Oslo is the capital city of Norway and has a population of around 700.000 inhabitants, while the functional urban area comprises 1,7 million people. The city is surrounded by the nationally protected Marka Forest and the Oslo Fjord. The population is young, highly-educated, and diverse – one third of the population is first- or second-generation immigrants. Oslo is one of the fastest growing cities in Europe and a governmental centre and hub for Norwegian trade, banking and shipping. The biggest industry sector in Oslo is the knowledge intensive business services sector. About 30% of Norwegian R&D activity takes place in Oslo, which also hosts around 80.000 students, making it the biggest student city in Norway. Oslo was named European Green Capital in 2019 by the European Commission for its holistic and citizen-oriented green policies and has an ambition to become one of the first zero emission cities in the world with an aim of 95% reduction in climate emissions by 2030.

Overview of the first set of measures

Oslo Living Lab explored how it was possible to optimise the use of existing infrastructure and transport solutions through new measures, hubs and new collaboration and business models that would both reduce traffic in the city, reduce climate emissions and meet the user’s needs.

Oslo planned four initial concepts:

1. Mobility on demand for people and freight

2. Integration of micro mobility with public transport

3. Goods delivery in the Zero Emission Zone

4. Mobility hub network

In MOVE21, Oslo had a strong ambition to lower emissions by developing innovative new solutions, particularly combining persons and goods. To achieve this, the Oslo LL commenced work on concepts that could be applied in several places like Filipstad, Oslo City Center, Ski Station and others.

Focus areas and test sites

The concept of «Integration of micro mobility with public transport» was driven by the idea of offering individuals, be it tourists or residents, an agile and multimodal transport option. The aim was to offer users a service that was easy to use, intuitive and, at the same time, reduced the carbon footprint and congestion associated with traditional transportation options in large cities.

For this particular project, the focus was on Oslo city centre within the boundaries of Ring 3, where both scheduled transport and micro mobility services were located. Combining the two gave users an option for the first, last and potentially middle mile of their journey in the city centre. The main challenges faced in this type of innovation were:

• Data security
• Financial business models, public vs private
• Customer experience and support

Goods delivery in the Zero Emission Zone
Where in Oslo city centre was it possible to create a ZEZ and traffic-reducing zone that took into account a viable business life?

In this pilot, the possibilities of designing a concentrated area of Oslo to test zero emission goods delivery were investigated. The pilot aimed to reduce both emissions and traffic. It was believed the zone needed to be viable, feasible and attractive for delivery actors, inhabitants, and affected businesses alike.

There was a recognised need for co-deliveries (samlast), data sharing and the use of zero emission vehicles.

Mobility hub network
Using mobility hub “best practice”, this concept aimed to provide citizens with a cost-efficient and flexible alternative to car ownership. By implementing a network of “neighbourhood hubs” in an area of Oslo, the pilot explored how to overcome existing barriers, increase the use of public transport, and reduce reliance on private cars.

Not only was a network of shared cars established, but the pilot also explored how cargo bikes, private bikes and micro mobility could supplement car sharing and increase the overall attractiveness of public transport.

Two local mobility hubs, Filipstad and Ski station, were initially explored. These locations continued to be developed; however, the early piloting showed that two hubs alone were not sufficient to change the mobility behaviour of a district. To improve availability, it was believed that the number of nodes in the network should be increased.

What is the innovation?

There were different innovative parts in each concept. The most important innovation elements were seen in data sharing, development of viable business models and new services, and in co-delivery.

If you have ideas or suggestions that can be useful, please do not hesitate to contact:

• Patryk Bubilek, Project manager for the Oslo Living Lab
  patrycjusz.bubilek@bym.oslo.kommune.no
• Tiina Ruohonen, Project coordinator:
• tiina.ruohonen@byr.oslo.kommune.no