We transformed a London borough into a game to get fewer people traveling by car

Enlarge (credit: Jacqui Brown / Flickr)

In England, only 37 percent of adults aged 16 or over travel actively (walk, cycle, scoot, or wheel to get from place to place) at least twice a month. We need to find exciting ways to encourage more people to travel actively for the sake of population and planetary health.

Active travel can help reduce congestion, air pollution, and climate change. However, in the UK-as in many countries across the world-traveling by car remains the dominant social norm.

Our research shows that gamification-offering points, badges, prizes, or spots on a leaderboard in exchange for participating in specific, non-game-related activities-can encourage people to travel actively to school or work.

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