SPINE Project: Smart Urban Mobility

The brief provides an overview of the first 18 months of the SPINE (Smart Public Transport Initiatives for Climate-Neutral cities in Europe) project, a Horizon Europe initiative that aims to accelerate the transition towards climate-neutral and more sustainable urban mobility systems across Europe. Coordinated by Inlecom and involving 39 partners from 16 European countries, the four-year project combines technological innovation with practical mobility interventions to improve the efficiency, accessibility and attractiveness of public transport. 

SPINE adopts an integrated approach that connects conventional public transport with shared mobility, micromobility, Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS), multimodal mobility hubs, digital twins, artificial intelligence, real-time data and smart city platforms. Rather than promoting technology for its own sake, the project seeks to create balanced mobility ecosystems that improve user experience while reducing emissions and encouraging modal shift away from private cars. The project’s implementation is centred on four Living Labs in Antwerp, Bologna, Tallinn and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, which serve as real-world testing environments. The lessons generated are intended to be transferred to seven additional “Twinning Cities” to facilitate replication across Europe. 

Each Living Lab addresses its own urban mobility challenges through tailored interventions. Antwerp focuses on improving multimodal journey planning, mobility hubs, passenger information and public transport priority measures to support behavioural change and reduce car dependency. Bologna combines inclusive mobility hubs, MaaS-based journey planning, micro-incentive schemes, low-emission policies, public transport prioritisation and participatory co-creation processes involving citizens and stakeholders. Las Palmas concentrates on integrating multimodal hubs with new bus rapid transit services, micromobility, low-emission zones and transport modelling to improve accessibility despite the city’s geographical constraints. Tallinn emphasises the integration of mobility hubs, smart city data platforms, cargo-bike services, park-and-ride facilities and environmental monitoring to promote sustainable travel choices. 

Overall, the paper argues that successful urban mobility transformation depends not on isolated technological solutions but on integrated planning, stakeholder collaboration and locally adapted implementation. By combining infrastructure investments with digital tools, policy measures and citizen engagement, SPINE seeks to improve multimodal accessibility, increase public transport use, reduce CO₂ emissions and develop scalable solutions that can be replicated in cities across Europe. 

Key recommendations

The paper identifies several important lessons emerging from the implementation of the SPINE Living Labs that are relevant for cities seeking to deploy integrated and sustainable mobility solutions. Although the project is still ongoing, three cross-cutting themes consistently influence implementation success. 

The first lesson concerns data availability, quality and interoperability. High-quality, accessible and open mobility data are fundamental for planning, operating and evaluating smart mobility measures. However, cities frequently face fragmented datasets, inconsistent data standards and difficulties integrating information across multiple systems. Public authorities therefore have an essential role in promoting open data policies, improving data quality and enabling collaboration between transport operators and other mobility stakeholders. Converting raw data into actionable information is equally important, requiring common platforms and tools that support evidence-based decision-making. 

A second key recommendation is the importance of stakeholder engagement and co-creation. The project demonstrates that involving transport operators, public authorities, citizens, businesses and different user groups throughout the design and implementation process produces solutions that better reflect local needs and achieve greater acceptance. Engagement should extend beyond consultation to active collaboration, ensuring that diverse perspectives contribute to solution development. Furthermore, new mobility initiatives should be coordinated with existing urban plans and complementary projects to avoid duplication, exploit synergies and maximise overall benefits.  

The third lesson relates to implementation management and institutional resilience. Urban mobility projects often encounter unforeseen challenges such as staffing changes, administrative delays, political transitions or approval processes that can slow delivery. Cities should therefore prioritise measures carefully, establish realistic implementation pathways, and maintain sufficient flexibility to adapt when circumstances change. Proactive planning and continuous monitoring help minimise delays and reduce risks to project outcomes. 

Finally, the authors emphasise the value of knowledge exchange between cities. SPINE’s collaborative structure, built around Living Labs, project meetings and exchanges between Lead and Twinning Cities, enables participants to share experiences, learn from implementation challenges and accelerate the replication of successful practices. This continuous exchange is presented as a critical mechanism for scaling innovative mobility solutions and supporting Europe’s broader transition towards climate-neutral urban transport systems.

This resource is in German