The project “ICTs in Support of Monza’s PEBA aims to explore the issue of accessibility for people with reduced mobility through UX methodology, focusing on user experience in Monza. The aim is to develop an accessibility framework of the urban environment of the city of Monza, intended to facilitate participatory design processes for the drafting of the PEBA – Plan for the Elimination of Architectural Barriers for people with reduced mobility.
The project is a collaboration between the Municipality of Monza (Department of Mobility, Roads and Transportation, Street Furniture, Parks and Gardens; Department of Participation, Housing Policies, Youth, Equal Opportunities), Monza Mobilità S.r.l., and Fondazione Transform Transport ETS. The project will have a duration of 12 months (February 2025 to January 2026).
Introduction
Inclusive urban accessibility is a key issue in ensuring the quality of life for all citizens, with special attention to those with mobility impediments, such as people with disabilities, the elderly, children, and parents. At the European level, several directives and initiatives promote urban accessibility, emphasizing the importance of integrating this issue into spatial development policies. Among these, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (United Nations, 2006), ratified by the EU, is a key reference point. The European Union has also adopted the European Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2021-2030 (European Commission, 2021), which aims to promote the inclusion and participation of people with disabilities in all aspects of life, including urban accessibility.
Accessibility is a broad concept that refers to the ease with which people can reach and use services, resources, and environments. When focusing specifically on accessibility for people with mobility impairments, the definition emphasizes the need for urban environments to accommodate individuals with physical limitations, ensuring that they can move through public spaces, access transportation, and use facilities without encountering barriers (Steels, 2015). Measures to be taken include the provision of elements such as ramps, elevators, and accessible public transportation options, which are essential to ensure that people with reduced mobility can fully participate in community life, public space, but also public transportation services (Sze & Christensen, 2017).
Enabling Data and Methodology
The project, based on the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan of the City of Monza, aims to analyze urban mobility in the city of Monza by focusing on the experience of users with reduced mobility, it will be developed through UX methodology, which refers to the quality of interaction between the user and the system that enables the user to achieve a specific goal (Dickson-Deane & Chen, 2018). UX in urban design extends Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) principles to the built environment, emphasizing a user-centered approach to mapping and analyzing urban mobility. The focus on urban experience through participatory activities captures the needs, expectations, feelings and perceptions of urban users, particularly those in vulnerable situations.
The project focuses on mapping factors that limit the autonomy in mobility of people with disabilities with the aim of developing a Web App for user route planning. The project methodology is divided in three main parts (see Figure 1):
- Listening and participation, focused on participatory planning through survey and workshops, with the aim of reaching a holistic understanding of the needs of people with disabilities and mobility impairments, living in the city of Monza;
- Mapping, based on the quantitative data collection, obtained through existing geolocated datasets and techniques of image segmentation algorithms, to map the presence of factors influencing user experience;
- Web App development, development of a customized routing system, accessible for free online from fixed and mobile devices, capable of generating optimized routes based on user preferences.
Project Objectives
The project aims to create more inclusive urban environment by combining quantitative data with subjective experiences of users with mobility impairments.
The qualitative data collection, collected through workshops and a survey, will provide a holistic understanding of the needs of people with disabilities and mobility impairments (see Figure 2). The participatory design approach, involving individuals with disabilities, their caregivers and representatives of various neighbourhoods of the city, will provide critical insights into their specific mobility challenges and needs, informing the development of more effective and user-centric solutions, focused on the specificities of the Municipality of Monza.
Figure 2 – Workshop of participatory planning (Action 1b)
The quantitative collection of geolocated datasets will provide a solid basis for analysis and mapping of infrastructure characteristics, using techniques of image segmentation algorithms (Hara et al., 2014), particularly from Google Streetview images (see Figure 3).
Figure 3 – Example of Google Streetview image segmentation. Image © Google.
The final goal is to support the decision-making processes of the administration and urban planners of the city of Monza by providing data, metrics and tools useful for improving the quality of urban life, through the following objectives:
- Definition of the level of accessibility of pedestrian infrastructure in the city of Monza through GIS mapping (see Figure 4);
- Support the planning of interventions aimed at providing a more accessible and inclusive city (e.g., insufficient width of pedestrian footways, excessive slope on ramp connections, narrowing and obstructive elements, etc.);
- Support the PEBA of the City of Monza (the project does not involve design or planning activities).
Expected Results
The primary results we aim to achieve include a comprehensive and multi-layered GIS map detailing the accessibility levels of pedestrian infrastructure throughout Monza. This map will serve as a crucial tool for identifying specific architectural barriers and understanding their impact on the mobility of individuals with disabilities and reduced mobility. We anticipate developing a user-friendly Web App that empowers users to plan accessible routes tailored to their individual preferences and needs (see Figure 5).
Figure 5 – Example of different routes identified through the Web App
This app will also facilitate participatory mapping, enabling citizens to contribute to the ongoing identification of accessibility challenges. Ultimately, we hope to provide valuable data, metrics, and tools to the Municipality of Monza, directly supporting the development and implementation of their PEBA (Plan for the Elimination of Architectural Barriers) and broader urban mobility plans. By combining quantitative data with qualitative user experiences, the project strives to inform evidence-based decision-making, leading to the creation of more inclusive, accessible, and welcoming urban spaces for all residents and visitors.
Acknowledgments
Analyzed data collected during the project is being processed in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) (EU, 2016/679).
References
Dickson-Deane, C., & Chen, H. L. O. (2018). Understanding User Experience. In Encyclopedia of Information Science and Technology, Fourth Edition (pp. 7599-7608). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-7598-6.ch117
European Commission. (2021). Union of Equality: Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2021-2030. Retrieved from https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A52021DC0101
Hara, K., Sun, J., Moore, R., Jacobs, D., & Froehlich, J. (2014). Tohme: Detecting curb ramps in google street view using crowdsourcing, computer vision, and machine learning. In Proceedings of the 27th Annual ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology (pp. 189–204). https://doi.org/10.1145/2642918.2647403
Steels, S. (2015). Key characteristics of age-friendly cities and communities: A review. Cities, 47, 45-52. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2015.02.004
Sze, N. N., & Christensen, K. M. (2017). Access to urban transportation system for individuals with disabilities. IATSS research, 41(2), 66-73. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iatssr.2017.05.002
United Nations. (2006). Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Retrieved from: https://www.un.org/disabilities/documents/convention/convoptprot-e.pdf