Mobycon North America Convenes in Ottawa: Workshop, Strategic Planning, and Winter Fun

Two Days with the City of Ottawa

The highlight of the week was spending two full days with City of Ottawa staff for an inspiring interdepartmental workshop on multimodal network design. Mobycon has delivered numerous hands-on training events in Ottawa over the years, and it was energizing to get back into the classroom with senior staff from across multiple departments.

Our approach gave participants the opportunity not just to learn new concepts, but to apply them through collaborative exercises with colleagues they don’t see every day. As anyone who has attended a Mobycon training session knows, we pivot quickly from content delivery to dynamic, hands-on learning.

The access and flow framework that we co-developed during the workshop (inspired by the Australian Movement and Place framework) has the potential to reshape how the City develops over the next few decades. This full team effort was led by Matt Pinder, with special guest Mobycon Founder and CEO Johan Diepens, and presentations by Nick Falbo, Narayan Donaldson, and Suzanne Woo, supported by Arianne Robillard.

Strategic Planning for 2026

Coming together in Ottawa gave our international team the chance to do some big thinking for 2026. As an independent consultancy, our team comes to work each day to put our mission in action: delivering Dutch-inspired mobility solutions that help communities reduce car dependence while enjoying the benefits of human-centred, integrated mobility.

For us, this means leaning more into what we love: working directly with clients who are looking for fresh perspectives, value for money, and tangible results. This is possible through our effective combination of capacity building and consulting. We’re particularly excited to support client innovation in areas including complete networks, multimodal traffic signals, protected roundabouts, and Dutch-inspired street designs.

Watch this space for new information on ways to access Dutch approaches for English-speaking clients through our Mobycon Academy. This includes upcoming study tours, training sessions, guides, and white papers. Not only can we unlock Dutch concepts, but explain practical ways to put these principles and practices into action in your community.

Skating on the World’s Largest Rink

Our team meetups always make time for good food and winter fun. Although Ottawa winters can be unpredictable, the city was on full display thanks to several days around -25°C that created perfect ice conditions. This meant the chance to experience this year’s Winterlude ice sculptures and, most importantly, skate on the Rideau Canal Skateway — the world’s largest naturally frozen skating rink.

When conditions are right, the canal transforms into a spectacular car-free public space where locals and tourists embrace winter on two blades. While this was a skating debut for a few brave team members, renting ice-bicycles made the experience even more memorable. It’s not every day the founder and CEO of Mobycon gives you a ride on an ice cargo bike! Enjoying a warm BeaverTail pastry on the canal is the quintessential Ottawa winter experience, one we were happy to share together.

Mobycon meetups also bring the best treats — fresh stroopwafels from a Dutch bakery, Puccini chocolate from Amsterdam, and tea and gluten-free chocolate from Portland. Good food, good company, and a little winter magic made for the perfect combination.

Looking Ahead

While our international team is spread across time zones, 2026 has kicked off with momentum and several in-person meetups to connect Delft (NL), Ottawa (Canada), Berlin (Germany), Milton (Canada), and Portland (USA). As Elizabeth Allingham, director of Mobycon North America, said:

I feel so fortunate to work with such a dedicated team ready to jump into this year full of ideas that support our mission to deliver Dutch-inspired mobility solutions that make sense for North America. 

If your organization is interested in exploring how our team can support your mobility goals through workshops, training, or consulting, we can’t wait to hear from you. Drop us a line — let’s set up a time to chat!