Guimarães welcomed last week the CIVITAS Summer Course 2026, at the Landscape Laboratory. The event brought together specialists, researchers and professionals from the mobility sector from various European countries, such as Ireland, Greece, Turkey, Serbia and Estonia, to debate and share real urban transport solutions, as announced in a press release.
According to the same source, this edition of the course had as its central theme “Lobbying and Advocacy” in sustainable urban mobility. The focus was to empower professionals to communicate mobility measures clearly, engage communities, and create public acceptance for well-designed technical solutions.
During the week, participants split into working groups to address three specific challenges identified by the municipality: multimodality, with the objective of improving the connection and accessibility between the Bus Terminal and the Rail Station; school mobility, with the aim of promoting safe and inclusive routes for children, encouraging their autonomy, and, also, urban logistics, focusing on redesigning the distribution of goods in the historic center, combining economic activity with heritage protection.
The official reception included the presence of the Mobility Councillor of the Municipal Council of Guimarães, Vânia Dias da Silva, and the proceedings were coordinated by Anita Pinto, head of the municipality’s Mobility Division, and by international specialist Jill Warren.
The closing of the event, marked by the final presentation of solutions and the delivery of certificates, reinforces Guimarães’s commitment to serving as a “living laboratory” for European innovation.
The CIVITAS program, an initiative of the European Commission, continues to support cities that, like Guimarães, test integrated strategies for smart and sustainable mobility.
