Ciência cidadã e requalificação do espaço urbano : redescobrindo a caminhabilidade sob a ótica infanto-juvenil

Abstract

The encouragement of active modes of transportation, especially walking, represents a promising strategy for promoting various positive aspects to society, related to urban traffic, environmental and noise pollution, and even public health. However, walking is not universally identified by all pedestrian groups, and it is necessary to develop studies that can be sensitive to the context and the perspective of children and young people. Additionally, the use of citizen science allows the population to contribute and learn simultaneously in the process, and scientific learning for children and teenagers can foster citizenship, the development of their own voices, and democratic participation. Given the above, the overall objective of this research is to enhance an evaluation tool for walkability from the perspective of children and young people, which integrates pedestrians' perceptions as a determining factor in calculating the analysis of the importance of indicators through the use of a participatory methodology. The methodology was divided into stages, as follows: (1) the application of the participatory method with co-researchers; (2) the application of the technical method of walkability analysis; (3) the calculation of the Walkability Index score (with weighting); (4) the comparative analysis of the results (with and without weighting), and (5) the presentation of the results and collective construction of the action plan. The study was conducted with a group of co-researchers, students from a partner school, aged between 10 and 12 years old. It was found that seven indicators were more relevant to the group, with a weighting obtained through the statistical method of Mahalanobis distance. These indicators were: Greenery, Cleanliness, Visual Attractiveness, Sidewalk Pavement Condition, Intersection Signaling, Presence of Pedestrians, and Lighting. Regarding the influence of the participatory methodology, it was observed that there was significant engagement on the part of the co-researchers with the subject studied. It was also concluded that the creation of a weighted method was relevant for interpreting the results, as the public perspective influenced the walkability index score. Based on this, the collective construction of the action plan was carried out, and an executive summary of the research was produced to materialize the entire process, including the solutions proposed by the co-researchers. The research, therefore, addressed some gaps in the state of the art, making it relevant to apply studies that can contribute to a paradigm shift in society.