Fostering active citizen participation and co-design of evidence-based sustainable mobility solutions: a case of Italian schools

Citizen involvement in urban transport planning is crucial for developing policies that respond to the real needs of the community, promoting inclusivity, equity, and social responsibility. The BEC2SCHOOL project aims at providing communities and policy-makers with methods and tools to enhance public participation in transport decision-making processes and foster the co-design of sustainable mobility solutions, taking advantage of smart technologies and citizen sensing. Pilot schools are selected and invited to install low-cost traffic sensors. Workshops and training sessions on sustainable mobility and transport externalities are organized. The workshops include students’ participation in a co-design process for the requalification of school street areas, using a multicriteria approach. This study presents the first results of the participatory process implemented in one workshop held at a school in the city of Catania, Italy. This approach aims at supporting the evaluation and selection of the solutions to improve sustainable mobility near schools, considering the data collected by sensors, and actively involving the students by directly inferring their opinions. In particular, the workshop integrated methodological innovations, such as the use of low-cost traffic sensors and the application of a multi-criteria approach in the co-design process, which allowed students to actively and effectively be engaged. Preliminary results highlighted students’ priorities in social and environmental areas, with a strong emphasis on reducing pollution and improving road safety. Additionally, the effectiveness of involving schools directly in the participatory design process was confirmed, showing how a data-driven approach can enhance the impact of the proposed solutions. Results confirm the effectiveness of a participatory data-driven approach in analysing problems and co-creating solutions together with stakeholders, paving the way for future initiatives that actively engage school communities in the creation of more sustainable and liveable cities.