Smart mobility was one of the main themes at the IMAGINE the Citiverse event, held at the end of May. The event was attended by delegations from Los Angeles, Austin and other cities interested in smart mobility solutions in Tampere. ITS Finland, the mobility network, was the main partner of the event.
Intelligent transport solutions were one of the four main themes of the IMAGINE the Citiverse event held in Tampere at the end of May. Other themes included sustainability, safety and well-being.
Keynote speeches at the event included one by Seleta Reynolds, Chief Innovation Officer at the Los Angeles Metro. In her speech, Reynolds focused on how the public transport system and accessible mobility services are linked to equality, accessibility and well-being, including mental health. He also stressed the importance of listening to citizens' needs in planning and the importance of public-private partnerships.
Imagine was all about working together, participation and listening to people's everyday needs. At the event, cities around the world presented their current problems and challenges, to which companies offered solutions. Many of these challenges and solutions had common ground with smooth and sustainable mobility in cities.
– We participate in events in Finland and around the world that focus on smart and sustainable mobility, so a smart city-focused event like this serves our membership very well. The discussions will highlight the role of mobility as part of a vibrant city and its smooth everyday life. I have particularly enjoyed the solution-oriented approach, where cities, research and business work together to find solutions to urban challenges, while learning together how to use AI to create more accessible and sustainable solutions, says Marko Forsblom, CEO of ITS Finland.
Building smart mobility together with cities, research institutes and businesses
– The secret of Tampere's success in developing intelligent transport is certainly the systematic development of multifaceted, networked cooperation and intelligent transport. The region has universities, world-class research and active companies, says Mika Kulmala, Project Manager for Mobility Management at the City of Tampere.
During their IMAGINE visit, the Los Angeles delegation learned about Tampere's smart mobility solutions, such as the Lyyli living lab, which is used for research and development between different stakeholders. Tampere also cooperates internationally in the development of public transport. A delegation from Austin, Texas, also visited the mobility area of the event.
– At the Imagine mobility stand, more than twenty companies presented their services. The companies were members of ITS Finland, ITS Factory and Lyyli Living Lab. In addition, there were presentations by research institutes on research in the field on both days during the fair, says Jari Ikonen, Smart Mobility Account Manager at Business Tampere.
The event highlighted the benefits of networking in both the presentations and the meetings.
– Networked cooperation allows the latest knowledge and experience to be processed. This all translates into projects, pilots and innovative procurement. In recent years, cooperation with ITS Finland has been close, says Kulmala.
– The City of Tampere as an organisation has been a pioneer in digitalisation and, on the intelligent transport side, a bold procurer and enabler of experiments. It's great to see how mobility in Tampere is linked to experiences, for example: tickets to Tappara and Ilvek games can be used to travel to the game for free on public transport, says Forsblom.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Elina Uusitalo
Quelle/Source: Tampere, 09.06.2025
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