Lviv has summed up the work of the Urban Mobility Forum 2026, which took place from 7 to 9 September and brought together more than 500 participants. The forum was attended by representatives of Ukrainian cities, state authorities, international partners, business, the transport sector and the expert community. The event became a platform for discussing the reconstruction of Ukraine’s transport system in wartime and its integration into the European transport area. For the fourth year in a row, it was organised by CIVINET Ukraine and Lviv City Council.
The forum was hosted at Lem Station, located in the historic building of Lviv’s first electrified tram depot. Today it is a modern public and event venue, where the discussion focused on the next stage of transport development: electrification, digitalisation, accessibility and new models of urban mobility.
Particular emphasis was placed on Lviv’s role in the European transport system. From next year, the city will de facto become the first Ukrainian Urban Node of the TEN-T network — the Trans-European Transport Network. This means that Lviv will receive the status of a hub element of the single European transport system, so discussions on the European integration of transport took place directly in a city that is already implementing these processes.
The first day of the forum began with an official opening attended by representatives of the Ukrainian authorities, the European Union, Lviv region and the city. Key topics included the development of the TEN-T network, sustainable urban mobility plans, reform of the transport sector and the investments needed to modernise infrastructure. There was a separate discussion on how cities can attract funding for public transport, introduce modern models of its financing and cooperate with each other to address shared transport challenges.
An important part of the programme was the renewal of rolling stock. Representatives of Ukrainian manufacturers, financial institutions and state bodies discussed the prospects for the development of domestic mechanical engineering and the production of trams, trolleybuses, e-buses and other urban transport. The second stage focused on the development of urban electric transport, micromobility and charging infrastructure.
A separate block was devoted to the accessibility of the urban environment. Representatives of Lviv, CIVINET Ukraine and the UNBROKEN rehabilitation centre discussed what a city should be like so that people with disabilities, in particular veterans, both men and women, can move freely, use transport and be fully included in community life. The first day ended with informal networking between participants and partners.
The second day of the Urban Mobility Forum 2026 was dedicated to digital technologies. Participants discussed the digital transformation of communities, Smart City solutions, the use of data for transport planning, e-ticketing systems and automated fare collection. A separate block focused on road safety and the Vision Zero approach, aimed at reducing road deaths and serious injuries to zero.
Accessibility again became one of the central themes. Representatives of business, rehabilitation centres and the veterans’ community shared practical solutions that help people with disabilities move more freely around the city: from accessible transport to appropriate communication and taking different needs into account when planning urban space. They also discussed the future of mobility — the development of autonomous transport, the first pilot projects and the experience of other countries in implementing such technologies. The second stage covered technologies in logistics, training specialists for the transport sector, electric transport and the experience of Ukrainian cities in introducing e-ticketing.
The third day of the forum was entirely practical. Participants visited the new tram depot on Promyslova Street — a modern facility of Lviv’s electric transport infrastructure — as well as the Traffic Control Centre, where they learned about the operation of the automated fare collection system and the management of traffic lights and public transport in real time.
Another practical format was the workshop “Cycling audit of Lviv’s streets”. Participants switched to bicycles and e-scooters to test the infrastructure for cyclists and micromobility users directly on the city’s streets. During the field visit, they analysed the safety and convenience of routes, identified problematic sections and drew up recommendations for improving street infrastructure. Throughout all three days there was an exhibition area showcasing electric transport, municipal machinery and solutions from the forum’s partners.
Over three days, the Urban Mobility Forum 2026 in Lviv brought together more than 500 professionals working on transport development in Ukrainian cities and at national level. Dozens of topics were discussed — from European integration and infrastructure reconstruction to electric transport, accessibility, digital technologies and autonomous vehicles. The key conclusion of the discussions is that Ukraine’s transport future is being shaped now, despite the war, through new standards, international cooperation and modern infrastructure solutions being implemented by Ukrainian cities. The next Urban Mobility Forum is planned for September 2027.