SensorKids Days Of Action Succesfully Concluded
- For six days, DLR researchers worked with children in the Graefekiez
- The children acted as co-researchers, collecting data on noise and particulate matter pollution
- They were also able to share their opinions on the redesign of the Graefekiez and develop their visions for the district's future.
The six days of action are now over and have provided many insights into children's mobility on their way to school, as well as their use and appropriation of space in a traffic-calmed neighborhood. Additionally, the project gathered deeper experiences in participatory, qualitative research with children. The thematic focus of all days of action was examining the mobility behavior of the children, as well as their perception and assessment of the traffic transformation and calming in the Graefekiez. To this end, the children conducted walking interviews and participated in measurements of particulate matter and noise pollution using the participatory environmental sensor 'senseBox'. They created sketch maps, illustrated their attitudes toward their neighborhood and its transformation through Photovoice, drawings, and AI image generation, kept mobility diaries, and, as co-researchers, developed their own questions and hypotheses on traffic space design and environmental traffic pollution.
The DLR was at the school for a total of seven days and worked closely with the students as co-researchers. Joint explorations of the Graefekiez took place, while the children developed their own research questions in small groups and collected data. They discussed their results and presented them to other groups, as well as teachers and parents. This enabled the involvement of children in the research process and offered a shift in research perspective to identify which questions, locations, and mobility options are relevant and important to children.
The project makes a valuable contribution to traffic research, as the needs and requirements of children for public roads and urban traffic are the focus of the project. Children are currently underrepresented in traffic research and planning practice. The project has made a valuable contribution to advancing the research area of child mobility. Children's perspectives are often insufficiently considered in planning processes. Since their perspectives differ from those of adults, the participation of children in the research project can provide significant insights into their use of space, appropriation of space, and mobility.