From school streets to zero-emission freight zones, cities are proving that decarbonising urban mobility is both achievable and popular. As a Supporter of the EU Covenant of Mayors and a key partner in the Coalition on Sustainable Mobility, Clean Cities campaign brings together more than 150 organisations across Europe to build the public and political support cities need to make that shift happen.
We spoke with Jens Müller, Deputy Director and Head of Policy and Research, about what's working, what cities can replicate, and what's coming next.
Highlights
- Public support for clean mobility is stronger than the debate suggests Clean Cities' latest Cities Speak poll (January 2026) found broad backing for reallocating street space - including majority support for converting car lanes into bus lanes. For Covenant signatories navigating local political resistance, this kind of evidence can be a powerful tool.
- Some of the most impactful measures are also the most affordable School streets - which regulate motor traffic around schools at drop-off times - deliver immediate gains in road safety and air quality at low cost. With over 1,200 already in place across Europe and rapid uptake in cities like Paris, Vienna and Milan, they offer a ready-made model for signatories at any scale.
- Enforcement matters as much as ambition Warsaw's experience is a timely reminder: a well-designed low-emission zone is only as effective as its enforcement. Clean Cities helped bridge the gap between policy and practice by working with local police and the mayor's office to equip enforcement teams - a replicable approach for cities struggling to move from plan to implementation.
Could you briefly introduce the Clean Cities campaign and its mission?
We are Europe's largest network of organisations working to make cities healthier, safer and more liveable. We bring together more than 150 partners across 20 countries to build public support for the shift from polluting vehicles towards active travel, public and shared transport, and electric mobility. We do this through creative public campaigns, original research and close collaboration with cities, companies and civil society. We’re also a member of the EU Expert Group on Urban Mobility.
Our work currently focuses on zero-emission urban logistics and the roll-out of charging infrastructure for electric vehicles. We’re also promoting child-friendly mobility, including school streets that limit motor traffic outside schools, and measures to tackle the steady growth in car size, a trend known as "carspreading".
What are the main challenges you see cities facing in transport decarbonisation, and how do you help address them?
A few challenges come up repeatedly when cities work to decarbonise transport. The first is scale and pace: no single measure is enough. Cities need a mix of solutions: walking and cycling, public and shared transport, as well as electric vehicles. Our city modelling helped identify which combinations of measures deliver the fastest results in practice.
Another challenge is highlighting the broad public support of clean mobility measures. We regularly commission representative opinion polls to capture people's views and bring them into the public debate. Our latest Cities Speak poll, published in January 2026, shows broad backing for reallocating street space. For example, most respondents support converting car lanes into bus lanes. On autonomous vehicles, by contrast, public opinion remains undecided. We also share examples of fast, equitable solutions with strong public support that other cities can learn from.
Unsurprisingly, funding is often seen as another barrier, yet some of the most important measures are quite affordable. School streets and cycle paths, for example, make it safer for children to move around their city autonomously. Large investments such as metro extensions remain important, but quick-win measures often deliver cleaner air and safer streets far sooner.
Could you share a recent project or initiative where Clean Cities campaign helped a city reduce emissions or advance sustainable mobility?
A recent example comes from Warsaw. The city had introduced one of Central Europe's most important low-emission zones, but the municipal police lacked the equipment to identify drivers or issue fines. We published data highlighting the enforcement gap, worked with local police to bring it to media attention and met the mayor's team to propose practical solutions.
As a result, the police now have the tools they need to enforce the zone, sending a strong signal across Poland and the wider region.
Which best practices from your network do you believe other European cities could easily replicate?
Two practices that we work on a lot stand out as highly replicable: zero-emission zones for freight and school streets.
Zero-emission zones for freight require companies to gradually switch to emission-free alternatives, such as electric vans or cargo bikes. They work because they are clear, predictable and practical: cities set a long-term direction while giving businesses time to adapt through phased timelines, targeted exemptions and support for smaller operators. Experience from leading cities in the Netherlands shows that these zones can significantly accelerate the shift to zero-emission solutions.
School streets are one of the simplest and most popular interventions a city can introduce. By regulating motor traffic around schools at drop-off and pick-up times (or even all day), cities deliver immediate improvements in road safety, air quality and everyday life for children and families. They are low-cost and quick to pilot. Many cities begin with temporary trials and scale them up rapidly, as Paris, Vienna and Milan have shown, making school streets a proven, replicable model across Europe.
What opportunities - funding, training, calls for projects, or innovation programmes - can cities access through the Clean Cities campaign?
Clean Cities does not provide funding directly, but we offer a wide range of support to help cities, citizens and businesses make the switch to clean urban mobility.
This includes applied research and policy roadmaps, like (E)Mission: Zero modelling that gives cities concrete, actionable recommendations. We also provide training and peer learning, with hands-on workshops and exchanges between cities that have already implemented similar measures. Recent examples include an online course for Spanish civil servants on the implementation of the new EU Ambient Air Quality Directive. We also hosted an event with former Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo at New York Climate Week in September 2025 to share lessons beyond Europe.
Finally, we support partnerships and coalition-building, connecting cities with local partners. For example, we convene local business alliances that co-develop plans for zero-emission urban logistics. While we don't run calls for projects ourselves, we are happy to signpost cities to relevant EU funding opportunities through our network.
How can small municipalities benefit from your support?
Smaller municipalities are often among the most ambitious leaders in the mobility transition, despite working with more limited resources. Cities like Pontevedra in Spain, which has largely pedestrianised its centre, or Leuven in Belgium, with its pioneering circulation plan, show what's possible at a smaller scale. In principle, we support smaller municipalities in the same way as larger ones, but with a sharper focus on what makes the biggest difference for lean teams: ready-to-use policy templates, communications messages that resonate locally and concrete examples from peer cities. We also help bring local stakeholders on board, for example parents, schools and local businesses, so that changes feel practical, fair and immediately beneficial.
Are there upcoming initiatives or programmes that Covenant signatories should watch out for?
Three things are worth keeping on Covenant signatories' radar. First, we have just published From Plan to Plug, a step-by-step guidebook for cities deploying electric vehicle charging infrastructure. It distils research and real city experience into five key principles, from developing a goal-led charging masterplan to prioritising high-impact users such as shared cars, urban logistics and municipal fleets. It is designed to help cities roll out networks that are accessible, affordable and fair.
Second, we are stepping up our work on cities that meet children’s needs - and are therefore good for everyone. A highlight is our first Curious Cities Assembly on 24-25 June 2026 in London, bringing together elected leaders, advocates and experts to turn evidence on child-friendly streets into political action.
What trends or innovations do you see as most promising for accelerating climate-neutral mobility in cities?
Two trends stand out for us. First, electrification has become the more affordable choice for many drivers and businesses. With Europe in the midst of a major energy crisis, that economic case is accelerating the roll-out faster than policy alone could. Second, more and more cities are designing streets for people rather than cars, and many are starting with children.
The rapid spread of school streets - more than 1,200 already in place across Europe - shows how quickly this shift is taking hold and how a child-friendly lens can accelerate the switch to climate-neutral mobility.
What message would you share with Covenant of Mayors signatories working to decarbonise urban mobility and strengthen resilience?
Decarbonising urban mobility is one of the fastest ways to make your city more liveable while improving resilience to heat, pollution, energy shocks and congestion.
The key is to focus on visible changes you can deliver within this electoral cycle: safer streets for walking and cycling, reliable public transport, cleaner vehicles where they're used most, and well-designed low- and zero-emission zones that are fair and predictable. Start with measures people feel quickly and pair them with clear support for those who need help adapting. Cities across Europe have already shown that this is both possible and popular.
Details
- Publication date
- 23 June 2026