The first European study on mobility in cities is launching its online questionnaire

CREAL (Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology) will celebrate tomorrow the launch of the PASTA project (Physical Activity through Sustainable Transport Approaches) in which it collaborates. PASTA is a European project that aims to study the patterns of mobility of the population in cities and the impact on health. A total of 14,000 volunteers will participate in 7 European cities (including Antwerp, Barcelona, Orebro -Sweden-, London, Rome, Vienna and Zurich).

For this purpose, researchers of CREAL, a centre of the ISGlobal Alliance, will begin tomorrow the recruitment of 2,000 participants whose requirements include being 18 or older and to live, work or study in Barcelona. The participation of these volunteers will centre on performing a survey available online for PCs, smartphones and tablets.

Through the study of 2,000 participants from Barcelona during 2 years “we will study the factors that determine the use of different modes of transport, which routes are used and to which environmental factors participants are exposed (including air pollution, traffic accidents and physical activity)" says Dr. Mark Nieuwenhuijsen, project coordinator and researcher of CREAL. Those willing to take part should register at http://survey.pastaproject.eu/.

Furthermore, a select group of the participants will be studied in a more detailed way using individual measures of the routes, the intensity of physical activity (with accelerometers, GPS and smartphones) as well as the levels of air pollution that they are exposed and if they have suffered a traffic accident.

Dr. David Rojas, a researcher at CREAL, remarks that "this study aims to identify the factors that help or hinder mobility in cities (in this case, Barcelona) by the movements of all commuters whether by car, motorbike, public transport, bicycle and even pedestrians." The ultimate goal of PASTA is to help design healthier and safer cities.

To celebrate the launch of this project funded by the European Commission, tomorrow a workshop will take place that will receive guests such as:

• Lawrence Frank. Professor, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. Dr. Frank is a specialist in urban planning and transportation. He works in multiple studies in Canada and the United States related to mobility, urbanism, green areas and their impact on health. He has extensive experience in designing healthy cities.

• Bianca Hermansen. CITITEK, Copenhagen, Denmark. Dr. Hermansen is a specialist in architecture and urbanism. She has worked for many years in the design of the city of Copenhagen and towards it’s success as one of the world-leading example cities for active mobility. Dr. Hermansen has worked as a consultant for the World Health Organization in designing healthy cities.
• Carsten Rodthballer. ICLEI Europe, Brussels, Belgium. Dr. Rodthballer is a specialist in sustainable mobility. He belongs to the network of cities and local authorities for sustainability. He has worked in multiple European studies developing tools to help local governments develop sustainable and efficient cities.

To reach the researchers or for further clarification, you can contact:
-;The communication department of CREAL: Gisela Sanmartín, gsanmartin@creal.cat. Telf. 93 214 73 33 // 696 912 841