Designing healthier cities through AI, mobility data, and lived experiences
ELEVATE is an interdisciplinary research project exploring how urban streetscapes influence walking and physical activity in everyday life. By combining smartphone sensing, GPS tracking, artificial intelligence, street-level imagery, and community participation, ELEVATE develops evidence-based solutions for healthier, more inclusive, and more walkable cities.
Why this matters
Physical inactivity remains one of the leading risk factors for poor health worldwide. Yet many urban environments still make walking difficult, unattractive, or unsafe — particularly in socioeconomically disadvantaged neighborhoods. While individual behavior matters, the environments people encounter every day strongly shape opportunities for healthy living.
ELEVATE investigates how streets, sidewalks, greenery, accessibility, safety, and urban design influence walking-related physical activity during daily life in Amsterdam. The project aims to identify how cities can better support active lifestyles while reducing health inequalities.
Key research questions
- Which urban environments encourage walking-related physical activity?
- How do people perceive and experience streetscapes in daily life?
- Which environmental characteristics are associated with active mobility?
- How can AI support healthier and more equitable urban design?
- How can cities reduce health inequalities through urban planning?
What makes ELEVATE unique
Smartphone-based mobility tracking
Using smartphones and GPS data, ELEVATE studies how people move through cities in real-world conditions and how urban environments shape physical activity patterns.
AI-powered streetscape analysis
Advanced computer vision and artificial intelligence are used to analyze street-level environments, including greenery, walkability, pedestrian infrastructure, safety, and urban aesthetics.
Citizen-centered co-creation
Residents, planners, public health experts, and stakeholders are involved throughout the project to ensure solutions are grounded in lived experiences and local needs.
Mixed-methods research
ELEVATE combines quantitative and qualitative approaches, integrating GPS tracking, step counts, surveys, interviews, spatial analysis, and AI models.
Urban design recommender system
The project develops an AI-powered recommender system that generates evidence-based urban (re)design suggestions to promote healthier and more active living environments.
Funding
ELEVATE is funded by Health~Holland through the Alliance of Eindhoven University of Technology, Wageningen University & Research, Utrecht University, and University Medical Center Utrecht.