Gustavo Reyes Rodríguez, City of Helmond

Meet Gustavo Reyes Rodríguez – Nominated by the Municipality of Helmond

Driving urban innovation and sustainable mobility in the Netherlands

Gustavo Reyes Rodríguez is an Urban Innovation Project Manager at the Municipality of Helmond in the Netherlands, where he has been working since December 2023. Gustavo plays a central role in shaping how Helmond adapts to rapid growth while maintaining a high quality of life for its residents.

“I started as a project manager in smart mobility but after a restructuring of the organisation, our team became part of the Urban Policy Department. Now we focus not only on mobility but on innovation across housing, energy and urban spaces,” he said. 

Gustavo’s work is about breaking down silos between sectors and building coherent, future-proof solutions for the city. 

“My role is to translate the city’s long-term strategies into concrete use cases, secure regional and European funding and manage projects from concept to implementation,” he said. 

Preparing Helmond for growth and liveability

Helmond has been selected by the Dutch government as one of the cities that will significantly expand its housing capacity in the coming years, increasing in 15,000 homes representing approximately one third of the current offer. This growth brings new challenges for mobility, energy and public space.

“Our priority now is how to maintain the same level of service and liveability while accommodating a growing population,” Gustavo said.  

A key focus is addressing first and last-mile mobility. Despite having four train stations, moving around the city remains challenging without a car.

“We want to reduce internal car use and encourage people to walk, cycle or use public transport,” he explained. 

Innovating transport systems for the future

One project Gustavo is particularly excited about is PERIASTY, a Horizon Europe initiative that will introduce an on-demand automatic public transport service in Helmond’s industrial park. 

“This area has lacked adequate public transport in the past and currently various initiatives to bring new transport modes to the zone have started with a mobility hub that is served by a bus line and shared bicycles. There are also intentions to add shared vehicles, scooters and the automated public transport service,” he said.

He believes Helmond’s projects help shape national policy and pave the way for other municipalities.

“What we do helps inform legislation and reduce barriers for smaller cities that don’t have the same resources – they can learn from our experience and replicate successful models,” he said.

Strengthening leadership through the Emerging Leaders program

Gustavo first heard about the Emerging Leaders program at the EIT Urban Mobility Partner Days in Munich, where he met a representative who introduced him to the initiative.

“I’ve always had the ambition to gather relevant EU stakeholders from different domains and through consultancy create projects back home in Mexico with a social impact that tackles the need for cities to be designed for more liveable spaces. This program felt like a way to turn that vision into practical steps,” he said.

What stood out to him most was the program's focus on soft skills.

“Hard skills are easier to acquire but soft skills require reflection and self-awareness. The program gives space to analyse how we work and how we can improve as leaders,” he said. 

Through his role and the Emerging Leaders program, Gustavo aims to continue shaping sustainable mobility, driving innovation and building meaningful connections that create lasting impact in Helmond and beyond.