Abstract
• We evaluate the effectiveness of a Digital Social Market tool to promote active travel in an empirical context. • Exploratory factor analysis and negative binomial regression are used for the investigation. • Results show a positive correlation between DSM app engagement (posts, “claps”, non-monetary rewards) and the level of active travel. • Lifestyles, attitudes, and social influence also explain the variability in cycling and walking. 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.
Highlights
As 54% of the global population reside in urban areas and account for more than 70% of global energy use (IPCC, 2014; Moran et al, 2018; United Nations, 2015), behaviour-based approaches for climate mitigation have the largest potential in cities
To achieve the long-term sustainability goals, behavioural change among citizens is necessary and one of the potential tools to facilitate this change is the introduction of Digital Social Market (DSM) apps into the market
This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of DSM approaches to promote active travel through the SharingMi DSM implementation in Milan
Summary
As 54% of the global population reside in urban areas and account for more than 70% of global energy use (IPCC, 2014; Moran et al, 2018; United Nations, 2015), behaviour-based approaches for climate mitigation have the largest potential in cities. A key role in making future living sustainable is played by smart technology, especially that provided by ICTs (e.g. mobile communication network and the internet), and the integration of this technology within cities (Yovanof & Hazapis, 2009). This technology enables smart cities to be supported as prototypes to manage the issues created by urbanisation (Wu et al, 2018) and enables their development to tackle the problems (e.g. climate change and inequalities) that have become a popular focus in urban western cities (Yigitcanlar, 2016). Previous studies observed that a web-based application reporting the electricity consumption of a peer network can significantly lead to a reduction in consumption (Peschiera et al, 2010), word-of-mouth interactions through Facebook can have an impact on consumers’ decision of purchasing certain types of cars (Hutter et al, 2013), virtual communities with a web review system affect the tourism and hospitality industry (Mauri & Minazzi, 2013) and web-based interactions can influence purchasing behaviours of online shoppers (Isa et al, 2016)
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