YMN on Bike - 3 Cities, 3 Excursions
What does a city feel like when you experience its mobility — not through abstract numbers and concepts, but on the saddle, on the streets, right in the middle of it all? That’s exactly what we set out to discover this summer at the Young Mobility Network. On three cycling excursions in Aachen, Berlin, and Munich, we traced the footprints of mobility through time — and experienced first-hand how deeply it shapes a city’s identity and quality of life.
Mobility in Transition – Three Cities, Three Perspectives
🚲 Munich: Exploring the Past
Our journey in Munich began with a look back at history. Under the motto “Historic Munich – Mobility Pathways of the Past”, we started at the first Munich main station near Hackerbrücke, passed Promenadenplatz — the starting point of the city’s first horse-drawn tram in 1876 — and reached Stachus, once considered the busiest square in Europe in the 1950s.
At Goetheplatz, we dove into the story of Munich’s subway system, while Oberländerstraße gave us a chance to discuss the founding of the ADFC Munich (German Cyclists’ Association). The ride revealed how technological innovation, political decisions, and social change have shaped the cityscape across generations.
The day concluded in true Munich style — at the Am Flaucher beer garden with a casual Stammtisch, offering space to reflect and connect.
🚲 Berlin: Imagining the Future
The “15-Minute-City Bike Tour”, organized by Berlin on Bike in collaboration with the Young Mobility Network Hub Berlin, turned into an inspiring and enriching experience. Guided by urban planner Erik Ooms (Berlin on Bike & nexus Institut), participants explored Berlin’s layered urban history while reflecting on the city’s future.
From the Hobrecht Plan and Prenzlauer Berg’s Mietskasernen, to green public parks designed for health and well-being, and the multifunctional spaces of the GDR era like the Palace of the Republic, the tour highlighted how planning has always shaped daily life. Modern principles such as the 3-30-300 rule, Kiezblocks, and transit-oriented development showed how accessibility and livability remain central to Berlin’s development today.
“The tour was invaluable to me as a project coordinator working closely with the 15-Minute City concept. Seeing how Berlin interprets and applies these ideas in practice gave me a much deeper understanding of accessibility and livability.”
The contrasts were striking: at Alexanderplatz, the separation of functions resulted in sterile, monofunctional spaces, while GDR projects embodied integrated, multifunctional design that encouraged inclusivity and even sustainable consumption. In Kreuzberg’s Gräfekiez, participants experienced how today’s Kiezblocks reclaim public space for community, greenery, and sustainable mobility.
Equally valuable was the multicultural and interdisciplinary exchange within the Young Mobility Network. Participants from planning, mobility, IT, and marketing shared perspectives in a relaxed environment that fostered professional growth and personal connection.
The day concluded at the Prater beer garden, where ideas, challenges, and visions for Berlin’s mobility transition were exchanged. This mix of formal learning and informal networking made the experience particularly rewarding.
David summed it up well:
“The combination of historical insights, practical examples, and open discussion made this one of the most enriching professional experiences I’ve had. It perfectly aligned with my interests in collaborative approaches to urban and mobility development.”
For the Young Mobility Network, the bike tour was more than an event — it was a step toward building a future of accessible, livable, and sustainable cities.
🚲 Aachen: Experiencing Today’s Transformation
In Aachen, we witnessed how mobility transition projects are already taking shape in everyday life. Highlights included:
The free cargo bike rental service
The redesign of Lothringerstraße into a dedicated cycle street
New infrastructure like the Bikestation in Brabantstraße
The transformation of Europaplatz to prioritize active mobility
A highlight was riding along the protected bike lane on Monheimsallee, leading us to Karlsgraben, where new measures are making Aachen’s old town more cycle-friendly.
We ended the day with another lively Stammtisch, building connections and discussing how Aachen’s initiatives could inspire other cities.
Past, Present, and Future — All on Two Wheels
Taken together, the three excursions painted a compelling picture:
Understanding the past shows us the constant evolution of mobility.
Experiencing the present highlights how transformation happens step by step in daily life.
Experimenting with the future gives us a taste of what livable cities could look like.
The real magic lay in the mix: expert input, first-hand exploration, and informal exchanges at the Stammtisch. These tours brought learning, discovery, and discussion together — making mobility tangible in the best possible way.
Be Part of the Network!
A big thank-you to all participants, guides, and organizers who made these tours possible. 🚲🌍
“The Young Mobility Network combines professional input with a true sense of community. I especially value the mix of learning, exchange, and shared experiences. Being able to test our solution VelObserver directly with the participants showed me how open YMN is to new ideas.”
- Tobias Piffrader
👉 Want to join our next excursion? Become part of the Young Mobility Network and help shape the future of mobility with us!