WeCount project evaluation summary: Citizen science on urban mobility

Sardo, Margarida; Laggan, Sophie; Fogg Rogers, Laura; Franchois, Elke; Bracke, Anke

Abstract

WeCount was a Horizon 2020 project which aimed at quantifying local road transport, produce scientific knowledge in the field of mobility and environmental pollution and co- design informed solutions for several road transport challenges. Uniquely, this citizen science project empowered citizens to take a leading role in the production of data, evidence and knowledge around mobility in their local areas. Five case studies across Europe were involved in WeCount: Madrid and Barcelona in Spain, Leuven in Belgium, Ljubljana in Slovenia, Dublin in Ireland and Cardiff in the UK. Citizens were given low-cost traffic sensors to install in their homes, enabling them to collect and analyse traffic data, as well as engage with key stakeholders throughout the process. Citizens took part in several workshops, from assembling the sensor to learn how to analyse the data.
This evaluation shows the importance of co-designing citizen science projects with citizens so that they are engaging, enjoyable and empowering. The more a citizen enjoyed their time in the project, the more likely they are to continue working with WeCount data after the project ends, which will eventually lead to taking more action. In addition, the greater the street-level knowledge improvement the more likely a participant is to act.
We hope this evaluation report proves useful to other researchers and practitioners working on mobility and citizen science projects.

We are making available the full report and a condensed, more visual version of the evaluation report.

• Report Type: Research Report
• Publication Date: Mar 8, 2022
• Deposit Date: Mar 8, 2022
• Publicly Available Date: Mar 22, 2022
• Keywords: citizen science, evaluation, science communication, urban mobility, public engagement
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/9185309