periASTY took part in the 2026 edition of the CIVITAS Forum, held from 15 to 17 September in Thessaloniki, Greece, under the theme “Roots & Routes: Moving Forward to Competitive, Connected and Resilient Urban Mobility!”. Bringing together city representatives, policymakers, researchers, and industry stakeholders to exchange knowledge and experience on sustainable urban mobility, the Forum gave periASTY the opportunity to strengthen collaboration, exchange knowledge and forge new connections for the future of peri-urban mobility.
For periASTY, the event was an important opportunity to engage directly with the broader community of the CIVITAS Initiative, one of the European Commission’s flagship programmes for sustainable and smart urban mobility in Europe. The project was represented by Lidia Buenavida Peña, periASTY Project Coordinator, and Anaïs Baudrier, periASTY Dissemination and Communication Manager, from ERTICO. Over the three days, they participated in several internal CIVITAS meetings, presenting periASTY to fellow project representatives, learning from other projects’ experiences, and aligning on shared priorities across the initiative.
A particular highlight was the meeting of the Integrated Peri-Urban Areas Cluster, which brought periASTY into closer dialogue with sister projects ALTHEA and BIO-INTEL-MOB. The discussion opened up possibilities for future joint activities on knowledge exchange and dissemination, reflecting the cluster’s shared commitment to working together rather than in parallel.
This spirit of cooperation extended to the exhibition area of the CIVITAS Forum, where periASTY was featured at the Thematic Corner: Integrated Peri-Urban & Rural-Urban Mobility, alongside ALTHEA, BIO-INTEL-MOB, and SpurUp. Participants had the opportunity to learn more about the projects through dedicated presentations during the networking breaks, fostering productive discussions.
periASTY was also invited to take part in the Geneal Assembly meeting of BIO-INTEL-MOB, a further opportunity to strengthen ties with its consortium. Anaïs Baudrier gave an overview of periASTY’s objectives and planned activities and learned more about BIO-INTEL-MOB’s progress nine months after its start.
Overall, periASTY’s participation in the CIVITAS Forum strengthened its collaboration with sister projects, expanded its network across the CIVITAS community, and laid the groundwork for future joint knowledge-sharing activities. These connections will support the project’s contribution to more sustainable and climate-neutral mobility in peri-urban areas.
