How to track behaviours’ changes toward more sustainable mobility habits: the serious game of TrafficO2

Abstract

Social science and new communication technologies are influencing deeply the transportation domain and new models of urban sustainable development are constantly emerging as new possible solutions. One of the principal reasons is the capability to reach the motivations that foster us to choose one or other urban transportation systems. It’s already feasible to develop solutions to aim the implementation and the rooting of more efficient and sustainable habits in urban transportation. The present exploratory paper presents the activities conducted by innovation lab PUSH, with the Italian Ministry of Innovation and Research, for the development and the application of the social innovation project “trafficO2” in the city of Palermo Italy. The project is a technology driven (a mobile app) serious game for sustainable urban mobility that tries to foster citizens, through information and tailor made incentives, to choose low emission means instead of using cars. In a very controversial context given by the urban mobility of the city of Palermo, aim of the game is to build a strong and values driven self-organized community, able to change the actual urban condition without any command and control policies or any structural transformation. The system was already tested twice with the community of students of the Palermo University; the paper shows the first results in terms of CO2 reduction and testers engagement.