Using digital social market applications to incentivise active travel: Empirical analysis of a smart city initiative
File(s)
Published version
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Information and communication technologies (ICTs), such as mobile communication networks, and behaviour-based approaches for citizen engagement play a key role in making future cities sustainable and tackling persistent problems in high-density urban areas. In the context of Sharing Cities, an EU-funded programme aiming to deliver smart city solutions in areas such as citizen participation and infrastructure improvements of buildings and mobility, a prominent intervention has been the deployment and monitoring of a Digital Social Market (DSM) tool in Milan (Italy). The DSM allows cities to engage with residents and encourage sustainable behaviours by offering non-monetary rewards. This paper aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the DSM approach to promote active travel (cycling and walking) by analysing the data collected through the app as well as through participant surveys. Our model results show that a broader engagement with the DSM app (number of claps to posts, number of posts made, non-monetary rewards earned by participating in non-travel events) is positively correlated with the monitored level of active travel. Lifestyles, attitudes, and social influence also explain the variability in cycling and walking. This highlights the importance of investigating these factors when replicating such initiatives on a large scale.
Date Issued
2022-02-01
Date Acceptance
2021-12-06
Citation
Sustainable Cities and Society, 2022, 77
ISSN
2210-6707
Publisher
Elsevier
Journal / Book Title
Sustainable Cities and Society
Volume
77
Copyright Statement
© 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
License URL
Sponsor
Commission of the European Communities
Grant Number
691895
Subjects
0502 Environmental Science and Management
1205 Urban and Regional Planning
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
ARTN 103595
Date Publish Online
2021-12-08