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Welcome to the UNLOCK15-Toolbox - we are collecting tools to empower „agents of change“ from civil society as well as city officials to unlock existing lock-ins. We hope you will find some relevant tools to drive change towards mobility transition in your context!

From experience, three types of tools are need for real change: tools to create and communicate evidence, tools to envision possible futures and scenarios and participatory tools for on-site action.

Evidence

This type of tools help you to collect evidence, which supports the change you are aiming for. Some tools also allow crowd-based approaches to involve citizens in a broad manner. Evidence helps to convince decision makers to back-up change.

Collaborative heat maps

Websites like mapperoni and uMap let you create maps with layers in a minute, embed them in your site or share them with others to contribute. An example: The urban design office prostorož invited citizens of Ljubljana in 2020 to vote for locations they experience as hot. In three weeks, they cast around 700 votes. The data was consistent with the locations of heat islands measured by satellite thermal imaging. The responses showed that people change routes and habits in the summer or avoid certain locations in the city altogether due to the heat. Respondents also suggested their own cooling measures - they want more and bigger trees, less asphalt, less concrete, and less parking spaces. This map was then published in newspapers and reached a big audience.

Measuring the 15-min city: Flowers of Proximity

The flowers are a planning tool that invites participants to look beyond their current travel routines by imagining instead how they would like to get around. This perspective grounds accessibility planning in people's needs and desires, helping make cities more livable, sustainable, and fair.

Mapping and analysing facades

"We need parking space otherwise our shops will die!" This is an argument often brought forward by opponents of street transformation. The urban design studio prostorož confronted this claim with evidence. They analysed the facades of the street by the following categories: Lively facade, active facade, monument, empty facade, unremarkable facade. They could show that a lot of the ground floor was at that point in time not occupied.

prostorož combined this analysis with analysing parking place occupancy and human behaviour to build an even stronger argument: A street full of cars is not helping shops at the moment. By combining all these analysis they managed to convince the decision makers to give that street a human friendly makeover!

more tools for Evidence…

Vision

In this category you find tools that help you to create a vision of what you are aiming for. A strong vision is key for driving change because it helps you to grow as a movement and to shift public opinions. This category also includes tools that help you envision how you want to work together as a group.

Plenary for sharing emotions

A plenary for emotions is a structured group format that creates dedicated space for emotions and interpersonal dynamics within a collective or initiative — separate from task-oriented or decision-making meetings. Rather than pushing emotions to the margins of group life, the Emo-Plenum treats them as essential information: a signal about the health, motivation, and tensions within the group.

It is recommended to have a person that facilitates the plenary. This means guiding through the structure and keeping an eye on the time. This is how a Plenary of Emotions can be structured:

1. Round: Each person expresses how they feel. In regards to the group but also in general. Resist the temptation to react to what has already been said and focus on yourself. The round is finished when everybody has shared something.
2. Round: In the same order as before people can react to what has been said by others. The focus lies on validating and relating to emotions of others not jumping into problem solving mode right away. The round can go as long as people have to say something.
3. Round: Collect next steps from what has been said. This can happen but doesn't have to.

Public Engagement Onion

The Public Engagement Onion is a visual framework originally developed by the Wellcome Trust that maps the different levels and forms of public engagement — from broad, one-directional communication to deep, two-way collaboration.

Like the layers of an onion, the model moves from the outside in: the outer layers represent activities such as broadcasting information or raising awareness, where the engagement is relatively wide-reaching but shallow. Moving toward the center, activities become more interactive and participatory, culminating in shared decision-making and co-creation at the core.

Power Mapping

Power Mapping is a visual method for strategically analyzing actors, relationships, and dynamics of influence. It helps identify the right target individuals or institutions — those who actually have the authority to make or shape decisions — and reveals through which pathways and allies one can gain access to them or build pressure on them.

more tools for Vision…

Action

Small steps towards the realisation of local change can help to make the vision tangible and also easier to be discussed. Tools for action help to make the impact of change tangible and involve local communities.

Streetdesign table

By setting up a table in the street, a big print of the layout of your street and pens you can provide a fun way to develop ideas for greening, traffic calming and street furniture. You could discuss with passers-by what uses they would like to see, what space is needed for them, and what ideas they can come up with. From a simple cycle path to a vibrant street park! If you live in Vienna, the platform WirMachenWien can assist and do the workshop with you.

Bikebus

Bikebus is an organized bicycle group for children who cycle safely to school together with accompanying adults. Like a school bus, only by bicycle.

Platform for free meeting spaces

A simple, user-friendly tool for overview and booking of free spaces for use by initiatives.

more tools for Action…