Send message to Authors

Short Abstract

We use citizen-generated air quality and noise data to inform participatory agent-based models of urban travel choices. In Ljubljana’s Urban Cycling Lab, cyclists map decision factors and feedback loops to co-design models supporting healthier, more sustainable transport futures.

Abstract

We work on participatory agent-based modelling (ABM) of urban mobility and environmental exposure. In Ljubljana, our Urban Cycling Lab engaged over 200 regular cyclists to measure real-time air pollution and noise exposure with portable sensors and wearables, complemented by surveys and interviews on mobility decisions. We are now moving beyond data collection to co-create models with citizens, using system mapping and feedback-loop identification to capture how perceptions of air quality, safety, and time interact with social influence and infrastructure.

Our motivation to join this workshop is to exchange and experiment with hands-on co-design methods that let non-experts shape ABM structure: identifying nodes, positive and negative feedbacks, and relative influence strengths. We want to explore how participatory modelling can empower communities to translate their lived experiences into decision-support tools for sustainable transport and healthier cities.

We can contribute experience in running sensor-based citizen science projects, translating complex exposure data into understandable modelling elements, and facilitating group model building with diverse urban travellers (cyclists, pedestrians, public transport users). We are eager to test and refine these approaches with others working on transformative, co-created citizen science.