2010 Annual CIVITAS Forum Conference

Location: Malmö, Sweden
Email: secretariat@civitas.eu

The 2010 Annual CIVITAS Forum Conference will be hosted by the city of Malmö in Sweden from September 27-29. The event is an opportunity for the exchange of dialogue and views between city and European politicians on the one hand, and experts in the field of urban mobility on the other.

The conference will be the 8th such annual event, following fora previously hosted in various quarters of Europe including Krakow, Bologna, Kaunas, Burgos and Rotterdam since the series started in 2003. The CIVITAS Forum Network currently includes 168 cities from 28 European countries, that have formally committed to clean and sustainable urban transport.

The city of Malmö is an ideal location for the Forum. Located in southern Sweden’s Oresund region and with approximately 295,000 inhabitants, it has developed as a thriving industrial and trade centre from its mediaeval roots. Today it is renowned for its eco-friendly neighbourhoods and is often referred to as “the world’s smallest big city,” not least because you can reach anywhere with a bike in 15 minutes. This philosophy of using sustainable means of transport over short journeys is one that has underpinned Malmö’s involvement in CIVITAS SMILE, the achievements of which the city looks forward to sharing with visitors of the CIVITAS Forum 2010. In December 2010 for instance, the Citytunnel will be opened to commuters, while the new Triangel-station will become one of Sweden’s second largest stations and will host an innovative bicyle parking garage. Other areas of interest are expected to be its biogas production facilities, interregional commuting to and from Copenhagen and its bicycle network, which is among Europe’s most extended per capita.

Malmö Stad looks forward to welcoming participants of the Forum Conference and demonstrating and discussing its own and others’ successes in the field of urban transport policy.