewhere but to ensure the extra costs of transport and public services were carried by the city. Budapest won the award not only in recognition of its huge car-free days, but also of the permanent mobility measures it implemented, ranging from new bicycle lanes to the introduction of speed limits (partly on the same roads) for greater space-sharing and safety.

CTO / Co-Founder at Nudgd, Ola Rynge, collected the MOBILITYACTION award on behalf of Nudgd's innovative behavioural change platform, thanking the teams involved in the success and highlighting the need for further work on behavioural change for more active mobility:

“It is a great honour to be here receiving this prize. It was a team effort, not only for the team of Nudgd, but also for the City of Helsingborg of course […] I would also like to extend a thank you to all the MOBILITYACTIONS that were made throughout Europe […] we need to work more to change our behaviour for more active transport”

The platform, which was developed in Helsingborg, Sweden, and will be used within some of the REALLOCATE city pilots, leverages behavioural science to encourage sustainable school travel habits. Students, parents, and teachers are invited to join the online platform where they are gently “nudged” with messages, challenges, and quizzes to raise interest in - and show the benefits of - active travel.

Speeches from Georges Gilkinet, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Mobility of Belgium and Magda Kopczynska, Director-General for Mobility and Transport at the European Commission, focussed not only on the winners but also on the success of the European Mobility Week campaign as a whole, celebrating the huge efforts of all participants in the awareness-raising campaign to promote greener mobility and contribute to European climate goals.

For those who couldn't attend or watch the livestream, watch the recording of the ceremony.