ITRN 2025
Conference

The conference keynote address will be delivered by Professor Francesco Pilla, University College Dublin. Prof. Pilla is a Full Professor of Smart and Sustainable Cities in the School of Architecture, Planning & Environmental Policy. His work lies at the intersection between cities and technologies in order to to build better cities through technology, innovation and citizen participation.

Keynote Title: Prof. Pilla’s keynote address is ‘Fostering civic engagement through shared mobility: the Bike Library as a social innovation’.

Abstract: This keynote lecture will present the “Bike Library”, a community-driven initiative enabling localized bike-sharing schemes tailored to specific needs. Modeled after traditional book libraries, these programs allow families to borrow for free a diverse range of electric bicycles (e-bikes, e-long tail, e-foldable, and e-cargo bikes) for extended periods (3-4 months). This immersive experience provides participants with firsthand understanding of e-bikes’ potential to replace numerous car journeys, including school runs, shopping trips, commuting, and leisure activities. Longitudinal engagement fosters significant behavioral change; data from the past two years, involving over 600 families, reveals that approximately 50% purchased an e-bike following their participation. This keynote will detail the design and outcomes of several pilot programs implemented since 2023, including initiatives across 25 schools (Greater Dublin Area, 2023), St James Hospital and Ballymun Community Centre (ongoing since 2023), University College Dublin public library (2024), 12 GAA clubs (Greater Dublin Area and Kildare, 2024), and an upcoming corporate pilot across 16 companies in Dublin and Limerick (starting September 2025). These diverse pilots, collectively involving hundreds of participants and e-bikes, demonstrate the Bike Library’s effectiveness in promoting sustainable transportation adoption and empowering communities to embrace active mobility solutions.