Welcome to Velo-city 2023 in Leipzig: the cosmopolitan, vibrant and inspiring city in the heart of Germany
Velo-city, the world cycling summit, is where advocates, cities, decision- and policy makers, researchers and industry leaders meet to shape the future of cycling. As the annual flagship event of the European Cyclists’ Federation, Velo-city plays a valuable part in promoting cycling as a sustainable and healthy means of transport for all. Like no other event, the conference offers a knowledge-exchange and policy-transfer platform to the growing number of more than 1400 Velo-citizens from over 60 countries involved in the policy, promotion and provision for cycling, active mobility and sustainable urban development. Moreover, the conference exhibition showcases the latest innovations for a better cycling experience in cities and beyond!
From 9-12 May, we will be #LeadingTheTransition in Leipzig.
Join us for an unforgettable conference experience.
Previous edition
Leipzig in transition: How the bicycle became a catalyst for sustainable urban transformation
By Anna-Karina Reibold 07 Dec, 2022
Leipzig’s history has been one of change and transition. From desolate urban brownfields to lively neighbourhoods, from open-cast coal mines to lakescapes, the German city underwent a striking process of urban regeneration in just 30 years. Today, it is one of Europe’s most dynamic and liveable cities.
Leading the transition
Leipzig’s urban development is deeply intertwined with its unique history. Its citizens played a decisive role in German reunification, providing the heart and engine of epochal changes. The Peaceful Revolution of 1989, which ultimately led to the fall of the Berlin Wall and communist dictatorship across Europe, began in Leipzig.
After German reunification, the city tumbled into decline, its population plummeting to 437,000 in the mid-1990s. Since then, Leipzig has been reinventing itself at a rapid pace. The turn of the century, a pivotal period for the German city, saw Leipzig’s economy gather momentum, the implementation of ambitious urban development policies and people flooding back into the city. Today, its creative buzz and vibrant street life shape the image of the city.
Over the past decades, Leipzig’s streetscape changed continuously from a car-dominated street design towards more sustainable mobility. A working group on cycling development initiated by the citizens of Leipzig in 1989 accompanied this process. In 2018, the city introduced Leipzig’s Mobility Strategy 2030, laying out a roadmap to increase the combined modal share of walking, cycling and public transport to 70%. The city now boasts a cycling network of 536 km with a cycling modal share of 19%. Moreover, a recent study shows that 79% of all trips to Leipzig’s city centre are made by public transport, on foot or by bike.
In recognition of its sustainable urban development policies, its progress and further ambitions for cycling, Leipzig was chosen as the 2023 host of the world’s leading cycling conference, Velo-city 2023.
Towards climate neutral economies
In October 2022, Leipzig adopted its “Energy and Climate Protection Program 2030“, paving the way to climate neutrality by 2040. The plan is comprised of almost 60 complex measures, ranging from the further development of the local public transport and cycling network to energy-efficient building renovation and the expansion of renewable energies. The city administration aims to reduce CO2 emissions from 5.18 tons per capita in 2020 to 0.25 tons per capita by 2040.
The plan is built on the following ten pillars:
- Sustainable transport
- Sustainable municipal energy and heat supply
- Sustainable land use planning
- Climate-friendly green-blue infrastructure
- Climate-friendly neighbourhood development
- Climate-neutral city administration
- Regional circular economy
- Sustainable nutrition
- Climate education
- Climate protection offensive.
Creating mobility systems of the future now
From July to December 2022, the City of Leipzig has been putting cargo bike sharing to the test. With 890 users and an average of 20 rentals per day, the scheme is already a huge success.
The fleet counts a total of 30 cargo bikes, including nine e-cargo bikes and one inclusion bike for wheelchair users. The project was implemented in cooperation with TINK, nextbike and the courier union fulmo. With the introduction of this new scheme, the city aims to escape car dependence and build climate resilience while boosting the attractiveness of Leipzig.
Redefining public space
This year, the city converted an entire car lane on its inner-city ring road into a green bike lane. For the first time since 1975, cyclists can ride on the ring road.
“We are serious about the traffic turnaround in Leipzig and are now showing on this section of the ring that the road space belongs to all road users. The dominance of the car seemed out of time here,” said Mayor Burkhard Jung.
Working together towards equitable environments
Just west of the main station, the city is building a low-traffic neighbourhood, the Löwitz quarter, which will give priority to cyclists, public transport and pedestrians. Connected bike lanes will run through the entire neighbourhood, while sidewalks will be built with a width of 2.75-3.5 meters.
Strong leadership for action
Leipzig has set an ambitious plan in motion, which will see 50 new mobility points built per year. By 2030, the Velo-city 2023 host plans to establish 400 mobility points. The mobility points will create safe parking spaces for bicycles and cargo bikes and serve as bike and car sharing and public transport stations. Trees and seating areas will also improve the quality of urban environments at the mobility points.
What is Velo-city? Velo-city is the world cycling summit, where advocates, cities, decision- and policymakers, researchers and industry leaders meet to shape the future of cycling. As the annual flagship event of the European Cyclists’ Federation, Velo-city plays a valuable part in promoting cycling as a sustainable and healthy means of transport for all. Taking place under the theme #LeadingTheTransition, Velo-city 2023 Leipzig will ask the inevitable question: What future do we want to live in? Join us for an unforgettable conference experience from 9-12 May 2023. Registrations are now open!
Technical Tours
NEW: Technical Tours – Add a tour to your Velo-city registration for free!
During the Velo-city conference participants will have the possibility to discover Leipzig’s cycling developments by taking part in technical visits led by experts in small groups on a bike. All tours will run every day in parallel to the conference programme.
Discover the different tours here below and book yours! (On a first come, first served basis. One person can select and attend only one technical visit.)
Book your tour:
If you are already registered to Velo-city, you will have received a booking link per e-mail to add your technical tour.
For any question, please email the Conference Office Team info@velo-city2023.com
In case you are not registered for Velo-city 2023 yet, please go to ‘Participant registration>>
Tour limit & duration:
Participants per tour: max. 20
Duration: approx. 90 minutes to max. 120 minutes (longer distance tour: approx. 180 min)
Please be at the meeting point 15 minutes before the tour starts!
How do I get there?
Most tours will start from the Leipzig Central Market Square in the city center. To get there from the Congress Center Leipzig (CCL) take the suburban train – S-Bahn (S2, S5 or S5X) to the city center and alight at the station “Leipzig Markt”. The journey takes approximately 11 minutes.
Tour 1:
Leipzig’s Former Exhibition Centre: New Mobility Solutions
09 May 2023 · 2 pm · starting and finishing at Leipzig Central Market Square
11 May 2023 · 10 am · starting and finishing at Leipzig Central Market Square
The tour will take you to a part of the city that has seen significant changes in its use since the Peaceful Revolution of 1989.
The original Leipzig exhibition site, once an exemplary international representative of the GDR economy, has now been transformed into a complex of offices and shops with an exciting mix of uses ranging from hardware stores and bicycle dealers to research facilities and a Max Planck institute. In addition to cycling on this prestigious trading route, you can experience German history and learn about urban transport planning.
Tour 2:
Raising Awareness of Cycling: Permanently Installed Cycle Counters
10 May 2023 · 10 am · starting and finishing at Leipzig Central Market Square
We will take you on a route past a selection of cycle counters. The city currently has 11 cycle counters in various significant locations relevant to the transport transition such as designated cycle paths, bicycle lanes and pavements. Data from the counters is collected centrally using both external and internal tools. It is then evaluated continuously and can be accessed online by the public. Thanks to the permanently installed cycle counters, the City of Leipzig has been able to show a proven steady rise in the daily use of bicycles in recent years.
Tour 3:
Blue & Green Infrastructure – Leipzig, the Water City
09 May 2023 · 10 am · starting and finishing at Leipzig Central Market Square
Cycling along our waterways is a particularly attractive option for families and visitors. Leipzig is a city of water featuring large areas of alluvial forest and more than 70 square miles of water as the three Elster, Pleisse and Parthe rivers meet the Karl-Heine Canal and our mill streams. On this excursion, we will explore Leipzig’s interlocking network of natural rivers and man-made canals by bike. You can experience the charming inner-city atmosphere from the green banks of the blue waters!
11 May 2023 · 2:00 pm · starting and finishing at Leipzig Central Market Square
Cycling along our waterways is a particularly attractive option. Join us to follow in the footsteps of the industrial pioneer Karl Heine to Lindenau Harbour and the Saale-Leipzig Canal. You can enjoy riding along a unique network of cycle paths that pass through vibrant waterfront districts both old and new. A tour that brings together Leipzig’s history and its future.
Tour 4:
Easily Accessible Power For E-Bikes En Route: Public Charging Points in the Western Part of Leipzig
11 May 2023 · 10:00 am · starting and finishing at Leipzig Central Market Square
During the tour, cyclists will be given insights on topics such as municipal funding, support strategies and the availability of grants. Detailed information on the usage of charging points including technical and operational aspects as well as advice on bicycle routes and tourist attractions will be available for participants at the various charging stations visited.
Tour 5:
“Parkbogen Ost”. Leipzig’s New Equitable Green Public Project
11 May 2023 · 2 pm · starting at Leipzig Central Market Square
This guided tour will lead you through the planned green recreational area “Parkbogen Ost” in the eastern neighbourhoods of Leipzig. The name has been given to a project envisioning an area with footpaths, cycle paths and recreational areas stretching for 5 miles and forming a semi-circle around the east of Leipzig. At the heart of this green belt is the disused tram bridge that connects several eastern districts of Leipzig. The tour will give you an overall impression of urban regeneration in Leipzig during the last 30 years.
Tour 6:
Rethinking streetscapes for healthy and safe bike mobility: SUPERBLOCKS
10 May 2023 · 10 am · starting and finishing at Leipzig Central Market Square
11 May 2023 · 10 am · starting and finishing at Leipzig Central Market Square
During this tour we will explore bike mobility pathways in Leipzig’s Inner East. The route will head to Lene-Voigt-Park a former rail infrastructure and intensely used pathway for pedestrians and cyclists and then meet the inter- and transdisciplinary team of the project “Neue Nähen – Leipziger SUPERBLOCKS” in the area around Eisenbahnstrasse. They will give us insights into their activities to transfer and adapt the Barcelona Superblock model in order to re-shape streetscapes on a human scale.
Tour 7:
Cycling Communities and Bicycle Manufacturing in Leipzig’s East
09 May 2023 · 2 pm · starting and finishing at Leipzig Central Market Square
The German “Free Cargo Bike” movement with more than 140 non-commercial, community-based and free-of-charge cargo bike-sharing initiatives is unique worldwide. The local cargo bike collective KOLARA even builds some of their bikes themselves and will give us some insights. “LeichtLast” is a Leipzig-based manufacturer that builds ultra-light cargo bikes made out of carbon in a small workshop. The company is a typical 1st generation representative of a highly innovative market. Today, many big players in the bicycle industry are entering the cargo bike market. We’ll discuss both.
Tour 8:
Growing cargo bike sector and the cities support
10 May 2023 · 09:30 am · Start and End: Leipzig Central Market Square
Local politics have various options to support cargo bike usage such as buyer’s premiums or test-schemes for citizens as well as local companies and craftsmen. We’ll compare measures which have been implemented in Leipzig to best practice examples of other German municipalities. The variety of cargo bike types and concepts is enormous. We talk about pros and cons, the necessity of professional maintenance and we test-drive as many bikes as possible!
Tour 9:
Cargo Bike Sharing & Cycling Logistics in Leipzig
11 May 2023 · 2 pm · starting and finishing at Leipzig Central Market Square
The City of Leipzig has just completed a field test for a public cargo bike sharing scheme (TINK). We will be visiting one of its rental stations and later comparing it to the “Free Cargo Bike” sharing scheme called “LARA” which is run by local volunteers at ADFC Leipzig. FULMO is a cycling courier and logistics collective which uses cargo bikes and trailers. You will be inspired!
Tour 10:
Multimodality Out of the Box – Bicycle Parking Facilities in Leipzig
09 May 2023 · 10 am · starting at the conference venue and finishing at Leipzig Central Market Square
11 May 2023 · 10 am · starting at the conference venue and finishing at Leipzig Central Market Square
To convince commuters to change from cars to bike & rail, urban planners not only need to offer good infrastructure for cyclists in cities but also safe and secure bike parking facilities. The “Infostelle Fahrradparken am Bahnhof” will show cyclists on the tour what the city of Leipzig is planning and how the German Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport supports cities in Germany in their planning and building of bike parking garages.
Tour 11:
Next Level Bicycle Parking – a Trip by Train to Halle Central Station
10 May 2023 · 10 am · starting and finishing at the conference venue
The main station in Halle has a bicycle tower as a safe place to park bicycles which was awarded the Federal Ecodesign Prize in 2022. Thanks to the unique design of the facade, the modular towers fit perfectly into the urban environment and complement the appearance of the station. This station is one of 16 train stations where the Deutsche Bahn regularly tests new and sustainable services with the aim of increasing the satisfaction of rail passengers and visitors.
Tour 12:
‘Work in Progress’ – Public Spaces in Leipzig
11 May 2023 · 2 pm · starting and finishing at Leipzig Central Market Square
How bike friendly is the city of Leipzig? We’ll see examples of well-designed shared spaces for bikes and pedestrians and potential extensions of those zones. We will also take a look at the overlap of tram railways and bike lanes and at roads demonstrating the typical car-centred planning of the late 20th century. Where can we improve the quality of public spaces by downsizing streets and car lanes? Which measures can we implement to quickly improve the situation for pedestrians and cyclists? A tour aiming to combine urban planning and transport planning.
Fonte: European Cyclist Federation (ECF)
Dott. Alessio Brancaccio, tecnico ambientale Università degli Studi di L’Aquila, ideologo e consulente tecnico movimento ambientalista Ultima Generazione A22 Network e membro attivo della Fondazione Michele Scarponi Onlus
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