Currently, a delegation of the city of Münster is visiting its twin city Fresno in California, USA. During this visit, the jointly organized mobility conference "International Transportation Innovation Summit - PEDAL 2023" will take place. The aim of the conference is to exchange knowledge between the two partner cities with regard to sustainable mobility and, in particular, cycling. 

Dr. Jan Wessel from the Institute of Transport Economics at the University of Münster gave a presentation on the economic impact of road space redistribution at this conference. The subsequent discussion of this topic highlighted the high relevance for both cities. Especially given the background of wide streets, few bike lanes, and the low modal share of bicycles in Fresno, the presented results can provide an economic justification for the redistribution of road space from cars to bicycles.  

The conference's program also included discussions with representatives from FH Münster and Fresno State University about research, teaching, and potential collaborations. In addition, the local bicycle infrastructure was explored during a joint bike tour through Fresno.

The annual conference of the International Transport Economics Association (ITEA) was held at the University of Cantabria in Santander, Spain, from June 14-16, 2023. Participants of the conference are scientists and specialists in the field of transport economics. The Institute of Transport Economics of the University was represented by seven scientists. Tim Podleschny, Sebastian Specht and Dr. Jan Wessel presented their research work and received valuable input for future research in the exciting discussions.

A highlight of the conference was the award ceremony for the best papers, where Dr. Jan Wessel from the Institute of Transportation Science at WWU Münster was awarded the "Richard J. Arnott Best Paper by a Junior Researcher Prize". His research paper, titled "Space Wars - Finding an Economically Efficient Allocation of Street Space Across Different Transport Modes," examines the economically efficient allocation of street space. Through a theoretical model of transportation mode choice and extensive simulations for the cities of Berlin and New York City, the study shows that reallocating street space from cars and parking in favor of buses and especially bicycles can increase the economic efficiency of the transportation system. The paper thus makes an important contribution to the current debate on the distribution of road space.

On June 7, the annual WiWi-Cup took place at the sports facility of the 1st FC Gievenbeck. The team "1.FC Wacker Wirtschaftswunder", a selection of the Münster Center for Economic Policy (MEP), also took part. Three IVM scientists were part of the 1.FC Wacker Wirtschaftswunder and played a major role in the successful group stage. With three wins, one draw and one defeat, the team reached the round of 16. There, however, the team of "1.FC Wacker Wirtschaftswunder" was eliminated. Despite the defeat, the team left the tournament with its head held high.