Published: 23.09.2026.
Translated by machine translator
FacebookX / TwitterLinkedinThreads
The European Challenge of Steps "Walk for your city!" during the European Mobility Week has concluded with over 1.3 billion steps. Participants from 972 European cities travelled a total of 935 747 kilometres. The challenge took place in Walk15 from 16 to 22 September with the support of EIT Urban Mobility, while the communication partner was the International Pedestrian Federation (IFP). The final result exceeded the 1 billion steps target by more than 310 million steps.
Riga was the most active city. According to the Challenge Rules, four cities will be invited to an award ceremony in Barcelona during the Tomorrow. Mobility conference:
- Riga: highest total number of steps – 134 058 052
- Vilnius: second highest total number of steps – 126 304 114
- Kaunas: third highest total number of steps – 77 563 572
- Ankara: highest average number of steps between cities with at least 700 participants – 39 221 per participant
"Every year, the European Mobility Week reminds us that sustainable mobility starts with the simplest step, literally," says Vlada Musvydaitė-Vilčiauskė, founder of Walk15. "The fact that 972 cities went together and exceeded our 1 billion steps target by more than 300 million steps shows how much energy people across Europe want to invest in healthier and greener cities. Congratulations to Riga with the place of the leader, as well as Vilnius, Kaunas and Ankara, whose inhabitants showed what an active city looks like. We look forward to seeing you in Barcelona."
Lithuania was the most active country, led by Vilnius, Kaunas and Klaipeda. The second place was taken by Latvia, whose most active cities were Riga, Marupe and Liepaja. The third place was Romania, where the most steps were taken by Bucharest, Bistrica and Brașov. Among the other ten most active countries and their three most active cities:
- Germany: Wuppertal, Solingen and Anklam
- Italy: L'Aquila, Leverano and Legnano
- Turkey: Ankara, Bakırköy and Acıpayam
- Slovakia: Bratislava, Prešov and Banská Bystrica
- Greece: Kalamata, Polygyros and Athens
- Spain: Valladolid, Ciudad Real and Roquetas de Mar
- Austria: Vienna, Graz and Linz
The challenge was part of the European Mobility Week, the European Commission's flagship campaign to promote sustainable and accessible urban mobility. Participants joined through the Walk15 app and went on behalf of their city, turning daily steps into friendly competitions between municipalities.
Related topics
Articles:
Other resources on this topic: