Uploaded on 2017-01-12 by Colleen Dunning

I would like to see a Citizen Design Science initiative for Safe Routes to Schools for children in my city. I could imagine replicating a recent Scandinavian study where students were asked to photograph areas along their path to school where they felt unsafe (dangerous road crossings, poorly-lit streets, etc) and submit them through a dedicated app that stripped the data of identifying markers. Children as a population are often overlooked when it comes to city planning initiatives, but they are digital natives who are eager to contribute and take ownership of the environments around them. I could see an initiative that connected the schools, parks and recreation department, transportation department and the public health department to create safer, active routes to school. If the students and their parents are confident in their safety along these routes, then they can choose the active and healthy option. For the Citizen Design Science component we would need baseline data about population movement, field reports (from the students), a budget for pilot repairs and initiatives, and a study of population movement after implementation. Image from WNYC - Creative Commons License.