Bologna is transforming its streets with a vision that puts people at the centre of urban mobility. Bologna Città 30 (City 30) is a city-wide policy that has permanently reduced speed limits to 30 km/h across 70% of municipal roads. The goal is clear: make streets safer, reduce accidents, and encourage walking and cycling by reshaping public space.
Slower speeds, safer streets
Since Città 30 was put in place in January 2024, results were seen immediately. Within just two weeks, road accidents fell by 21%, with 27.3% fewer pedestrians involved in collisions compared to the same period the previous year. One year on, the city has recorded zero pedestrian deaths, and there is growing compliance with the new speed limits demonstrating a meaningful cultural shift in how public space is shared and valued.
But Città 30 goes beyond just speed limits. Bologna is redesigning its streets through physical interventions such as traffic calming, pedestrian zones, and “school streets” to create environments where people, especially the most vulnerable, can move comfortably and confidently.
Planning for accessibility and inclusion
As a partner in the EU-funded Reallocate project, Bologna hosted fellow project partners to experience firsthand the city’s people-centred approach to mobility, highlighting its efforts to make streets safer while encouraging walking and cycling and reclaiming public space through thoughtful redesign and green interventions. The real challenge is shifting the paradigm to a more systemic approach.
Deputy Mayor Anna-Lisa Boni welcomed the group with a reflection on the deeper cultural shift underway: “The real challenge is shifting the paradigm to a more systemic approach. Challenges are getting more and more complex — more entangled and integrated. Changing the ways we work, both inside the municipality and outside, is probably more difficult than achieving climate neutrality because it means changing the culture — reallocating responsibility, leadership, and resources. It’s about changing the way we do things.”
A key pillar of Bologna’s mobility strategy is its commitment to accessibility for all. The city’s accessibility plan is a comprehensive effort to identify and eliminate architectural barriers across public spaces. The initiative brought together a multidisciplinary team including local police, urban planners, citizens and five diversity managers with the goal of enhancing autonomy, comfort and safety for all users, especially those with disabilities, older people, children and other vulnerable groups.
The plan includes actionable improvements such as pavement maintenance and increased use of tactical urbanism. It also links accessibility to major infrastructure investments, with two new tram lines identified as key “accessibility enhancers” that will help connect underserved areas to essential services.
As Chiara Girotti from Bologna’s Mobility Department explained, “The idea here is that people with disabilities can hop on the tram in the very outskirts of the city and easily reach the centre, where maybe they need to access some services — or vice versa.” The idea here is that people with disabilities can hop on the tram in the very outskirts of the city and easily reach the centre...
Green and participatory urbanism
Bologna’s commitment to inclusive mobility goes hand in hand with its ambition to green the city and make public spaces more liveable. Through the Bologna Verde programme, the city is working to integrate more green spaces into the urban fabric, focusing especially on underserved areas. The programme prioritises citizen input, ensuring that new interventions respond to local needs and contribute to healthier, more inclusive neighbourhoods.
One key tool for engagement is the city’s District Labs, a series of local workshops facilitated by the Fondazione IU Rusconi Ghigi. These labs provide a space for residents and municipal staff to co-design improvements to public space, including pedestrianisation projects around schools.
At Via di Vincenzo, a former car park has been permanently transformed into a safe and accessible public square. Meanwhile, Via Procaccini has been converted into a temporary pedestrian zone, with a 12-month trial period allowing for community feedback and further assessment.
Safer mobility, day and night
Bologna is also addressing mobility and safety beyond standard commuting hours. The Nottambula Bus is a night-time service that connects suburban areas to the city centre, with a particular focus on supporting women and other vulnerable groups. During the busy summer months, up to 28 trained helpers are available to provide information and accompany passengers who may not feel safe, reinforcing the city’s commitment to inclusive, secure transport options.
This initiative reflects Bologna’s broader strategy of combining hard and soft interventions to reshape mobility. On the infrastructure side, the city is investing in new tram lines, pedestrian zones and traffic calming measures. Complementing these are soft interventions such as awareness-raising campaigns, behavioural nudges and inclusive services that aim to change how people interact with and move through public space.
Public response and citizen involvement
As with any major urban shift, the Città 30 policy has generated a range of public reactions. Many families and safety advocates have welcomed the changes, recognising the benefits for pedestrians, children and cyclists. However, some economic actors, particularly taxi drivers and delivery workers, have voiced concerns about longer travel times and higher costs.
These tensions led to a formal legal challenge. The taxi lobby, supported by the Ministry of Infrastructure, appealed the policy in court. Bologna successfully defended the measure in the initial regional ruling, and awaits the outcome of the national-level appeal.
Luca Bellinato, Senior Manager of Mobility Systems in Bologna explains: “At the start of any major change, there’s always friction. People don’t like the disruption caused by construction. But that disruption is proof that the city is acting now, not deferring responsibility to the next administration. It takes time, but once citizens see and experience the results, they are usually happy in the long run.” We can point to results across Europe and ask: if it works there, why not here?
To strengthen public understanding and trust, the city introduced a network of Città 30 Ambassadors. These are trained volunteers from across Bologna’s districts who share information about the policy, answer questions and encourage local dialogue. By shifting communication from city hall to neighbourhood voices, Bologna is building a more grassroots, community-owned approach to urban change.
Bologna chairs Eurocities taskforce for 30 km/h cities
Bologna is an example of one of the most comprehensive applications of this policy in Europe. However, Bologna is not only transforming mobility at home. The city is also helping shape the conversation at the European level. As the lead city of a new European taskforce on low-speed zones, Bologna is working with other municipalities eager to share practical lessons and tackle common challenges.
The taskforce focuses on three core areas: comparing national legal frameworks that affect city-level action, exchanging communication strategies to build public support, and developing strong, data-driven arguments to defend and promote 30 km/h policies.
The goal is to support other cities in overcoming legal and cultural barriers to safer urban mobility. Bellinato explains, “It’s important to sit at the table with the opposition not just with strong conviction, but with strong data. We can point to results across Europe and ask: if it works there, why not here?”
Looking ahead
Bologna’s efforts were recognised with the European Mobility Week Award 2024, highlighting the city’s holistic and proactive approach to sustainable urban mobility.
Looking ahead, Bologna plans to scale the lessons of Città 30 through continued leadership of the European taskforce, helping other cities navigate similar paths. Maintaining public engagement remains a priority, with the city focusing on transparent data sharing and community dialogue to sustain momentum. As more cities across Europe look for ways to reclaim their streets for people, Bologna is setting a clear example of how to lead with courage, consistency and care.
Bellinato concludes, “We look forward to working with the taskforce and learning from the different cities involved, gaining ideas to help keep attention and momentum around Città 30. My hope is that by 2026, the data will continue to confirm that we’re heading in the right direction, and both the administration and citizens will see that all the effort was worth it.”
