Date Your City is an innovative citizen engagement tool developed by EIT Urban Mobility to help people assess and reflect on the walkability and quality of pedestrian spaces in their cities. Inspired by the familiar format of dating apps, the tool allows participants to “match” or “mismatch” with street elements they like or dislike, sparking conversation about urban design and walkability. It can be used in guided walks or self-led activities, supporting a playful yet meaningful process for gathering citizen insights that inform more people-centred urban mobility solutions
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The tool responds to the need for creative, low-threshold engagement methods that empower residents to reflect on walkability, safety, comfort, and street quality, while providing cities with qualitative, experience-based insights to complement traditional data and planning approaches.
Traditional walkability assessments and citizen participatory processes can be technical, formal, or difficult for the public to engage with. Cities need accessible, engaging tools that encourage a broad range of residents to share their perspectives on streets and public spaces — especially in relation to walking, safety, comfort, and mobility quality. Date Your City addresses this challenge by providing a simple, playful mechanism for residents to articulate what works (and what doesn’t) in their urban environment, lowering barriers to participation and widening engagement beyond typical stakeholders
The Date Your City tool offers downloadable templates and guidance that can be used on organised community walks or solo explorations. Participants hold up cards to express preferences and capture photos of street features they enjoy (or don’t), generating visual stories and qualitative data about urban mobility and public space experiences. Organisers can share outcomes through photo albums and feedback forms collected on the platform, enabling structured insight that can inform local mobility planning, design improvements, and future projects focused on walkability and inclusive street design
By making walkability assessment fun, intuitive and open to all residents, Date Your City helps cities gather rich, people-driven insights into how public spaces are experienced on the ground. This leads to deeper understanding of the urban environment from the perspective of everyday users, which can inform better policy, planning, and design decisions. Engaging a broader audience also builds community ownership over mobility issues, encouraging civic dialogue and collaboration between city authorities and residents. These dynamics can contribute to more walkable, inclusive and liveable urban spaces over time
