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.

Collecting data about parking occupancy

Opponents of street transformation often claim, that there are to little parking possibilities. But is that true? Evidence in Ljubljana showed that the city has rather a problem with how parking space is unevenly occupied. The urban design studio prostorož suggested the following steps to collect data about parking space occupancy.

1. define the area of observation (street / block / neighbourhood)
2. prepare the site plan of all the parking spots you will observe / have access to, regardless of ownership
3. set a hypothesis (e.g. parking is occupied by employees, not generating income for local shops)
4. create an observation plan: check occupancy one Wednesday and Saturday; and granular occupancy of observed parking lots every 2 hours, starting from 5 AM to 12:00 PM
5. graphically present data and interpret results

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 sustainability of streets

An instrument that enables the assessment of road infrastructure projects taking into account sustainability goals.

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.

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.

Break your vision down with a Campaign plan

A campaign is a planned, time-limited series of targeted measures. This campaign structure helps you to break down your vision into achievable steps.

Forecasting change

The Futures Wheel is a visual foresight and brainstorming tool invented by American futurist Jerome C. Glenn in 1971, designed to graphically map the primary, secondary, and tertiary consequences of a specific event, trend, or change using a circular diagram with concentric rings radiating from a central hub.

The method works by placing a central change or issue at the core of the diagram — for example, a new policy, a social trend, or a strategic decision — and then working outward in layers. The first ring captures direct, first-order consequences; from each of those, a second ring of second-order consequences is generated, and so on — surfacing implications beyond the immediate and obvious, and helping develop an understanding of causality through ripple effects.

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.

Making specific demands that are backed up by evidence

The "Platz für Wien" Initiative had a lasting impact on Vienna because they specified their demands and backed them up with scientific findings (e.g., demand for 50 km of bicycle lanes by 2030). They even has scientists speaking up for them, which made their demands even more valid.

Placemobil - Tactical Urbanism

The Place Mobil is a cargo bike that takes up two parking spaces when unfolded. However, as it is officially classified as a bicycle, it can be parked anywhere in public spaces (including parking lots) free of charge and legally.

Streetgames

How your neighbourhood should look like should be a concern of everybody living there, right? In reality it can be hard getting in touch with people about this topic. Especially if they have a different social or cultural background than you. The initiative "MeiMeidling" faced this challenge and had a breakthrough: They blocked an alley from cars and organised street games. Especially the big skipping rope was loved by the kids. In no time the parents joined. For the first time members of the initative talked to neighbours, that were strangers to them until this moment. Knowing your neighbours does not only increase life quality but also paves the way for better communication about how this neighbourhood should look like in the future.

more tools for Action…