Cities’ heavy reliance on motor vehicles imposes myriad public health and environmental challenges. In New York City, for example, the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene estimates that fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) pollution from motor vehicles contributes to 320 premature deaths in New York City each year, which is approximately the same number as die from homicide. In Germany, the situation is not much better. In fact, approximately 70 German cities were found to violate EU air quality standards for nitrogen dioxide emissions last year and automobiles have been held largely to blame for the problem. To remedy the situation, municipal policymakers on both sides of the Atlantic are experimenting with a range of strategies — from bans on diesel engines, to congestion pricing schemes, to transportation infrastructure projects —to lesson cars’ stronghold on urban mobility. Yet policymakers face complicated set of legal and political constraints as they push forward with their efforts. At this upcoming event, experts from Germany and New York City will discuss options for transitioning towards new modes of transportation and challenges that lie ahead.