Behavioural & Environmental Psychology Partner for 15-Minute Cities

Saperux is looking to join a DUT consortium working on the 15-minute City, bringing expertise in behavioural science, ecological and environmental psychology, and applied design.

We offer a dedicated contribution to understanding how urban interventions influence everyday practices: whether people walk or cycle, use nearby services, spend time in public spaces, interact with others, and adopt new mobility options.

Our central question is: under what conditions do spatial improvements and new services translate into actual, sustained changes in behaviour?

WHAT WE CAN CONTRIBUTE

• Behavioural diagnosis and baseline observation
Document existing patterns of movement, staying, interaction and service use. Identify the routines, contextual barriers and consequences that sustain current practices.

• Environmental and affordance mapping
Examine how street layouts, routes, crossings, seating, signage and service arrangements enable or constrain particular activities for different users. Explore gaps between physical proximity and practical accessibility.

• Intervention design and co-design support
Translate research and stakeholder input into practical changes to environments, processes and services. Complement participatory activities with observation of how places are actually used.

• Living Lab and post-occupancy evaluation
Assess behavioural outcomes before and after implementation through repeated observations, user research and, where feasible, comparison sites or groups. Examine who benefits, under what conditions, and whether changes persist.

• Implementation and transfer
Develop practical recommendations for municipalities and project partners, identifying which conditions need to be preserved or adapted when transferring an intervention to another neighbourhood.

POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS

Our contribution is particularly relevant to projects addressing:

• walking, cycling and access to everyday destinations;
• adoption of shared and multimodal mobility;
• transformation of parking areas and streets into public spaces;
• inclusive use of neighbourhood facilities and green spaces;
• the relationship between local services, daily routines and social interaction.

Depending on the intervention, indicators could include route choice, walking and cycling activity, dwell time, use of facilities, observable social interaction, repeated use of mobility services, and differences between user groups or times of day.

HOW WE WOULD WORK WITH THE CONSORTIUM

Saperux can contribute a focused task or work package covering behavioural diagnosis, intervention support and evaluation, working alongside urban planners, architects, transport researchers, municipalities and technology providers.

We are particularly interested in consortia already developing a proposal, with identified urban challenges and access to potential pilot sites. Our role would complement spatial and technical expertise by connecting proposed changes to measurable outcomes in everyday life.

We welcome a short discussion to identify a concrete contribution, suitable pilot activities and the appropriate participation and funding arrangements.