Upcoming Events
April 23, 2024 at 1pm ET
Project Sidewalk Power Hour: Find Sidewalk Accessibility Problems in Cities from Anywhere! As we approach the end of Citizen Science Month, spend an hour with the SciStarter LIVE team learning about Project Sidewalk and participating to support cities in need of infrastructure help. Your help means more accessible sidewalks in the future!
SciStarter Live Schedule – April 2024
Past Events
NCMM (National Center for Mobility Management) Presentation
February 2, 2024
ChiHack Night Presentation
January 30, 2024
People with disabilities and older adults experience numerous barriers to walking/wheeling around the Chicago region and to using transportation. Unfortunately, many communities in the Chicago region do not collect or maintain data on sidewalk network quality, which limits how well they can plan, and prioritize sidewalk network improvements. This presentation will describe an NSF Smart and Connected Communities study that is developing crowdsourcing + AI tools for communities to more efficiently collect, map, and analyze sidewalk network data and plan for more inclusive communities.
The presenters will describe a sidewalk network data collection and analysis tool, called Project Sidewalk, which has been deployed in the Chicago region and around the world. Participants will learn to use the tool and explore data collected in the City of Chicago’s 40th ward. The presenters will share stories about some of the successes and challenges of deploying this crowdsourcing tool and share some advances in using AI + Human Validation workflows to enhance data collection. If time permits, they will undergo more training to get participants involved with collecting data and learning how to deploy Project Sidewalk in their community.
At the Intersection of Disability Justice, Pedestrian Safety, and Health
January 7, 2024, 9:00 AM-12:00 PM, Convention Center
Cities are interested in creating more livable, vibrant communities where all people feel safe walking and wheeling. However, current planning, policies, and funding have led to a patchwork of pedestrian infrastructure accessibility, hindering the opportunity to walk and wheel safely. Panelists will address the reasons behind this inaccessibility and explain the urgency to meet the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). New approaches will be discussed to integrate the objectives of the ADA with those of public health, safety, and environmental planning. An interactive activity will showcase open-data tools for mapping, analyzing, and visualizing the conditions of pedestrian and transit infrastructure. Attendees will create an action plan for using these tools to integrate multiple community objectives and improve walking and wheeling for all people.