Mapping Sustainable Futures: Cartographic Maps’ Role in Citizen Science for Participatory Research in Sustainable Urban Mobility

Nowadays, climate change shows irreversible consequences for the well-being of humanity, territories, and resources. The city of Bologna (Italy) is facing environmental, societal, and digital challenges that are currently featured in urban spaces worldwide: air pollution and intense urban mobility, due to anthropic activities and ever-increasing urbanization. To tackle these issues, the H2020 I-CHANGE project “Individual Change of HAbits Needed for Green European transition” aims to illustrate the possibility of collective behavioral change by engaging civil society in citizen science initiatives (Goudeseune et al., 2020; Vohland, 2021). Emphasizing climate change awareness and sustainable lifestyles, the research prioritizes openness, accessibility, and participatory knowledge production. Investigating cartographic maps’ role in citizen science, the study explores behavioral shifts towards sustainability. This contribution proposes the “Mani in Mappa!” (Hands on maps) initiative as a potential citizen science activity that involves maps as a dynamic tool for scientific research, education, and participation. The scientific component involves applying the concept of citizen science, engaging people in the shared collection and processing of data on Bologna’s mobility system. The educational dimension is expressed through serious games, transforming gaming into a tool for message transmission, information exchange, and training. Finally, participation is facilitated by using geographic information systems for public involvement. This multidimensional approach aims to enhance active citizen awareness in sustainable urban mobility and to promote behavioral change to sustainable mobility.