SMAPE Summer Academy took place from 24 to 26 June 2025 in Mytilene, on the island of Lesvos (North Aegean, Greece), in an open-air and vibrant setting. It was organised by the team of the University of West Attica (UniWA) in collaboration with the Regional Development Fund of the North Aegean, which hosted the event. The Academy provided a dynamic platform for interregional exchange, focusing on how to adapt shared mobility policies to local specificities— particularly in island, rural and tourism-affected regions.
Through thematic workshops, field visits, and policy dialogue, the Academy enabled partners to reflect on their own contexts and draw inspiration from others, strengthening the foundation for improving regional policy instruments.
On the first day, the University of West Attica led the opening session on the seasonality of shared mobility, focusing on how islands like Lesvos must tailor services to match the sharp fluctuations in mobility demand caused by tourism and weather patterns. The day concluded with a field visit organised by the Region of North Aegean, showcasing the local deployment of a bike and scooter network in Mytilene.
The second day followed with two back-to-back workshops. The morning session explored carpooling and informal ride-sharing, especially in less densely populated areas, while the afternoon focused on social tariffication, examining how pricing strategies can improve access for lower-income and marginalised groups.
Between sessions, participants visited Plomari, where they met with the Regional Governor of the North Aegean, Mr. Konstantinos Moutzouris, for a fruitful exchange on transport challenges and opportunities in the region.
The third and last day took place at the Castle of Mytilene, where the City of Bergen presented the concept of Mobility Impact Markets (MIMAs) — a new approach to incentivising sustainable mobility by turning positive transport impacts into tradable assets.
This was followed by a workshop on mobility hubs led by POLIS, exploring typologies, functions, and design considerations for different local contexts, from rural connectors to urban multimodal nodes. A wrap-up session by the Lead Partner, Bremen, brought the Academy to a close, followed by a second field visit organised by the Region of North Aegean.
Building on the momentum from Mytilene, partners will continue working on their regional policy instruments, while also preparing to share updates in a SMAPE webinar at the end of August. Over the summer, best practices will be collected and uploaded to the shared repository, feeding into the next in-person meeting in Mantova this October.
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