Good Practices

The Hamburg Living Lab is driven by a Task Force that coordinates the collaboration between strategic partners and those focused on practical, neighbourhood-level interventions and thus the hub trials. The ICCP is composed of two distinct groups, each contributing unique strengths to the overall project:

• Strategic and Policy-Oriented Partners

This group consists of partners that contribute to shaping the strategic direction and policy framework of the Living Lab. Their formal participation is embedded in a newly established working group within the Logistics Initiative Hamburg (LIHH). LIHH, a public-private partnership with over 500 member companies and institutions from the Hamburg metropolitan region, is a key player in advancing the logistics economy in Hamburg. Established by the Ministry of Economy and Innovation, LIHH provides a comprehensive network for fostering innovation and collaboration in logistics-related industries.

• Implementation-Oriented Partners

The second group is made up of organisations that focus on the practical implementation of interventions at the neighbourhood level. These partners are organised more loosely, functioning as a network that supports specific initiatives. Certain organisations within this group also offer social and cultural services at the test sites, often through formalised arrangements. This group, however, also includes commercial users of the hubs, such as the logistic companies that are using the locations for their last mile deliveries. Their role is crucial in executing the tangible elements of the Living Lab’s projects, ensuring that ideas and policies translate into on-the-ground impact.

A further group that can be understood to be in between includes the specialised ministries as well as transport companies that are connected in terms of the content of the test sites. Next to the Ministry of Economy and Innovation, that is directly involved in the project as regular project partner, also the Ministry of Traffic and Mobility Transition is involved in some of the measures. With the aim to continue and replicate the project’s measures throughout the city, the support from and coordination with the ministries is needed. On the one hand this means strategic steps toward new policies are discussed, as well as procedures for the implementation of specific measures that can be part of future implementations. Similarly, transport companies are involved in some of the implemented measures, but serve at the same time as potential multiplier in other locations and can thus be considered strategic partners.

The Hamburg Task Force is designed to foster both direct and indirect connections between different stakeholders. Direct connections exist between the Task Force and both groups of partners, ensuring strong communication channels and clear lines of responsibility. The strategic and policy-oriented partners collaborate closely with the Task Force to shape the overarching goals, while the implementation partners bring these ideas to life within the community.

Indirect connections are also essential, linking local stakeholders to the broader concept development ecosystem. These connections provide opportunities for local organisations to contribute to and benefit from the Living Lab’s innovative solutions. Additionally, the concept of “perspective connections” refers to potential future collaborations that may emerge as the project progresses, opening up possibilities for new partnerships and expanded impact.

The role of the Logistics Initiative Hamburg (LIHH) and the Ministries

As a long-established public-private partnership, LIHH serves as a platform for collaboration, offering a structured environment where partners can engage with a wide range of logistics-related challenges. By embedding the strategic partners of the Hamburg Living Lab into a working group within LIHH, the project wants to ensure that the Living Lab’s activities are aligned with Hamburg’s broader economic and logistical goals. However, the experience over the last years of the project has shown that the involvement of the Ministries was even more central to facilitate the efficient policy development.

The governance structure of the Oslo Living Lab was organised around the Innovation Co-Creation Partnership (ICCP), which comprised partners involved in the MOVE21 project. Central to this structure was the Oslo Task Force, which included a selection of members from the ICCP and featured a dynamic membership arrangement. This dynamic structure allowed the Task Force to include members who addressed current needs within its processes. Consequently, the composition of the Task Force changed over time, with ICCP members joining and leaving for limited periods as required. For instance, Urban Sharing became a member of the Task Force after approximately six months. Their participation was necessary due to the specific expertise and experience required for the concept development ideas at that stage. At that time, representatives from government, businesses, and a knowledge institute were integral parts of the Task Force. Engagement with citizens and civil society occurred at the test site level, ensuring that representation among all quadruple helix stakeholders took place in a sequential manner.

The Task Force in Oslo developed and engaged in a co-creation process for concept development. This co-creation process began with gathering ideas from partners and stakeholders, including various partners in the ICCP and the ambition to co-create with the Business for Climate network. This collaborative effort aimed to assist the Oslo Living Lab in achieving its goals regarding freight and mobility, climate change, traffic reduction, optimisation of area and infrastructure, and transport services.

The ideas gathered through partners and stakeholders were analysed by the Task Force, after which the ideas were either rejected or taken up to the next stage. For some ideas, it was necessary to gain more information, in which case the Task Force organised workshops and/or meetings with users and stakeholders. The ideas could be placed in the “idea bank” for later use, or planning steps towards concept development were officially taken. These steps included further co-creation sessions with partners and possibly other stakeholders. This process of co-creation for idea generation with partners and stakeholders aimed to be iterative throughout the project lifetime and could possibly be sustained beyond the project’s duration.

To further develop the concepts beyond the initial idea, the Task Force initially organised itself into smaller sub-groups around specific concepts for particularly promising potential interventions, enabling more targeted discussions within those dedicated teams. Later, the Task Force decided to no longer work in sub-groups to avoid compartmentalisation in concept development. All partners were involved in the development of the concepts, although each partner could give specific attention to concepts that linked to their interests and expertise. At the time of writing, the four concepts that were being developed included:

• Expansion of the existing mobility on-demand service to incorporate freight;
• Integration of micro-mobility with public transportation;
• Securing seamless urban logistics within the zero-emission zone;
• Strategic deployment and connection of mobility hubs (network of mobility hubs).

These concepts were tested in various combinations at designated test sites, which varied in size and level of development.

The Gothenburg Living Lab was organised around key partners involved in the MOVE21 project, with the Task Force comprising representatives from various public and research organisations.

The organisation of the Gothenburg Living Lab centred on key stakeholders who were formal partners in the   MOVE21 project. In phase A the Task Force consisted of representatives from local government agencies, a publicly owned waste management company, and a publicly owned regional development agency. This collaboration formed the core decision-making body responsible for overseeing the activities within the Living Lab.

The set-up of the Task Force was evaluated yearly to align with the needs in the current phase of the project.For instance, at the beginning of the project’s second year, the state-owned research
institute joined the Task Force, and subsequent modifications were made to align with the evolving needs of the project.

Stakeholder Engagement and Organisational Model

The organisational model of the Gothenburg Living Lab was developed to promote a shared, context-specific understanding of the project’s requirements, terminology, and expectations as laid out in the Grant Agreement. This effort resulted in the creation of a model in which the three test sites—Nordstan, Klippan, and Lindholmen—were structured as working groups under the Task Force’s leadership, with participants in the working group from the local innovation ecosystem.

Each of the test sites was intended to be overseen by a Task Force member who acted as the “problem owner,” taking responsibility for the site’s operations and challenges. During the set-up phase of the project workshops focusing on needs assessment and solutions co-creation were arranged on test site level. The test site working groups has been meeting in accordance with the evolving needs in the project, from weekly to monthly during different phases of the project.

The test site leads and Living Lab manager has been meeting weekly through phase A and B and biweekly through phase C. This structure allowed the Task Force to focus on site-specific issues and overall project issues while maintaining an overarching view of the project’s progress. The Task Force held regular meetings, convening at least monthly, with additional meetings scheduled based on the evolving needs of the project. A broader ICCP-group, including members of the test site working groups and the local innovation ecosystem, has been meeting quarterly to ensure alignment and address all needs effectively.

Citizen Engagement

Direct engagement with citizens and civil society, representing the fourth component of the quadruple helix approach, mainly took place at the test site level. To facilitate this, the Task Force conducted a comprehensive stakeholder analysis, identifying key participants and their roles in the project. This analysis was essential for ensuring that all stakeholders, particularly citizens and community groups, were appropriately engaged in the project and that their input was integrated into the decision-making processes.

In the Munich region the implementation of mobility hubs relies heavily on collaborative efforts between various stakeholders. The development of mobility hubs required a concerted effort to bring together both public and private entities to create a unified and integrated mobility network. Two forms of cooperation are central to this process: public-private partnerships and public-public cooperation.

Public-private partnerships are an essential aspect of establishing and operating mobility hubs. These collaborations allow private providers of shared mobility services—such as carsharing, bike sharing, and e-scooter companies—to work closely with municipal governments, ensuring the seamless integration of these services into the broader public transportation network. Through these partnerships, private mobility service providers offer their vehicles at mobility points, where they are integrated into the existing public transportation systems. Such partnerships enable the development of customized solutions that meet the specific mobility needs of individual regions and municipalities.

Public-public cooperation is equally crucial to the success of mobility hubs, particularly in metropolitan regions where mobility extends beyond the boundaries of individual municipalities. In such contexts, close collaboration between different public entities is necessary to ensure the seamless delivery of mobility services across municipal borders.

Public institutions such as the City of Munich, the Munich Transport Corporation (MVG), and the Munich Transport and Tariff Association (MVV) have worked together under the MoveRegioM initiative to develop a unified mobility hub concept. This cooperation ensures that users across the MVV region can access mobility points that meet consistent standards, regardless of their location. The joint development of a recognizable and uniform design for mobility points throughout the region has helped to increase user recognition and enhance the overall functionality of the mobility network.

MoveRegioM has provided a platform for intensifying collaboration among stakeholders and anchoring mobility points as an integral component of a regional mobility strategy. This ensures not only the technical and logistical integration of mobility services but also provides a consistent user experience, regardless of the institution or company behind the service.

The basic concept that is developed and followed in Hamburg are so called multi-functional neighbourhood hubs. The idea is to develop hubs that can meet a larger variety of needs of the neighbourhood. In the Living Lab in Hamburg, the conceptual starting point – reflected also in the partnership with Ministry of Economy and Innovation/ Logistics Department and DB InfraGO AG – has been the transport of goods and thus last mile logistics. With last mile logistics being one of the focal points of MOVE21 and the Hamburg Task Force members, Ministry of Economics and Innovation, DB InfraGO AG and the District of Altona, practical experiences with logistic micro depots are brought together with the specific goals from the City of Hamburg for last mile logistics.

At the neighbourhood hubs, different logistic services are offered. Next to mobility services for people services also services such as waste collection can be added, but the concept is also open for the inclusion of social services, cultural offerings or other improvements of the quality of the location. This multi-functional concept is following a modular approach to be able to adapt to different structural conditions in different neighbourhoods and areas of the city.

The neighbourhood hub “Holstenstraße” in Altona combines social neighbourhood projects with commercial logistics services. There is a social kiosk, where food donations, hot meals but also clothing and hygiene articles are handed out to people in need. There is also a consultancy kiosk where social organisations offer advice of different topics, such as debt, but also specifically for young migrants. In addition, the logistic micro-depot operated by Deutsche Bahn in Holstenstraße houses a transshipment point for parcel shipments that are transported on the “last mile” using electric cargo bikes.

As a result, sustainable solutions for the movement of goods will be further established and made visible. In addition, the social offerings create a new central point of contact that will be continuously developed for and with the people in the neighbourhood and social organisations from the area.

To establish the hub, the Hamburg Living Lab utilised a strategically located, publicly owned vacant building managed by a municipal housing company. Previously a nursery, the building required extensive renovations and a new use permit to accommodate its functions as a neighbourhood hub. The availability of a space like this one on Holstenstraße has been a key success factor for this pilot site. However, lengthy timelines for reconstruction and permitting posed challenges within the project’s framework.

Initially, the District of Altona held the lease, but as part of optimising operations and the business model, DB InfraGO AG has since taken over the rental contract. As the primary operator, DB InfraGO AG now serves as the central contact for all users, streamlining cooperation at the site. By reducing direct municipal involvement, this model creates a replicable approach that could be adopted at other locations.

As part of the MOVE21 project, the Hamburg Living Lab developed a second multifunctional neighbourhood hub combining a logistic micro-depot with mobility offers. The hub was established along Stresemannstraße in Hamburg, between Kaltenkircher Platz and Plöner Straße. Stresemannstraße connects the highway A7 to the inner city and represents a major transport route within Hamburg as well as direct connection to the TEN-T corridor. At the same time, the location at Kaltenkircher Platz is in immediate vicinity to a residential area as well as a stop of a high frequented bus line which allowed strengthening the multimodal connections. Developed in collaboration with DB InfraGO AG, this hub represents a significant step forwards sustainable urban mobility and logistics, integrating various transport and logistics solutions into a single modular site.

The neighbourhood hub features several key components designed to improve the flow of people and goods within the neighbourhood and the city:

Micro-Depot

The hub’s central feature is a modular micro-depot, which functions as a logistics centre for the last-mile delivery of goods. Goods arrive at the micro-depot via established logistics networks and are then distributed to surrounding areas using emission-free vehicles, such as electric cargo bikes. Currently, the logistics company “Tricargo” is the primary user of the facility, demonstrating the practicality and effectiveness of this system for reducing the environmental impact of urban deliveries.

Shared Mobility Services

In addition to the micro-depot, the hub includes various shared mobility services designed to act as feeders to public transport. These services include parking zones for micro-mobility vehicles such as e-scooters, protected as well as flexible bicycle racks, and space for car-sharing vehicles. The integration of these services, as part of the transformation of the area that was previously exclusively used as a car park, enhances accessibility and encourages residents to shift away from private car use, contributing to a reduction in motorised traffic and promoting more sustainable urban transport.

Public Transport Integration

To further improve connectivity, the hub is located near the “Kaltenkircher Platz” bus stop, making it easy for users to switch between different modes of transport. The improved walkways and additional infrastructure, such as bike racks and e-scooter parking, facilitate seamless transfers to public transport, helping to create a cohesive environmental network.

Sustainability and Circular Economy

The hub is designed with sustainability in mind, not only in terms of mobility but also through circular economy services. For example, there are options to incorporate recycling collection points and e-charging stations for commercial vehicles, supporting waste collection services and promoting the use of electric vehicles.

The hub Kaltenkircher Platz offers several advantages for both the neighbourhood and the wider city:

Reduced Traffic Congestion

By encouraging the use of shared mobility services and micro-mobility vehicles, the hub helps to reduce reliance on private cars, thereby alleviating traffic congestion in central Hamburg. The introduction of additional bike parking and e-scooter zones also helps optimise the use of space in the area.

Improved Logistics

The micro-depot system streamlines last-mile deliveries, cutting down on emissions and making logistics more efficient. The use of cargo bikes and other emission-free vehicles ensures that deliveries are both timely and environmentally friendly, contributing to Hamburg’s climate goals.

Scalable and Replicable Model

The modular design of the micro-depot and other infrastructure means that the hub can be easily replicated in other parts of Hamburg or even in different cities. MOVE21 partner DB InfraGO AG is working with the City of Hamburg to create a template for future micro-depot installations, allowing other municipalities to benefit from this innovative solution.

Oslo’s Kaia mobility hotel was set up in a vacant container facility at Filipstad. Filipstad’s location is key for freight and delivery solutions as it is close to one of Oslo’s main highways, as well as the city centre. The previous lease on the facility was up and with its strategic location it provided an opportunity to pilot a new logistics concept.

The city of Oslo aims to implement a zero-emission zone (ZEZ) in the central area of the city. The city is waiting for a national amendment for the city to be allowed to implement a ZEZ, but in the meantime the city needs to explore ways of facilitating the transition to more zero-emission service and delivery transportation.

Oslo’s Kaia Mobility hotel aims to facilitate and enable more bicycle-based urban logistics in the centre of Oslo and in the area designated as a future zero-emission zone. Kaia mobility hotel provides leasing of weather protected cargo bikes, as well as service, maintenance and storage. It also provides a rest area for workers and eventually charging facilities for the bikes. The Mobility Hotel is looking into expanding to include small-scale consolidation, an outdoor battery swapping station and a small-scale warehouse.

The Kaia Mobility Hotel was established in collaboration with Mobility Solutions (Fleet Bike), Wolt, Nordic FM Group (KeySec), Posten Norge and CityQ at Filipstad in the beginning of September 2024.

The Mobility Hub Network in Oslo aims to encourage residents to choose climate- and environmentally-friendly transportation as their natural first choice. This initiative is particularly necessary in the outer areas of the city, where public transport infrastructure is underdeveloped, resulting in larger areas and longer distances. The establishment of mobility hubs, strategically located near transportation nodes, sought to maximise seamless first-mile and last-mile connectivity for residents.

The pilot project for the mobility hub network was launched in the Grorud Valley, focusing on establishing a cohesive network of mobility hubs through collaboration between the public and private sectors. The choice of the Grorud Valley location for the pilot was based on several key factors:

• Underutilised Capacity at Grorud Station: Despite being located near larger residential areas, Grorud Station had untapped capacity, and the train service offered a fast route to the city centre.
• Distance from Public Transport: Many residents in the Grorud Valley lived far from public transport stops, often opting for private cars for their daily commutes.
• Lack of Cross Connections: The valley faced challenges with cross connections between its sides. To address these gaps, micro-mobility and shared mobility solutions were identified as viable options, particularly given Ruter’s limitations in establishing attractive transport lines.
• Lack of local transportation options on each side of the valley: With far walking distances across each side of the valley, Local mobility facilities were addressed as optional for shorter trips where it was low access to bus and metro.

Establishing the mobility hub network in Grorud Valley in 2023

Oslo Living Lab selected Groruddalen as its focus area due to the challenging connectivity within the district. Traffic analyses and data from Ruter revealed that while public transport to the city centre was robust, intra-district and inter-neighbourhood connections were significantly lacking. Additionally, while shared mobility options were abundant in the city centre and western parts of Oslo, eastern areas, such as Groruddalen, had limited access to these services. To address this disparity, Oslo Living Lab aimed to provide residents with a wider range of sustainable transportation choices.

The initiative began with an open dialogue, inviting stakeholders with an interest in mobility to contribute their ideas. This was followed by individual meetings with various actors who expressed a keen interest in developing a mobility hub network.

Given the scarcity of public land, the project engaged in discussions with different stakeholders, including the city district, OBOS, and IKEA. Oslo Living Labs goal aligned with the efforts of BaneNOR at Grorud Station, which had plans to redevelop the station, fostering a shared goal of enhancing mobility in Groruddalen.

Initially, the project aimed to create a network connecting three existing transportation hubs: Grorud Station, Haugenstua Station, and Furuset T. This was seen as a starting point, with the goal of gradually expanding the network to cover a larger geographical area. Through ongoing discussions with potential service providers, a shared vision was developed, culminating in the establishment of a mobility hub at Grorud Station in the fall of 2023.

The Mobility Hotel in Gothenburg emerged as a collaborative initiative designed to support the city’s transition towards climate neutrality. As one of the 100 European cities part of the “Mission for 100 Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities,” Gothenburg sought innovative solutions to address urban mobility challenges, including congestion, environmental sustainability, and safety.

The Mobility Hotel was developed through a collaborative effort involving multiple stakeholders, each bringing their expertise and understanding of local needs. The Urban Environment Department, Business Region Gothenburg, and Nordstan business and shopping centre played pivotal roles, forming the foundation of the actors involved in the test site. These partners shared a common vision of reducing car use in the city centre and promoting micro-mobility, helping to create a cleaner, more spacious, and pleasant urban environment. The shared vision was formalised in a collaboration agreement between the City of Gothenburg and Nordstan business and shopping centre in 2023 serving as a guiding framework for continued development.

Located in the heart of Gothenburg’s business and shopping district, close to the main train station, the Mobility Hotel is strategically positioned to support sustainable transport.

The development of the Mobility Hotel drew heavily on research, data collection, and an understanding of evolving mobility trends. A key part of this process was a cluster analysis on micromobility conducted prior to the project’s realisation. This analysis revealed the emergence of numerous small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the micromobility and micro-logistics sectors, spanning both manufacturing and services.

The analysis underscored the importance of integration and collaboration across different sectors. Gothenburg’s long-standing commitment to sustainable mobility, supported by demonstrators, testbeds, and pilot projects, provided a strong foundation for developing the Mobility Hotel.

The development of the solutions based on the insights followed an iterative process, starting with workshops that engaged both project partners and key stakeholders. During these workshops, needs assessments were conducted, and potential solutions and measures were discussed to ensure alignment. This collaborative approach was further supported by information and dialogue meetings, which provided opportunities for match-making between potential partners. These discussions not only fostered deeper engagement but also helped clarify roles and responsibilities.

A significant milestone was the creation of a concept drawing, which acted as a visual anchor for all stakeholders. This illustration helped everyone involved better understand the concept and see how they could contribute. As a result, it became easier to negotiate partnerships and move towards formal agreements.

While these were the main steps, the overall process also included a market analysis, stakeholder mapping, legal agreements, and securing permits, leading to the final stages of renovation, inauguration, and communication with the press.

MOVE21 approach as depicted in Figure 1, proposes a three-level impact assessment methodology which integrates three fundamental conceptual levels.

Figure 1: MOVE21 evaluation approach

Level 1: Innovation enabler topics. It proceeds to a parallel performance evaluation of hubs based on three thematic areas of urban social layer, governance, and technical integration

Level 2: Co-creation activities. It monitors the cities activities, in order to assess their processes, impacts and implementations.

Level 3: Impact oriented indicators. It addresses the development of the result indicators, which are linked to the previous two levels but also with additional quantitative ones estimating the impact in different thematic areas; Impact Area 1: Long-tern decarbonization; Impact Area 2: Sustainable, inclusive, safe and secure mobility system, Impact Area 3: improvements of the efficiency and accessibility of the transport networks/systems covering the TEN-T urban nodes, Impact area 4: Social cohesion, economic development and public perception resulting in behavioural and policy change. Impact assessment main indicators per thematic are depicted in the figure 2.

Figure 2: MOVE21 impact assessment main indicators per thematic area

Evaluations of performance take place on the basis of a pre-defined timeline referring to key moments of the hubs’’ implementation, in order to capture their impact and be comparatively useful. Thus, a traditional three-stage timeline of assessment is followed; ex-ante (before hubs’ implementation, corelated to activities a, b, c, e), ex-durante (during, corelated to activities: c, d) and ex-post (after hubs’ implementation, corelated to activities: c, d, e).

During this early step, the ex-ante evaluation takes place to assess the status ahead of the hub implementation.  The assessment is based on the monitoring and calculation of specific KPIs addressing all three levels. For the implementation of the MOVE21 impact assessment at this phase:

• Logbooks (excel spreadsheets) are filled in by cities’ representatives, addressing KPIs relevant to Level 1 (main innovative aspects of the implemented hubs such as social, technological and governance innovations, decisions need to be taken (policy commercial, administrative), new collaboration schemes and new business models need to be developed, etc).
• Questionnaire Surveys are conducted to key stakeholders for estimating KPIs relevant to Level 2, such as the cities’ capacities in mobility planning, policy and administrative issues.
• Digital twins’ simulations take place for calculating long-term decarbonization KPIs relevant to Level 3 (CO2, NOx, PM2.5). Simulations refer not only to the hubs’ implementation, but to the optimum number of their upscales in order to achieve the most effective impact for the city.

Partnership and Agreement Foundation:

• Initial Agreement: The district and the operator (DB Infrago AG) entered into a collaboration to create sustainable delivery traffic solutions in Hamburg. This partnership aimed to implement solutions that could also be adapted to other municipalities and enhanced with socially beneficial components.
• Formalisation: This commitment was formalised in a “Memorandum of Understanding” alongside other cooperation topics at the state level.

User Contract Structuring:

• Role of Operator: The operator was responsible for setting up contracts with users who would utilize the hub, doing so in close collaboration with the district.
• Contract Development: Before finalizing any user contracts, the operator consulted the district to define the contract framework and establish maximum prices for hub usage fees.
• Compliance: The operator followed funding stipulations, such as restrictions on profit-making, when developing these user contracts.
• Criteria for User Selection: The district provided the operator with guidelines on positive and negative selection criteria for potential users to ensure alignment with the project’s objectives.

User Engagement and Diversity Requirements:

• Multiple User Requirement: The operator committed to engaging multiple users for the hub, fostering a shared-use model.
• Exception for Exclusive Use: In cases where the operator showed efforts to attract multiple users but was unable to do so, temporary exclusive use by a single user was permitted.

Operational Focus and Monitoring:

• Priority Use Cases: The hub’s primary function was to support logistics users involved in emission-free delivery and temporary goods handling. It was not intended for permanent storage, trading, or production activities.
• User Proposals: The district proposed specific users to the operator, who considered these recommendations for hub utilization.
• Ongoing Inspections: To maintain the hub’s intended use, the operator performed bi-monthly visual inspections to ensure compliance. Any violations were followed by warnings to the offending users.

The Kaltenkircher Platz hub in Hamburg aims to contribute to the city’s objectives towards sustainable urban mobility and was made possible through collaboration between various stakeholders, including Altona, DB InfraGO AG, HOCHBAHN, SRH, and the Hamburg Authority for Transport and Mobility Transition (BVM). This section is meant to further specify how the trial was set up.

Provision of Space: The district owned space for the Kaltenkircher Platz mobility hub has been provided to be used by the partnership between local authorities and key mobility actors. In addition to providing the space, the District Office Altona has issued all use permit.

Micro-Depot Operations: One of the key features of the Kaltenkircher Platz hub is the micro-depot, operated by DB InfraGO AG in partnership with Tricargo. The micro-depot serves as a central point for last-mile logistics, where goods can be delivered via traditional logistics networks and then distributed to their final destinations using eco-friendly cargo bikes. Tricargo, the current logistics partner, has signed a user agreement with DB InfraGO AG that covers essential operational aspects such as rent, cleaning, and energy usage.

Mobility Services: In addition to the micro-depot, the Kaltenkircher Platz hub also offers a range of shared mobility services:

• The so-called ‘switch point’, i.e. car-sharing services offered by different car sharing companies, at the hub are operated by HOCHBAHN in collaboration with three car-sharing companies. The agreement between the city and these companies allows the provision of dedicated parking spaces and vehicle-sharing options.
• Micromobility services, such as e-scooters and e-bikes, are managed through an agreement between BVM and three micromobility companies. The city provides a designated parking zone for these vehicles, which are strategically located to promote easy access to public transport and key city areas.
• Furthermore, bicycle racks have been installed to offer better and saver opportunities for bike parking.
• There is also the potential for the introduction of a bike-sharing scheme, which would be operated through a partnership between BVM and DB Connect. This would add another layer to the hub’s mobility offerings, providing a further option for residents and visitors to travel sustainably around the city.

The Grorud Station mobility hub launched in the autumn of 2023, in partnership with key players such as Bane NOR, Voi, Lime, Bikely, Getaround, and Hyre. Bane NOR allocated space in the park-and-ride area of Grorud Station for the hub, driven by a desire to increase train travel to Oslo and to assess the potential impact of alternative mobility services on passenger numbers.

The collaboration with mobility service providers was critical in offering a diverse range of services at the hubs. These included electric bikes, electric scooters, bike lockers for safe parking, and car-sharing options. The mobility service providers also viewed this initiative as an opportunity to test their services in the outer city, a region that had previously been underexplored. Piloting in less central areas posed challenges for micro-mobility operators due to the large areas and long distances, particularly concerning fleet rebalancing.

In the spring of 2024, the mobility hub services offered were reduced due to insufficient profitability and high operating costs associated with micromobility services. Current regulations, which limits the number of e-scooters and e-bikes that operators can deploy in the city, made inner-city operations more lucrative. The regulation therefore led to challenges in sustaining electric scooter services in the Grorud Valley.

In fact, the testing phase occurred in a specific regulatory context.  The current regulation on e-scooters in Oslo was implemented with the aim of a tidier and more organised urban floor. The regulation puts a cap on the number of vehicles permitted per e-scooter operator in the city. This regulation has been a hindering towards the collaboration with the e-scooter operators since they have not been interested in placing their vehicles in less profitable areas such as the Grorud valley, as compared to the city centre. Hence, to be able to execute the mobility hub network pilot in collaboration with the e-scooter operators, it was necessary to make an exempt from the current regulation for a limited test period of three weeks. During this test period, all three e-scooter operators were allowed to place out 200 vehicles extra each in the test area.

To facilitate for this second temporary pilot period in the summer of 2024, two additional mobility hubs were launched near public transport nodes at Grorud Metro Station and Stovner Centre. This limited pilot period included an exemption from existing e-scooter regulations for the three micromobility operators—Voi, Ryde, and Bolt. Designated MOVE21 posters were displayed at the hubs to provide information about car-sharing options and parcel lockers nearby. In collaboration with the Haugenstua housing cooperative and car-sharing companies Hyre and Getaround, four designated car-sharing spaces were introduced in late summer 2024. This agreement was established for the remaining period of the MOVE21 project to further explore the use of this service in the Grorud Valley.

Financial considerations in the test sites

Costs for physical design were split 50/50 between the City of Oslo and Bane NOR in the mobility hub at Grorud station. The remaining two mobility hubs were established on public ground and the City of Oslo took the costs for the temporary pictograms and posters/signs there. To establish the four carsharing spaces in Haugenstua housing cooperative, a formal agreement was signed for the City of Oslo to cover the rent, as required by the housing cooperative to participate in the public private collaboration.

The Kaia Mobility Hotel was established in collaboration with Mobility Solutions (Fleet Bike), Wolt, Nordic FM Group (KeySec), Posten Norge and CityQ at Filipstad in the beginning of September 2024.

At the Mobility hotel in Oslo Mobility solutions are responsible for the development and operation of the hotel, while Wolt, KeySec, and Posten are customers. These customers represent three different market segments within urban logistics that could be potential users of a mobility hotel: Direct transport (Wolt), last- mile distribution (Posten), and mobile services (KeySec). The agreement is also open for additional actors to make use of the mobility hotel during the pilot period, in accordance with the conditions agreed upon between the partners. The partners, along with the City have the shared aim to pilot and learn from different solutions that can contribute to a greater share of goods and equipment being transported by bikes instead of cars, with starting point in the mobility hotel.

The mobility hotel currently offers leasing and maintenance/repair of CityQ bikes, charging, break facilities, and workshop facilities for business operators. The plan is to include battery swapping, offer storage space for equipment and materials, as well as areas for loading and unloading at the hotel.

The owner of the area, Oslo Port Authority, wishes to minimize car-based usage of the area (particularly trucks). Oslo Port Authority’s requirement that there be no car-based activity in the area is a significant barrier to creating an efficient location that can be used by different actors for a variety of purposes. Shifting transport from cars to bikes will often require some sort of transshipment process to occur.

During the testing phase, the costumers will utilise CityQ bikes to perform their respective tasks. The services mentioned will be available for the drivers to use at the KAIA mobility hotel. Throughout the pilot period, the Institute of Transport Economics will evaluate the

At the Mobility Hotel in Gothenburg the collaboration was formalised through a signed agreement between the Urban Environment Department and Nordstan business centre, committing both parties to the creation of the Mobility Hotel. This partnership was critical in ensuring that the project aligned with Gothenburg’s broader goals of sustainable urban development.

The Mobility Hotel was officially inaugurated at Nordstan on 30 May 2024. The development and ongoing management of the Mobility Hotel is supported by three dedicated groups:

1. Strategic Group – Composed of the founding partners, this group focuses on long-term strategies, including promoting sustainable transportation, upscaling opportunities, and setting incentives.
2. Operative Group – This group comprises the mobility service providers involved in the hotel, collaborating on service development and joint communications.
3. Communications Group – Focuses on promoting the Mobility Hotel and engaging with the public to raise awareness of the services and benefits offered.

These groups work together to ensure the successful operation and continual improvement of the Mobility Hotel, allowing for shared decision-making and ongoing collaboration.

The participants involved in the hotel, including various mobility service providers, signed multi-year contracts with the Nordstan business and shopping centre, ensuring long-term commitment to the initiative.

At the core of the Mobility Hotel concept is the idea of collaboration and resource sharing. The founders—Urban Environment Department, Business Region Gothenburg, and Nordstan’s business centre—share a common vision and work together to promote sustainable transport solutions. The mobility service providers at the hotel also share space, risks, successes, and customers, fostering an environment of mutual support and innovation.

This unique model of collaboration offers numerous benefits. By pooling resources and working together, participants are able to maximise resource utilisation, gain efficiency, and increase visibility. The inclusion of non-traditional services, such as micromobility options and shared logistics, also diversifies revenue streams and builds a robust ecosystem around the Mobility Hotel. Additionally, the collaboration drives innovation and experimentation, allowing for new services and solutions to be tested and refined.

In Klippan several measures were tested to improve the hub function of the area. The first set of measures was addressing the physical environment, which was heavily dominated by cars and trucks. Although the area already had a range of shared mobility services, including shared bikes and shared cars, these were poorly visible. The team wanted to enhance the visual appeal of these options by reallocating space previously reserved for privately owned cars.

• Parking Spaces Reallocation: Two parking spots were transformed into areas for shared e-scooters and shared cars. Signage was introduced to direct users to these services, though Gothenburg lacked formal signs for such services, so new ones were created to attract attention.
• Orientation Maps: Maps were installed to help users identify all available shared mobility options in the vicinity.
• Introduction of Cargo Bikes: The city introduced a public cargo bike pool in one of the parking spots, marking Gothenburg’s first foray into cargo bike-sharing.

This combination of visible cues, physical infrastructure, and new services aimed to improve the site’s functionality as a mobility hub and draw attention to the alternative modes of transport available.

In terms of digital integration, the goal was to integrate the app for the shared bikes into Gothenburg’s existing parking app, allowing users to rent shared bikes directly through the app. However, technical constraints with the outdated app infrastructure meant this wasn’t fully achievable. Instead, a first step was made: the parking app now includes information on shared bikes and provides a link to download the bike-sharing app. While not a complete integration, it increases exposure to shared mobility services for car users.

To promote a shift from car use to shared bikes, the team introduced the “Park and Bike” pilot. Car drivers were encouraged to park at the Klippan site, located on the city’s periphery, and use shared bikes for the last mile of their journey into the city centre. However, the response was lower than expected; free bike rentals were not sufficient motivation for most drivers.

A revised version of this pilot was later tested at a location experiencing parking congestion due to ongoing construction, where it proved more successful, highlighting the importance of context in influencing user behaviour.

Throughout the project, Gothenburg used an iterative process to refine their approach:

• Analysis: The team began by studying the area and identifying opportunities and constraints. This led to the creation of a working group composed of key stakeholders, including the Urban Environment Department and the city’s parking company.
• Implementation: Measures were implemented in phases, allowing for trial and adjustment.
• Evaluation: Ongoing evaluation helped the team adjust measures in response to user behaviour, such as moving the “Park and Bike” concept to a more appropriate location.

Lessons learned

• Start Small and Test: One key takeaway from the project is that piloting smaller, manageable projects is crucial for cities like Gothenburg that may not yet have a fully developed strategy for mobility hubs. Small-scale pilots allow for rapid learning and adjustments.
• Communication with Politicians: Having a physical prototype in the city makes it easier to communicate with policymakers. Being able to showcase a tangible example makes the concept of mobility hubs more relatable and less abstract.
• Target Early Adopters: Rather than trying to change the habits of committed car users immediately, it’s more effective to first engage early adopters who are more likely to try new services. This helps build a base of users and generates valuable feedback.
• Tailoring to Local Context: A one-size-fits-all approach does not work in urban mobility projects. Each location has its own needs, and measures must be adapted accordingly. For example, the “Park and Bike” pilot worked better in areas with existing parking pressures.

The city is currently evaluating the impact of the pilot, and the findings will inform a decision on whether to scale up the mobility hub concept across Gothenburg. A political decision will likely be required to create a city-wide strategy for mobility hubs, integrating them into Gothenburg’s broader urban transport network. This project demonstrates the value of testing and experimenting to find local solutions to global sustainability challenges.

In MOVE21, the ex-post assessment monitors and calculates the final results of KPIs addressing all three levels. For the implementation of the MOVE21 impact assessment at this phase:

• Logbooks updates are carried out by cities’ representatives, focusing on the KPIs of Level 1. The final numbers are then compared to those set during the initial planning phase (ex-ante phase). This comparison helps determine whether the actual outcomes exceeded the expected targets, enabling cities representatives to identify areas for further improvement or adjustment in the hubs’ operational scheme.
• Qualitative questionnaire surveys are conducted to key stakeholders for estimating KPIs relevant to Level 2, such as the cities’ capacities in mobility planning, policy and administrative issues.
• Quantitative questionnaire surveys are conducted to freight operators for calculating KPIs relevant to Level 3, Thematic Area 3 (Load factors in urban freight as a result of MOVE21, ρeduced number of heavy (freight) vehicles in circulation as a result of the implementations, Increase in zero emission light duty electric vehicles, etc.)
• Quantitative questionnaire surveys (on spot and on line) to real users and non-users (possible users) of implemented hubs for calculating long-term decarbonization KPIs relevant to Level 3 (CO2, NOx, PM2.5). Final figures will be compared to the ones from the ex-ante digital twins’ simulations phase.

In the pilots developed in Hamburg one model for collaboration with companies or industrial enterprises the City of Hamburg used to identify fields of actions and solutions for specific or strategic issues are Memorandums of Agreement (MoU). One MoU that has been important is the one between the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg and Deutsche Bahn AG on smart cities. The agreement lists solutions both parties have identified as essential to rethinking mobility and logistics to enhance the quality of life in the Hamburg metropolitan region with sustainable solutions and contributing to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. The collaboration encompasses integrated mobility, railway stations and intelligent logistics. Learning from the pilots in Hamburg and other partnerships, Deutsche Bahn is now looking to make railway station areas available for last mile logistics with micro depots and open parcel lockers across Germany.