ABSTRACT
This chapter explores how mobility functions both as a driver and a product of Aalborg’s urban sustainability transformation. Grounded in the Urban Sustainability Compass (Chapter 1), it examines how mobility initiatives intersect with climate action, spatial accessibility, and social inclusion. Rather than treating mobility as a technical domain, the chapter frames it as a contested and evolving field shaped by spatial restructuring, planning rationales, and political negotiation. The analysis traces key interventions including the shift from the cancelled light rail (Letbane) to the +BUS system; the pedestrianisation of Budolfi Plads, Nytorv, and Kennedy Plads; long-term cycling infrastructure such as Culture Bridge (Kulturbroen); mobility hubs; and experimental projects in Aalborg East, including autonomous vehicle trials. It also considers regulatory frameworks like parking policies (Parkeringspolitik 2024) and automobility projects such as Sygehus Nord-Gåsepigen and the Third Limfjord Connection. These initiatives expose tensions between sustainability goals and mobility practices, where conflicting objectives – such as reducing emissions versus enhancing car accessibility – coexist within the same urban agenda. The chapter argues that sustainable mobility in Aalborg contributes to understanding urban sustainability as an ongoing negotiation shaped by institutional legacies, infrastructural choices, and competing political imaginaries.
