Aarhus (Denmark):
where the 15-minute city meets urban logistics
Aarhus, Denmark’s second-largest city, is recognised for its strong commitment to sustainable urban development and its ambition to become climate neutral by 2030. Within NEXTLOGIC, the city explores how neighbourhoods can become more connected, accessible and liveable by rethinking the role of public transport hubs. Rather than serving only as places to change trains or buses, these spaces become multifunctional hubs where mobility, urban logistics and everyday services come together. Supported by Digital Twin technologies and advanced data analytics, Aarhus is developing and demonstrating the concept of 15-minute Multimodal Hubs, showing how digital planning tools can help cities create more accessible neighbourhoods while making better use of existing urban space.
A city building on what already exists
Aarhus is not redesigning the city from scratch. Instead, it builds on an already well-developed public transport network and a long-term vision for climate-neutral urban development.
One of the city’s priorities is extending the principles of the 15-minute city to integrate passenger mobility, urban logistics and local services within the existing public transport network. This means bringing together public transport, walking, cycling, shared mobility and urban logistics so that residents can access everyday destinations and services more easily while reducing dependence on private cars.
The challenge is not only technical. Aarhus also needs solutions that fit within its historic urban fabric, respond to local governance constraints and encourage collaboration between public authorities, businesses and citizens. At the same time, freight operations need to become better integrated into city planning without compromising accessibility or the quality of public space.
The NEXTLOGIC pilot
The Aarhus pilot centres on Hjortshøj Station Square, where NEXTLOGIC develops and evaluates a new model for neighbourhood mobility. The pilot transforms the station area into a 15-minute Multimodal Hub that combines public transport, active mobility and urban logistics within a single integrated environment. Rather than treating freight as a separate system, logistics services become part of everyday mobility through facilities such as parcel lockers and improved first- and last-mile connections.
Throughout the pilot, Digital Twin technologies and Advanced Data Analytics help planners understand how different urban layouts influence accessibility, mobility patterns and logistics flows before physical interventions are implemented. This evidence-based approach allows different scenarios to be tested, compared and refined together with local stakeholders. Through co-creation activities, residents, businesses and logistics operators contribute to shaping future mobility scenarios, ensuring that the proposed solutions respond to local needs while supporting the city’s climate ambitions.
Digital tools and logistics solutions
The Aarhus pilot combines several complementary NEXTLOGIC tools and solutions.
Digital Twin
The city’s Digital Twin creates a virtual representation of the urban environment where accessibility, mobility and freight operations can be analysed and simulated. It supports planners in assessing future scenarios before they are implemented and provides evidence for data-driven decision-making.
Advanced data analytics & visualisation
Advanced analytics transform mobility and logistics data into practical insights, helping planners understand travel behaviour, accessibility and freight movements while evaluating the performance of proposed interventions.
15-minute multimodal hubs
At the heart of the pilot is the development of a multifunctional station environment that integrates public transport, active mobility, logistics services and everyday urban functions. The concept strengthens local accessibility while supporting more sustainable travel and delivery patterns.
Incentives and reward mechanisms
The pilot also explores behavioural incentives that encourage the use of parcel lockers and more sustainable delivery practices. By better understanding how users interact with collection points, the project investigates ways to improve locker availability and reduce parcel dwell times.
Expected impact
Through the Aarhus pilot, NEXTLOGIC demonstrates how digital planning tools and collaborative design can support the transition towards climate-neutral neighbourhoods. How?
- Developing and validating design principles for 15-minute Multimodal Hubs
- Improving accessibility through better integration of public transport, active mobility and urban logistics
- Strengthening data-driven planning through Digital Twin simulations and advanced analytics;
- Increasing stakeholder participation through co-creation activities
- Providing practical knowledge that can support the replication of similar approaches in other European cities
Beyond the local pilot, Aarhus contributes to a broader understanding of how mobility, logistics and public space can be planned together rather than separately, helping cities make better use of existing infrastructure while improving everyday accessibility. Using advanced visualisation tools, future urban layouts can be explored and discussed with citizens before physical interventions are implemented, supporting informed decision-making and wider public acceptance.
Contacts
Interested in the Aarhus pilot? For more information about the local activities, demonstration site, or opportunities to collaborate, please get in touch with the NEXTLOGIC partners coordinating the pilot.
Guido Cantelmo
Danmarks Tekniske Universitet
Pilot lead
Gustav Friis
Aarhus Kommune
City representative
Discover the other pilot cities
Aarhus is just one of eight European Mission Cities demonstrating the NEXTLOGIC approach. Discover how the other pilot cities are developing and testing complementary solutions for smarter, greener and more efficient urban mobility and logistics.