The year 2024 has been a turbulent one, marked by numerous challenges for mobility providers, political leaders, and consumers alike. Looking ahead, the situation is unlikely to improve anytime soon, especially with populist movements around the world pushing to maintain the status quo, often supported by powerful oil and gas interests aiming to preserve their dominance in the mobility sector. As we move into 2025, the path ahead remains uncertain, but there are several key trends in mobility and infrastructure development that will shape the year. These trends, primarily from a European perspective, reflect the ongoing evolution of transportation systems and the shifting dynamics within the mobility industry. Here are my five predictions for how these developments will unfold in the New Year.

It’s easy to blame our mobility choices on habit, laziness, or convenience. But whether we hop on a bike, sit behind the wheel, or walk to work, the real driver behind how we move is often less about personal preference and more about the space around us. The layout of our cities—what’s nearby, how connected the streets are, whether a sidewalk exists at all—has an enormous, often invisible, influence on how we get from A to B. Urban design, in short, is mobility’s quiet architect.

In a world where engines are growing quieter, cities are listening more closely. From cinematic sound design to urban silence zones, the age of electric vehicles is not only transforming how we move - but what we listen to.

It’s not every day that a relic from a shelved 1960s highway project becomes the hero of urban cycling. But in Zurich - where city planning often dances between tradition and innovation - that’s exactly what happened. Welcome to the Stadttunnel, a once-forgotten stretch of concrete beneath Zurich’s main station that has been reawakened as a state-of-the-art cycling tunnel. With its grand reopening in May 2025, it now connects District 4 and District 5 quickly, safely, and stylishly - all without needing to brave the chaotic city traffic above.