Building More Connected and Resilient Cities: IRF at CIVITAS Forum 2026
5–17 September 2026 | Thessaloniki, Greece - International Road Federation (IRF) Project Manager Iona Kirkpatrick attended the CIVITAS Forum 2026, bringing IRF’s work on sustainable, inclusive and innovative mobility to discussions with cities, policymakers, researchers and mobility practitioners from across Europe and beyond.
The CIVITAS Forum is the flagship event of the CIVITAS Initiative. Since 2003, the Forum has provided a platform for cities and mobility stakeholders to exchange knowledge, showcase innovative solutions and develop partnerships around the future of urban mobility.
This year’s theme, “Roots & Routes: Moving Forward to Competitive, Connected and Resilient Urban Mobility!”, explores how cities can build on their existing urban foundations while adopting new approaches to address changing mobility needs.
Connecting CIVITAS discussions with IRF projects
During the Forum, Iona took part in CIVITAS side meetings and thematic corners focused on public transport and new mobility services. These provide opportunities to share experience from projects across the IRF portfolio and connect ongoing project work with wider European discussions on urban mobility.
Among the projects highlighted were MOBILITIES FOR EU, FEDORA, and Roads4All – Horizon Europe, each contributing to different aspects of the transition towards more sustainable and user-centred mobility systems.
The engagement also creates opportunities to connect with partners and stakeholders involved in other CIVITAS projects, including metaCCAZE and UPPER, strengthening links between projects working on complementary challenges in urban transport.
From projects to practical change
For IRF, participation in the CIVITAS Forum provides a space to bring road infrastructure and mobility perspectives into broader conversations about how cities are changing.
As public transport, shared mobility, active travel, digital technologies and emerging mobility services become increasingly interconnected, road infrastructure remains an important part of how these systems function together. Exchange between cities, researchers, industry and international organisations can help translate project experience into approaches that are practical, scalable and responsive to local contexts.
