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Short Abstract

We report on the novel 'Button' citizen science tool for cyclists to self-report their experiences of pleasantness, present results of initial testing in Helsinki, outline its technical integration with other devices, and present the methodology of future empirical work using the buttons.

Abstract

Urban greenery plays an important role in sustainable, healthy and liveable cities. However, while the availability of greenery and the wellbeing benefits it imparts are well known in urban residential areas, less is understood of the impacts and effects of greenery exposure in the daily active travel environments of urban residents. This includes for cycling, increasingly promoted as a sustainable mode of transport in many European cities.

There is a plethora of quantitative metrics on the environmental quality of cycling environments, including access to real-time information such as air quality or noise. Yet, gaps remain in measuring and understanding the lived and subjective experiences of cyclists as they move through their city in their everyday travel, including on greenery exposure, in real-time.

In this presentation, we will share the work to develop and implement a novel rapid citizen science tool, ‘Buttons’, which acts as a highly portable and lightweight sensor system that can be attached to bike handles and enables cyclists to conduct real-time mapping of pleasant and unpleasant experiences during their everyday cycling activities. Developed at low cost and easy to use, the Buttons systems is inclusive, available to anyone and ready for rapid upscaling in initiatives that aim to better understand the subjective experiences of urban residents during their everyday travel.

We report on the design of the button system and results of initial testing with participants in Helsinki; its technical integration with other devices and sensors to monitor changes in cyclist wellbeing in real-time using objective measurements (for example, heart rate, cortisol); and, present the methodology for empirical in-situ experimental work that will leverage the Button tool to help measure and understand cyclist’s experiences of urban travel greenery and its wellbeing impacts.