Dissertation Libre

Inspiring Behaviour Change within the
Youth Through Event Design and

Gamification
By Francesca Piazza
A Practice-Based Project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the
MA in Creative Industries & the Creative Economy

Kingston University London
September 2014
Word Count: 11,083
But the beauty is in the walking -- we are betrayed by destinations.

Gwyn Thomas
***
To Fausto e Mariella, who first showed me how to walk.
To Lucia, who first walked with me.
To Giacomo, who picked me up after many tumbles of mine.
***
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This project would not have been possible without the support of many people. Many
thanks to my supervisor, Dr. Mark Passera, who read my numerous revisions and guided
me through this long, sometimes frustrating, but amazing journey. Also thanks to
Catherine Morel, for being the creator of the MA Creative Economy, which is not just a
Masters course: it is a life experience. And thanks to Janja Song, for being my start-up
guru, a wonderful mentor, and a great dancer.
Thanks to all my interviewees, for being so kind and opened to my project.
Thanks to Mrs Victoria Hands, Mrs Jo Heath and Mrs Theresa Nash, for being supportive
and enthusiastic.
Thanks to the LRC and, particularly, to Icat, for making me feel as if I had access to the
knowledge of the whole world with just one click.
Thanks to Kingston University for having allowed me to grow as a professional as well
as a person in a safe, innovative, caring and open-minded environment.
Thanks to my parents, my sister and my brother for being my rock and my pillow, and for
all my relatives for the support and love.
And, finally, thanks to my numerous friends of Brescia and London, who endured this
long process with me.
Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................ 6
1.
RESEARCH AGENDA ..................................................................................................................... 11

1.1 EXTENSIVE RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ..................................................................................................... 11
1.1.1 Research Design .........................................................................................................................................11
1.1.2 Methods of Data Collection...................................................................................................................14
1.1.3 Methods of Data Analysis ......................................................................................................................14
1.2 OUTPUT AND PRESENTATION ...................................................................................................................... 14
2.
LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................................................................. 18

2.1 CASE STUDY: UNILEVER ............................................................................................................................... 19
2.2 CASE STUDY: NIKE ......................................................................................................................................... 22
3.
RESEARCH ....................................................................................................................................... 25
3.1 QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH .................................................................................................................. 25
3.1.1 STATISTICS AND OFFICIAL DATA (SECONDARY RESEARCH) .............................................25
3.1.2 ORIGINAL SURVEY (PRIMARY RESEARCH) ..................................................................................31
3.2. QUALITATIVE RESEARCH .................................................................................................................... 41
3.2.1 SUMMARY OF INTERVIEWS.................................................................................................................41
3.3 RESEARCH RESULTS................................................................................................................................ 50
4.
PROJECT........................................................................................................................................... 53
4.1 TIMELINE PROJECT DESIGN ...................................................................................................................... 53
November 2013 February 2014 .................................................................................................................53

March 2014 May 2014 ...................................................................................................................................53
June 2014..................................................................................................................................................................53
July 2014 ...................................................................................................................................................................53
August 2014 ............................................................................................................................................................54
September 2014 ....................................................................................................................................................54
4.2 THE PROJECTS................................................................................................................................................. 54
5.
EVALUATION .................................................................................................................................. 59
THE PROBLEMS ...................................................................................................................................................... 60
FURTHER RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENTS ...................................................................................................... 61
APPENDIXES ........................................................................................................................................... 63
APPENDIX 1 ........................................................................................................................................................ 63
Models and Theories of Behaviour Change ..............................................................................................63
APPENDIX 2 TEXT OF THE ORIGINAL SURVEY AND ANSWERS .................................................. 68
Walk Your City Fluidsurvey Survey Report ...........................................................................................69

APPENDIX 3 TRANSCRIPTION OF INTERVIEWS.............................................................................. 93
WALK YOUR KINGSTON PHIL MARSON ................................................................................................93
WALK YOUR KINGSTON MICHAEL AHMED .........................................................................................96
WALK YOUR KINGSTON IAN BULL ..........................................................................................................97
WALK YOUR KINGSTON NICKY PHILPOTT ..........................................................................................99

WALK YOUR KINGSTON CLARE WADD............................................................................................... 100
WALK YOUR KINGSTON BRUCE MCVEAN ......................................................................................... 103
WALK YOUR KINGSTON JO HEATH ....................................................................................................... 105
WALK YOUR KINGSTON VICTORIA HANDS ...................................................................................... 105
WALK YOUR KINGSTON THERESA NASH .......................................................................................... 105
WALK YOUR CITY DR. ENRICO AGABITI ROSEI .............................................................................. 106
WALK YOUR CITY DR. MARCO METRA ................................................................................................ 111
WALK YOUR CITY LUCA GIANOTTI....................................................................................................... 114
WALK YOUR CITY LUIGI NACCI .............................................................................................................. 121
WALK YOUR CITY ROBERTA MEDINI .................................................................................................. 128
WALK YOUR CITY SARAH MARDER ...................................................................................................... 131
WALK YOUR CITY FRANCISCA PARRINO ........................................................................................... 135
APPENDIX 4 TRANSCRIPTION OF STUDENT INTERVIEWS ..................................................... 138
APPENDIX 5 PROJECTS TIMELINE...................................................................................................... 143
WALK YOUR KINGSTON YEAR 0 ............................................................................................................. 143

WALK YOUR CITY YEAR 1.......................................................................................................................... 145
APPENDIX 6 WALK YOUR CITY WEBSITE BRIEF .......................................................................... 148
APPENDIX 7 WALK YOUR CITY BRAND IDENTITY ...................................................................... 155
REFERENCES ......................................................................................................................................... 162
BIBLIOGRAPHY.................................................................................................................................... 171
INTRODUCTION
This practice-based project aims to apply elements of event design (ED) and gamification
so as to plan and partly implement a local-based association that would organize public
events to inspire young people to walk, socialize and reduce CO2 emissions.
The author theorizes that group walks will positively inspire a behaviour change in terms
of health, socialization and environmental awareness for young people in Kingston Upon
Thames (UK) and Brescia (Italy), considering also gamification and event design as
appropriate tools to design an engagement strategy.
The project applies a convergent mixed method. Quantitative and qualitative data was
collected in parallel and analysed separately; the results was merged using a side-by-side
approach to gain a comprehensive knowledge of the situation and the target (Creswell,
2014).
The quantitative data collection involved official statistics and documents from local
Authorities and collecting data from young people between 15 and 30 years old in
Brescia. The qualitative data collection comprised open-ended interviews from local
health authorities, who described the situation analysed, several associations and
institutions that promote walking, and 27 High School and College students and from
Brescia.
Statistics and official documents (Public Health Observatories, 2012 - Public Health
England, 2014 Das, Horton, 2012 UK Active, 2014) show that Kingston Upon
Thames, comparing to the average of England, has a higher number of adults with
learning disabilities, unipolar depression, and other psychological disorders. These are all
diseases related to a lack of physical activity. Kingston University has 26,055 students
between full time, part time, undergraduate and postgraduate, equal to 15% of the
population of Kingston Upon Thames, and of which 14% travel to university primarily by
single-occupancy car (Kingston University, 2013 Travel Implementation Group, 2013).
Hence, the impact that Kingston University has on the town is quite high, in terms of
economy, employment and environment. This motivates the choice of focusing primarily
on changing students behaviour.
Several studies by ASL (Local Health Service) reveal that the main cause of death within
Brescia is tumours and blood circulation disorders (ASL, 2013), of which physical
inactivity is one of the main causes. Furthermore, through a survey they found 32,2% of
the participants not conducting any kind of physical activity. However, it emerges from
the studies reported in Chapter 3 young people are already physically active.
Nevertheless, acting towards behavioural changes during teenage and young adulthood is
particularly important for achieving optimal adult health (Rouse, Biddle, 2010:117),
and, from the data gathered with the original survey, it is evident that young people in
Brescia mainly travel by single-occupancy car. It is therefore considered important to
cultivate and maintain young peoples level of physical activity, as they will be
tomorrows key educational figures, and to enhance their awareness regarding car use
and CO2 emissions.
The qualitative research inquired into different topics. Local Health Authorities
interviews were aimed to better understand the results of the quantitative stud. For what
concerns best practice interviews (Chapter 3.1), the authors intended to deeply
comprehend interviewees motivations to walk and the effects that walking has on their
lives, data that is missing from the quantitative research. High School and College
students were questioned about their habits, in order to complete the outcomes of the
quantitative original survey.
Local Health Authorities interviews reaffirmed the importance of physical activity to
prevent chronicle diseases, as well as depression and obesity, and that initiatives have
been undertaken mainly with elderly people. From best practice interviews it emerged
that in the UK and Italy there are several projects that promote physical activity,
socialization and environmental awareness through walks, but almost all of them are lack
of youth engagement as they are mainly focused on facilitating team sports (Department
of Health, 2011), or proposing activities for elderly people (ASL Brescia, 2014). High
School and College students interviews reinforced the results of the quantitative
research, underlining that apparently teenagers and young people are already active.
However, a study by Kuh and Cooper regarding physical activity at 36 years, suggests
that developing skills and habits in childhood and adolescence as well as encouraging
healthier exercise habits in adults is fundamental, also underlining that a different
activity pattern from sports needs to be assessed during the working years of adult life
(Kuh, Cooper, 1992: 118 - 119).
Furthermore, a recent EMA ((Ecological Momentary Assessment) method-based study
underlines that understanding behavioural changes from adolescence to young adulthood
is particularly important for achieving optimal adult health (Rouse, Biddle, 2010:117).
In addition, the young adults of today will be tomorrows parents and key educational
figures. In particular, Rouse and Biddle (2010) found a negative correlation between
Sedentary Study and Sedentary Social: the subjects of their research spend many hours
per day playing video games (males) and sitting and chatting (females). Moreover, the
researchers revealed that sedentary and physically active behaviours appear largely
uncorrelated, therefore they suggest the design of initiatives that would increase physical
activity while satisfying the need to participate in sedentary behaviour, which indeed
represents a form of socialization (Rouse and Biddle, 2010:123-124).
Events are described as a unique moment in time with ceremony and ritual to satisfy
specific needs (Goldblatt, 1990, as cited by Berridge, 2007:28), and an opportunity for
leisure, social or cultural experience outside the normal range of choices or beyond
everyday experience (Getz, 1991; 2005, as cited by Berridge, 2007; 32). Therefore the
concept itself contains a physical element and a psychological element. In sports events,
ceremonies and rituals are common, as well as during weddings and birthdays.
Ceremonies usually imply a champion, the presents sharing (and maybe the choice of the
best present). Hence, gamification in this project is viewed as a natural development of
event design, and it is used to bring it towards a different stage of engagement and results
delivery.
The project is therefore designed to engage the young people of Kingston Upon Thames
and Brescia using gamification and event design. Young people will benefit on a short-
term in health and socialization improvement, and on a long-term in environmental

awareness.
The choice of the locations is influenced by the authors personal experience and
knowledge about the two places, as she studies in Kingston Upon Thames and grew up in
Brescia.
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1.
RESEARCH AGENDA
The thesis is divided into four sections.

The first is a literature review about Behaviour Change, gamification and event design
with an analysis of theories and case studies. The second section is the authors research,
using triangulation, therefore exploiting both quantitative (official statistics, an original
survey) and qualitative (interviews) data. The third section illustrates the original
projects, which apply elements of gamification and event design. Walk Your Kingston
(year 0), designed for Kingston Upon Thames, is part of the qualitative research, adopting
the grounded theory (Creswell, 2014). The last section is the evaluation of the overall
research and the illustration of future improvements.
The author conducted extensive research based on qualitative and quantitative approaches
in order to gain a comprehensive perspective about the problem and the possible
solutions. Based on the steered study, demonstrated through Chapter 3 and 4, she
designed her own project developing elements of gamification and event design. The use
of these tools is limited to behaviour change in terms of health, transport habits and social
attitudes.
1.1 Extensive Research Methodology

1.1.1 Research Design
The overall framework for the collection and analysis of data is based on a concurrent
strategy, converging quantitative and qualitative data in order to provide a
comprehensive analysis of the research problem (Creswell, 2014: 15). The choice of a
mixed-method approach fits in French and Blair-Stevens eight benchmark criteria of
social marketing: by combining data from different sources, best practice and consumer
research, it develops a robust understanding of the audiences habits (customer
11
orientation). It clearly focuses on impacting the targets behaviour, by examining the

problem behaviour sedentariness - and the desired behaviour (increase of physical
activity and decrease of car use - (behaviour and behavioural goals), and it is based on the
social science theory (theory based). The research also develops an insight regarding the
audiences life and what could motivate it (insight), and recognize the efforts that it will
have to make in order to achieve a behaviour change (exchange). Moreover, the study
examines internal and external factors influencing the targets reaction to interventions
(competition), while not only gathering epidemiological data - quantitative research -, but
also focusing on what motivates the target quantitative and qualitative research (segmentation). Finally, this research applies the Marketing Mix by designing a project to
alter the environment through the creation of a community, by informing the target via
social media, by controlling the process via a series of evaluation tools- specified further
in the Chapter- and by educating the community via the volunteers (French, 2010: 3740).
The research is divided into two sections.

The quantitative approach, using survey research, according to Fowler (2008) provides a
description of trends, attitudes, or opinions of a population by studying a sample of that
population. In the first part of the project, the main research strategy is based on the study
of official documents and statistics, in addition to the analysis of a survey with the target
individualized as the beneficiary of the project.
Concerning the qualitative approach, the author chose to utilize the grounded theory,
which originates an abstract theory of a process, action, or interaction grounded in the
views of the participants (Charmaz, 2006). Through several open-ended interviews, the
author sought a more comprehensive view of the topic (Donovan, Henley, 2010).
Creswell recommends, particularly referring to research involving the social science
theory, that the researchers should first advancing the name of the theory followed by
the description of how it informs the quantitative and qualitative components (2014: 69).
However, the author chose to start by reviewing the literature before defining the theory,
in order to frame the problem and to convey an inductive design.
12
The quantitative research was crucial to focus on the subsequent qualitative research,
helping to define the variables to evaluate for the project design. Hence, the author
decided to follow the quantitative research method in terms of positioning the literary
review. She therefore placed this at the beginning, in order to provide direction for
research questions and hypotheses (Creswell, 2014: 30).
In the literary review, the author starts by explaining the meaning of behaviour change.
Then she moves to a less theoretical point of view, regarding studies about policies and
interventions for behaviour change. Consequently, the author defines social marketing as
a tool to inspire behaviour change, providing an extensive case study (Chapter 2.1 Case
Study: Unilever). The author justifies the choice of focusing on gamification and event
design by providing another case study (Chapter 2.2 Case Study: Nike), and data about
the youth approach to communication.
In the second part, the main research strategy is based on a mixed-method approach. The
author presents official data collected about Kingston Upon Thames (British Heart
Foundation, NHS, Kingston University, and Kingston First) and about Brescia (ASL).
She then analyses her survey with a sample of the young people of Brescia (15-35 age
range). The qualitative approach is used through open-ended interviews with different
associations, charities and locals that had previously worked to inspire a behaviour
change within the population of London and Italy.
In the third section the author illustrates her project timeline, looking at the research
phase and planning. Year 0 in Kingston Upon Thames is considered part of the research
in terms of a quantitative and qualitative approach. Quantitative because it will be a preexperiment (Creswell, 2014:170), in order to determine if a specific treatment the
events influences an outcome a behaviour change (Creswell, 2014: 156). It is also
qualitative because it applies the grounded theory through the collection of constant
feedback from the participants to the events and its evaluation (Lingard, Albert and
Levinson, 2008).
13
1.1.2 Methods of Data Collection
The gathered data is mainly derived from statistics, official data, surveys and interviews,
however it also includes the analysis of articles, journals and books. The initial phase of
the project relies extensively on secondary and primary research.
During the implementation of the project, observation will play a major role in the data
collection strategy due to the constant feedback that will be received from the participants
attending the events in Kingston Upon Thames and Brescia.
After studying, analysing and dividing the collected data by topic (Health Habits,
Transport Habits, Socialization Habits), the author named, categorized and found links
between the different behaviours as resulted from both quantitative and qualitative
research. Following this, a selective coding was used in order to select the core category
of behaviour (mode of socialization) as a vehicle for the integration of the other major
categories of behaviours (sedentarily, high use of cars) thereby developing and refining
initial hypothesis (Benaquisto, 2013).
1.1.3 Methods of Data Analysis
According to Creswell (2014), the mixed-method data analysis of this Practice Based
Project applies a side-by-side approach, which separates the analysis of qualitative and
quantitative data.
Triangulation is considered by the author as the only strategy to eliminate the bias in
order to make a truthful proposition about the behaviour change considered (Mathison,
1988: 2).
However, as noted by Greene et al. (1989, as cited by Caracelli, Greene, 1993:196), a
particular category of the Mixed-Method approach could present some integration during
the interpretation, which is the case of this project. In fact, some references and links can
be found between the two investigations.
1.2 Output and Presentation
14
The output of the research is a project of which the first part is year 0, starting in
September 2014, and taking place in Kingston Upon Thames (UK), and year 1, starting in
September 2015, happening in Brescia (Italy).
Both the projects are a walking society, which will organize public walks.
The specific choices of using walking and acting locally apply the Nuffield Council on
Bioethics ladder of interventions, shown in Fig. 1. In order to cut CO2 emissions and
inspire a Behaviour Change, the scheme suggests not to eliminate or restrict choice of
transportation, but to enable and encourage more healthy and sustainable choices
choices that enable local growth (Department for Transport, 2011: 14). Moreover, UK
Governments business plan aims to encourage sustainable local travel and economic
growth by making public transport and cycling and walking more attractive and
effective (Department for Transport, 2011: 12). It also declares that the challenge is to
make the least carbon intensive modes walking, cycling or public transport the most
attractive options (Department for Transport, 2011:23).
As reported by Dr. Jillian Anable, short trips (under 5 miles) have been accounted for
being 20% of carbon emission. Moreover, the Sustainable Travel Towns project
demonstrated that the most significant changes in behaviour as a result of the program
was seen in short trips (Science and Technology Committee, 2011:101).
15
The author therefore designs walks as community events based on targeted interests in
order to make walking fashionable and appealing.
Figure 1 Ladder of Interventions (Department for Transport, 2011:14)
By acting locally, the researcher also applies principles of the Lean Startup by Eric Ries.
The two projects are small experiments for a model that, if successful, could be adapted
to other places. Acting within a local environment should allow the author to have an
immediate and quantifiable outcome (Ries, 2011: 58), which could be used to validate
assumptions and to update the project.
16
17
2.
LITERATURE REVIEW
If individuals believe they cannot do something [] they are unlikely to do it, as

written in Theories: Behaviour Change, a report by Forestry Research (Morris, Marzano,
Dandy, OBrien, 2012: 21). Promoting behaviour change therefore means promoting the
do-ability of that behaviour, making it attractive and socially acceptable while removing
barriers to it.
Theories and models of behaviour change derive primarily from sociology, economics
and psychology. Governments and institutions have developed policies and researches
over the last decades in order to stimulate a behaviour change in the population,
especially in terms of environmental, health, and mobility habits. Due to that, models
have been studied to address particular risks, fears and problems perceived as immediate
and with the potential to have an actual impact on the stakeholders. For a complete
analysis of Behaviour Change Models, see APPENDIX 1.
A study by the Department for Communities and Local Governments Model of
Community Empowerment show that the relationship between policy intervention and
individual behaviour is recursive: policy, contextual and personal drivers generate
subjective and objective outputs (measured as changes in public behaviour and
attitudes: more civic and democratic participation, a greater sense of collective agency,
and more positive public perceptions) (Darnton, 2008: 62). Linking to this, 2004s
System Failure by Jake Chapman takes it a step further by underlining the importance of
not prescribing solutions from the centre, but gathering them up from local contexts by
adopting participatory technics.
The Chief Proponent of Community- Based Social Marketing (CBSM), McKenzie-Mohr,

describes Social Marketing as a four-step process. The first step is uncovering the barriers
of behaviours and selecting which behaviours to promote, then designing a program to
18
overcome the barriers to the selected behaviours. Subsequently, the third phase is the
pilot of the program, and the last is its evaluation (Darnton, 2008: 57).
Like commercial marketing, Social Marketing is a technique to create products and
services that meet the needs of a wide variety of people, whilst the difference is the
person benefitting from it: while the former benefits the customer, the company and its
stakeholders, the latter benefits society as a whole. Thus, it focuses on the costumer/
individual, but considers it in its wider social and environmental context (Hopwood,
Merritt, 2011: 45).
2.1 Case Study: Unilever

Unilever, which designed a series of behaviour change programmes in developing
countries, is a great example of the application of social marketing in different ways,
including event design and gamification techniques.
Unilevers Comfort One Rinse fabric conditioner was promoted in Vietnam using its
characteristics of requiring one bucket of water rather than three. Hand washing laundry
was used mainly in countries where water is a scarce resource; therefore there was a need
of saving water. After discovering that TV adverts were ineffective, the marketing team
decided to organize live demonstrations and events.
Moreover, Unilever set up demonstrations with its Lifebuoy soaps brand for children in
India, Indonesia, Pakistan and Bangladesh, to teach them to wash hands properly. These
demonstrations used ultraviolet light from which the name, glow-germ to show the
germs left on hands when washed with water alone (The Marketer, 2012).
In terms of engagement, Unilever tried to increase both the sales of toothpaste and the
level of tooth brushing by launching a campaign that revolved around two characters,
Pablo and Oliver, a father and son who share tips and tricks on how to make brushing
enjoyable.
Lastly in 2012 the brand giant launched the Sustain Ability Challenge, a gamified
campaign which aim was to bust the myth that sustainable living was more expensive
and to make consumers aware that it could also save money (Baker, 2012).
19
The campaign involved 12 UK families completing a series of monthly challenges in

order to help them save 15% off their monthly food budget and at the same time to
reduce families rubbish by 25 %. It involved other brands as well, such as Knorr and
Hellmans, providing meal planning and recipes so as to reduce daily food waste.
Why is social marketing in the form of gamification and event design considered
effective as a tool to stimulate a behaviour change?
Behaviour Change is not something that could be defined as fun, or typically voluntary.
Feldman and Dolans (2011:43, as cited by Schoech, Boyas, Black, Elias-Labert,
2013:199), define the power of gamification strategies to attract users and improve
motivation as so great that they envision simpler, easier, sustainable, and fun ways to
develop healthier habits based on behaviour change psychology, alternative reality
games, and quantified self-methods and techniques.
As Digital Natives, young people in particular are attracted to technology (including
social media) and game-based communication patterns and these are indeed proved to
have a major impact on them in terms of health-related behaviour consciousness
(Schoech, Boyas, Black, Elias-Labert, 2013:199). Moreover, young people are living an
age of formation, and therefore they are likely willing to experiment, be connected,
participate via the Internet, and are often achievement- oriented.
Gamification is the craft of deriving all the fun and addicting elements found in games
and applying them to real-world or productive activities (Chou, 2013) by focusing on a
series of design principles, processes and systems so as to influence, engage and
motivate individuals, groups and communities to drive behaviours and effect desired
outcomes (Wang, 2011, as cited by Huang, Soman, 2013: 6).
It is important to point out that gamification is not properly transforming everything in a
game. It has to consider artifactual as well as social elements of games, yet the former
should be gathered more to bear gameful interpretations and enactments, rather than
to be gameful themselves (Deterding, Dixon, Khaled, Nacke, 2011: 11).
20
Ultimately, gamification is a process that aims to enhance services with (motivational)

affordances in order to invoke gameful experiences and further behavioural outcomes
(Hamari, Koivisto, Sarsa, 2014: 2).
Six different concepts have to be clear for an effective gamification process.

First of all, Goals and Players, followed by Metrics and Behaviours. The Reward System
has a fundamental role for the efficacy of a gamification process; it is a value system that
drives players' reason-to-play in the form of reputation, progress, collections,
achievements, or currencies (Richards, 2012: 4). The Feedback Framework is composed
by two major elements: audience, divided into players, leadership and the public, and
timeliness (the majority of feedback should be as real time as possible); clear feedback
measures are fundamental for the players not to feel manipulated, but in control. Finally,
Engagement: gamification is producing authentic happiness and help players flourish
while they achieve their goals.
Goldblatt, as cited by Berridge, 2007, describes event managers as merchants of dream
(2007: 33). Some may consider events to be a way to escape from reality, while
interacting with others, belonging to a group, and often meeting inner of psychic needs
in a safe and socially acceptable manner (Berridge, 2007:156). Therefore, they cannot
be considered so different from games.
Events are themselves communication tools, but rather than appealing to us distantly,
they appeal to us directly (Berridge, 2007). Audience participation and interaction is
fundamental for engagement, and they are strictly related to satisfaction.
The participants, exactly like in a game, are at the same time passive and active. In the
former participants are involved in the consumption of experiences, knowledge,
artefacts, performance and goods produced for them by others (Haywood at al, 1995, as
cited by Berridge, 2007: 68), like game graphics, environment, sound and rules. In the
active process of an event there is involvement in the actual production of the experience,
of the skills, of the artefacts or objects, and lastly, of the performance itself. This may
happen if the event includes a challenge, or if it gives tasks, roles, or missions to deliver
to the participants.
21
The latter, named participatory event design, is most likely to be used when event
stakeholders are involved in the process of planning and management and where the
event has little or no commercial interests to consider(Berridge, 2007: 88).
2.2 Case Study: Nike

In 2006, Nike launched Nike+, an online community that allowed people to track, share,
and compare exercise results while earning "fuel points".
In January 2012, the company launched the campaign 'Make It Count': a series of posters
of the UK top athletes, shot by Adam Hinton, at their most intense moments during
training. Part of the engagement strategy was in addition to several YouTube videos,
directed by Joe Roberts.
The campaign encouraged everyone else to join in on Twitter by announcing their own
fitness goals via the hashtag #makeitcount.
Soon after that, Nike launched the advert of Nike + Fuelband, a bracelet with a special
technology that could monitor users movements. Participants downloaded the Nike+
App, in order to track their workouts. Statistics such as the number of calories burned
were displayed to provide feedback.
The strongest gamification element that Nike Fuelband utilized was the timeliness of
feedback: Fuelband showed users daily feedback on how close they were to their daily
goals. In addition to this, whenever they hit a goal, an animated cartoon character jumped
out to celebrate, incorporating an element of fun.
The game designers of Fuelband included a social dimension to the game, as participants
could challenge friends. This provided a great incentive to use the application. As the
user accumulated points based on the distance travelled, the community was aware of
who was ranked at the top of the leader board.
The immediate results were formidable: in 2007 the members of Nike+ were 500k, and
they reached 11 million by the end of 2013 (Winning at Their Own Game The Business
Benefits of Gamification, Online Business Degree.org, 10 June 2013, 2013).
In relation to events, Nike has always invested a lot in launch parties, such as the
particularly successful one in Amsterdam, the New Masters Launch for the new Dutch
national teams shirt, or the numerous Nike Womens Marathon series, which began in
22
2004 to celebrate and motivate female athletes around the world. Since its inception,
345,000 women representing 54 countries and all 50 states in the U.S. have registered for
the series and the total amount raised for LLS is now approaching $150 million (Nike
Website, 2014).
Fuelband has been criticized, though, because it did not offer any type of real-life reward
for the winner, something that, for instance, does Virgin HealthMiles (Goad, 2012). In
general, the major lack of FuelBand is that it is too sportive- it is not for everyone.
Human is an iPhone application, which uses a concrete goal that everyone can
understand: 30 minutes of exercise per day, being the minimum amount of physical
activity recommended by Health Authorities (Department of Health, 2011).
When the user is missing some exercise, the app may just nudge him to take a walk after
lunch or dinner. It is the approach to the goal: FuelBands underlines the sportive and
competitive side, by telling the user that he is 350 points short of his daily target, while
Human simply tells him to have a 15 minute walk and then he will be done for the day.
Behaviour change games, in order to be effective, must indeed remember to use strategies
like win/win rather than win/lose. This also means being supportive (have a 15 minutes
walk and you are done) and building friendship and community (Schoech, Boyas, Black,
Elias-Lambert, 2013).
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3.
RESEARCH
3.1 QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH

3.1.1 STATISTICS AND OFFICIAL DATA (SECONDARY RESEARCH)
WALK YOUR KINGSTON (UK and Kingston Upon Thames)
According to research by the British Heart Foundation regarding physical activity within
the UK, the majority of adults spend over 50% of time sedentary (Townsend N,
Bhatnagar P, Wickramasinghe K, Scarborough P, Foster C, Rayner M, 2012). This
caused an increase in obesity levels: a total of 61% of adults in England were overweight
in 2012. Furthermore, obesity is predicted to affect 60% of men and 50% of women by
2050. In terms of economy, the Foresight report on undertaking obesity estimated that,
without any intervention, obesity-related diseases would cost UK society 49.9 billion
per year by 2050 (Butland, Jebb, Kopelman, McPherson, Thomas, Mardell and Parry,
2007).
Looking at the distribution by age range, as shown in Fig. 2, it is noticeable that teenagers
and young adults in 2009 had a lower percentage of obesity, which starts increasing after
25 years old, with a huge jump after 34 years old. This may confirm the EMA method
study by Rouse and Biddle (2010), finding interrelations between Sedentary Study and
Sedentary Social Activities. The theory was previously underlined by Booth, Gordon,
Carlson and Hamilton (2000), stating that one of the major transition periods for
behaviour is from adolescence to young adulthood, and is characterised by major life
event changes associated with the move from the parental home to full residential
independence (Rouse, Biddle, 2010:117).
Operating among the age range between 16 and 25 years old is therefore considered
fundamental to prevent obesity and its related chronicle diseases.
25
Nationally, the NHS already developed some projects in order to promote healthy
behaviours in this particular field, for instance School Games and Change4Life Sports
Clubs (Department of Health, 2011). However, these initiatives are mostly promoting
team sports, whereas not every teenager or young people could like it. Walking, for its
socializing win/win effect, is seen as the most natural and fun way of being active,
without forcing people to compete, and it is therefore chosen as a possible facilitator to
increase physical activity (Schoech, Boyas, Black, Elias-Lambert, 2013).
Figure 2 Obesity prevalence for adult men of different age groups (Department of Health, 2011:12)
As reported by the network of Public Health Observatories (2012) and Public Health
England (2014), Kingston Upon Thames, comparing to the average of England, has a
higher number of adults with learning disabilities, unipolar depression, Alzheimer related
dementia and other psychological disorders. These are all diseases that could be related to
a lack of physical activity (Das, Horton, 2012). The proportion of inactive individuals
upon the population of the town is 22.77, which, according to UK Actives Turning the
tide of inactivity, costs per year almost 15,000,000 (UK active, 2014).
26
OneCouncilOneKingstons last Borough Profile of the Royal Borough of Kingston Upon

Thames (OneCouncilOneKingston, 2011) is a collection of data and statistics, including
students. As it is shown in Fig. 2, the age range between 15 and 35 years old is the
majority of the whole population of the borough.
Figure 3. Age Structure of the population of Kingston Upon Thames (OneCouncilOneKingston, 2011: 7)
Kingston University (KU), as it is today, has 5 campuses (Penrhyn Road, Knights Park,
Kingston Hill, Roehampton Vale and Tooting, a joint campus with St Georges
University of London) and 5 students halls of residence within Kingston Upon Thames
(Clayhill, Seething Wells, Middle Mill, Kingston Hill and Kingston Bridge House)
(Travel Implementation Group, 2013).
According to recent statistics by KU, Kingston University has 26,055 students between
full time, part time, undergraduate and postgraduate (Kingston University, 2013).
Kingston Upon has only 163,900 inhabitants (Kingston First, [n.d.]), and he total of
students is therefore equal to 15% of the whole population of the town. Hence, the impact
27
that Kingston University has on the town is quite high, in terms of economy, employment
and environment.
Recent research underlines that students life is more and more sedentary (Rouse, Biddle,
2010). Students often do not practice any kind of sports because of lack of time, money
or interest. Kingston Universitys Travel Plan 2013 also illustrates the negative
environmental impact of students habits: 14% travel to university primarily by singleoccupancy car (Travel implementation Group, 2013). Furthermore, a study by Marily
Oppezzo and Daniel Schwartz (Stanford University) found that walking boosts creativity:
a person's creative output increases by an average of 60 % when walking (Wong, 2014).
One of the experiments attests that a person walking - indoors or outdoors - produced
twice as many creative responses compared to a person sitting down.
Thus, it is considered that the students could be a key in changing Kingston Upon
Thames lifestyle, contributing to make its population healthier, both physically and
mentally, reducing the CO2 emissions and not least improving creativity and innovation.
WALK YOUR CITY (Italy and Brescia)
The Istituto Superiore di Sanit found that non- transmittable diseases, particularly
cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes and chronicle pulmonary diseases, represent the
principal risk to the health and the human development in Italy and worldwide
(Osservatorio Epidemiologico, 2012).
These diseases cause 35 millions of deaths per year, 60% of diseases at a global level and
80% in Countries with low and medium income.
The elimination of risk factors, such as smoking, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity and
extreme alcohol consumption could prevent 80% of the cases of cardio-cerebral-vascular
diseases, diabetes and 1/3 of cancers. Moreover, the non-infectious diseases are
responsible for a constant increase of health costs (direct and indirect), with an average
consumption equal to 77% of the budget for health within the EU area.
28
In order to reduce these numbers, institutions must make plans to promote health through
primary prevention-oriented initiatives, like the adoption of a correct lifestyle,
particularly referring to physical activity and a correct alimentary habit.
A study by ASL Brescia (Fig. 3) revealed that the main cause of death within the city of
Brescia is tumors (33.6%), which are 43% of the total of YLL (Year of potential Life
Lost) (ASL Brescia, 2014). The main pathologies are respiratory cancers in men and
breast cancers in women, followed by digestive system cancer.
Figure 3 Percentage of death (on the right) and percentage of YLL (on the left). (ASL Brescia, 2014:10)
Another cause of death that needs to be emphasised is trauma: in 2013 it caused 373
deaths within the youths and young adults, particularly men. There have been several
suicides (at the 3rd place as a specific cause), and car accidents (at the 4th), data that
underlines the importance of working for reducing both depression and car use.
Another survey by ASL Brescia analysed the habits of the population of Brescia: the
results are presented in Fig. 4). The average age of participants to the survey is 45.6 years
old, higher within the male (47.9 versus 43.5).
29
Figure 4, Distribution for age group, educational qualification and BMI. (Osservatorio Emidemiologico, 2012:5).
The table considers two groups: in blue the sample of people surveyed into clinics for
renewal of their driving license and in red the sample from paediatric clinics, mainly
composed by parents.
In terms of physical activity, 33,1% of the participants to the survey declared to have a
sedentary job and 32,2% declared that they do not conduct any kind of physical activity
not related to their job, and the prevalence of sedentary habit increases with aging. The
practice of intense sports is most important to young people under 25. Indeed, 46,8% of
the subjects define themselves as sedentary, without practicing any physical activity.
Comparing the different habits between the sexes, the study discovered that women
practice less physical activities, which also happen to be less intense, whereas only 9% of
the sample declares to practicing intense sport, against 20.9% of the males. Age does not
influence the intensity of physical activity of young adults between 25 and 39 years old,
whilst there is an evident increase within people of the same age but with a higher level
of education.
30
Figure 5 Physical Activity. (Osservatorio Emidemiologico, 2012:14)
On average, the majority of the sample subjects practice at least some physical activity,
but 32.2% does not practice at all, a percentage that is higher than the national one, equal
to 30%, and much higher to 20.6% of the Regional data.
It emerges from the gathered fact that there is no need to focus on young people, who are
already physically quite active, however, as previously affirmed, acting towards
behavioural changes during teenage and young adulthood is particularly important for
achieving optimal adult health (Rouse, Biddle, 2010:117). Although there is no direct
demand of a solution to physical inactivity within the youths in Brescia, it is considered
important to cultivate and maintain their level of physical activity, as they will be
tomorrows key educational figures. It is also important to make them aware of the
necessity of car use reduction, which will emerge further from the original survey.
3.1.2 ORIGINAL SURVEY (PRIMARY RESEARCH)
The text of the survey is available in 3.1.2 ORIGINAL SURVEY (PRIMARY
RESEARCH) .
31
The background of the participants to the survey
Twenty-seven completed questionnaires were received from teenagers and young adults
resident in Brescia, Italy, reached via Facebook. The age range in the sample was 15 - 35
years old. The largest group (17 or 33%) was in the 27-30-age range, and the smallest was
the age range between 15 and 17 years old, equivalent to 4% of the sample (see Fig. 5).
0.00%
13 - How old are you?
3.92%
5.88%
1.96%
15-17
18-20
15.69%
13.73%
21-23
24-26
7.84%
27-30
17.65%
33.33%
30-32
33-35
I prefer not to answer
Other, please specify
Figure 5 Average Age Range of the Sample. (Piazza, 2014)
The number of high school students is therefore less than any other category, a gap that
was covered by the interviews of the qualitative research. However, targeting several
people between 27 and 35 is seen as important, because that particular segment
corresponds with the phase when people usually stop doing physical activity, as
confirmed by Dr. Metra (see Chapter 3.2.1; Appendix 3; Rouse, Biddle, 2010)
32
15 - Where do you live?

3.92%
1.96%
Outside Brescia
7.84%
Province of Brescia
25.49%
City of Brescia
60.78%

Figure 6 Distribution by Geographical Location. (Piazza, 2014)
The participants declared a variety of hobbies and interests, shown in Fig. 7 and 8; the
most common hobbies are Cooking (41%), Music (29%) and Fine Arts (26%). In terms
of interests, a high preference was shown for attending Events (73 %), attending Concerts
(67%) and watching Television (61%). This last preference is highly worrying: being a
Sedentary Social, it is directly connected to physical inactivity, with playing video games
and sitting and chatting (Rouse and Biddle, 2010: 123-124).
33
5 - Which hobbies do you cultivate ? (note that they
4.92% are hobbies, so they have to be activities that you actually do you may select
more than an answer)
2.46%
0.00%
10.66%
11.48%
9.84%
8.20%
2.46%
17.21%
12.30%
8.20% 8.20%
2.46%
1.64%
None
Fine arts
Photography
Film Making
Music
Dance
Theatre
Nature
Sport
Cooking
Shopping
Volunteering
Figure 7 Types of Hobbies Cultivated by the Sample. (Piazza, 2014)
0.00%
0.94%
0.00%
7.98%
6 - This time select which interests youve

got (so not things that you do, but things that you watch/ look at/ visit etc
you may select more than one answer)
11.27%
7.51%
14.55%
8.92%
0.00% 15.49%
15.96%
17.37%
None
Art exhibitions
Photography exhibitions
Concerts
Events
Cinema
Stadium
Theatre
TV
Wine and Food tourism
Figure 8 Types of Interests of the Sample. (Piazza, 2014)
In terms of socialization (see Fig. 11 and 12), the majority of the sample (56%) is divided
between A few but good (14) and Why not (14), immediately followed by
Multitasking(13, 26%), a result that could indicate that young people are not very keen
in making new friends, but they do not avoid it. If we look at the next question, regarding
how they socialize, they need therefore an occasion to prompt new friendships. 26
participants (51%) stated that they required these occasions, followed by 16 (31%) saying
that they are exuberant. Only 4 (8%) have no interest in making new friends.
Hence events, which are the main interest shown by the sample (see Fig. 8), are
considered a way to facilitate socialization within this age group.
34
7 -In which type do you see yourself ? (The

0.00%
5.88%
question regards how many friends youve got)
0.00%
Me, my echo and my shadow (you are a lonely person)
A few but good youve got your 3-4 friends since ever)
13.73%
27.45%
25.49%
Why not youve got your group of friends, but

sometimes theres nothing wrong in meeting new
people)
Multitasking
Let's add a seat at the table (every occasion is good to

know new people)
27.45%
Figure 9 Types of Social Behaviour( Piazza, 2014)
8 - In which type do you see yourself ? (again, but

3.92%
1.96%
7.84%
this time the question regards making new friends)
0.00%
3.92%
)ts not that you struggle to make new friends: you just
do not care.
You are shy
You are not that shy, but you need an occasion to open
yourself up
You are exuberant
31.37%
You are the life of the party
50.98%

Figure 10 Types of Modes of Socialization. (Piazza, 2014)
The physical activity of the participants to the survey
The individuals in the sample are all involved in some kind of physical activity (see Fig.
13). Eighteen (35%) of the participants declared that they often cycle, followed by
thirteen (26%) that only walk up and down the stairs because they do not have a lift, a
result that is attenuated by the 18% of the sample who often go running/ jogging. High
preference is also given to swimming (16%) and hiking (14%).
35
3 - Which kind of physical activity do you do

? (you may select more than an answer)
2.20%
1.10%
3.30%
None
8.79%
1.10%
Is it ok to walk up and down the stairs? We do not have

the lift!
Physical education at school
I often cycle
3.30%
Swimming
7.69%
Dance and similar
14.29%
Yoga/ Pilates
Gym
9.89%
4.40%
Running Jogging
3.30%
19.78%
6.59%
4.40%
8.79%
1.10%
Aerobic/ Fitness
Climbing
Sailing/ Surf well people who live close to the lake they
can! and what an envy!)
During Winter I go to ski at least once a month
At least one weekend per month I go on the mountains
Figure 13 Types Of Practiced Physical Activity. (Piazza, 2014)
The amount of time they spend walking each day (shown in Fig. 14) ranged from 0
minutes to over 2 hours, the average time being 30 minutes (28%), which is the minimum
recommended by Health Authorities (Chief Medical Officer, 2004).
The results confirm the facts gathered by ASL Brescia, and are further strengthened by
the interviews with High School students (see Chapter 3.2.1).
36
1 - Pick up a calculator and calculate: on

average how many minutes do you walk per
day?
3.92%
1.96%
0.00%
I do not walk
5.88%
10 minutes
20 minutes
21.57%
30 minutes
21.57%
45 minutes
17.65%
1 hour
27.45%

Figure 14 Average Minutes Walked Per Day. (Piazza, 2014)
Walking is used by the sample as a mode of transport, as shown in Fig. 16: indeed, the
majority walks from home to school/ university/ work (36%); quite a few individuals also
walk to go out with friends (20%) or to go shopping (19%).
1.83%
0.00%
0.00%
2 - Why do you walk ? (you can select more than an answer)

I do not walk (and I just told you!)
I go to school/at the uni/ to work
17.43%
32.11%
I go to the training/ at the church/ any other

commitment during the day
I go out with friends
I walk the dog
14.68%
I have a walk
I go to the supermarket/ shopping
8.26%
18.35%
7.34%
Figure 16 Walking Motivations. (Piazza, 2014)
However, it is important to note that the majority of the participants do not walk to go out
in the evening, as the 21% stated that they drive their car and the 19% that they usually
share a car with friends. Young people in Brescia as therefore similar habits to the
students in Kingston Upon Thames: the car use is quite high (Travel Implementation
Group, 2013). Nevertheless, there is a 13% that cycle, though, which means that at least
1/6 of the sample is environment or health conscious.
37
9 - How do you get out on Saturday night ? (on

0.00% 5.81%
1.16%
0.00%
the way there and back - you may select more than one answer)
1.16%
9.30%
22.09%
15.12%
24.42%
12.79%
8.14%
I do not go out
My parents or some friends parents drive us by car
My friends have a car, they pick me u
By bike
On foot
By public transport
By car (I drive)
By car, I do shifts with my friends
Inbound and outbound journeys are different
Figure 17 Mode of Transport for Saturday Nights. (Piazza, 2014)
Walk Your City related questions

The participants to the survey were asked which Association membership cards they
own, if any. Almost half of the sample (41%) is member of ARCI (Italian Cultural
Recreational Association), data that is quite important for the project, because it
motivated the hypothetic choice to register Walk Your City as an ARCI Association. It
is still a hypothesis, though, and it perhaps needs further research, because 21% of
participants stated that they do not own any membership card, and are not interested in
becoming a member of any association (see Fig. 18). Furthermore, the importance of this
data will emerge from the interview analysis (3.2.1 SUMMARY OF INTERVIEWS),
especially from the words of Mr. Phil Marson, who states that in our society people are
not as willing as before to commit themselves to an association or a charity (see
Appendix 3).
38
10 -Which one of these member cards do you

own ? (you may select more than one answer)
2.90%
I am not a member of any Association (please specify

why)
2.90%
Arci
14.49%
21.74%
Uisp
11.59%
Enal
46.38%
Figure 18 Membership cards distribution (Piazza, 2014).
A high percentage of the individuals in the sample, 41%, expressed a positive judgement
regarding the project of Walk Your City, a result that emerges from the High School
Student interviews also (see Chapter 3.2.1). In Fig. 19 it is seen that 35% answered
Maybe and 17% chose I dont know, whilst only less than 2% are not willing to
participate to the events proposed by the project.
39
3.92%
11 - Would you like to participate to the

walks of Walk Your City?
0.00%
I don't know
17.65%
Yes
No
35.29%
Maybe
41.18%
1.96%
Figure 19 Interest in joining Walk Your City (Piazza, 2014).
10.20%
12 - Would you prefer that the activities of

walk Your City will be done by bike instead
of on foot?
Yes
20.41%
No
12.24%
Maybe
24.49%
32.65%

Figure 20 Comparison between cycling and walking groups (Piazza, 2014).
Almost one third of all of the individuals, when asked if they would prefer the
experiences proposed by bike instead of on foot answered No (32%), against 24% of
Maybe and 20% of Yes. This result may be compared to the ones about the mobility
habits (see Fig. 13), where 9% of the participants stated that they often cycle.
Organizing bike rides will be therefore considered as a further development of the
project, however, in order to start small and think big (Ries, 2011: 57), for the initial
start-up phase they will not be implemented.
40
3.2. QUALITATIVE RESEARCH

The interview strategy that the author adopted is based on Jacob and Furgenson
3.2.1 SUMMARY OF INTERVIEWS
BEST PRACTICE INTERVIEWS
WALK YOUR KINGSTON
24/02 - 09/03
Interviewee: Mr. Phil Marson, Mr. Michael Ahmed, Mrs. Nicky Philpott, Mrs. Clare
Wadd
Background
Mr. Phil Marson, Chairman of the Metropolitan Walkers and the Capital Walkers of the
Inner London Ramblers.
Mr. Ian Bull. long and hard distance walker.
Mr. Michael Ahmed, professional walk leader, guide of the NBH (Natural Born Hikers)
Group.
Mrs. Nicky Philpott, Director of Advocacy and Engagement for the Ramblers
Association.
Mrs. Clare Wadd, member of the Agenda Committee of Inner London Ramblers.
Topic discussed
When and how their passion for walking started; the benefits that walking brings to them.
The possible reasons that the group is losing members; how the Ramblers recruit new
members and turn them into volunteers; their best memorable walk.
41
Observations
Passion for walking related to childhood, teenage and friendship.
Group walks are very useful to socialize, appreciate nature and an economic and
easy way of doing exercise.
Guided walks are a way to disclose elements of cities and the countryside that
could be explored only on foot or by bike.
The benefits of walking are not just physical, but also mental and creativityrelated.
Welcoming newcomers, making them feeling comfortable and treating them like
friends is the ABC of a walk leader, whether the aim is to get people involved on
a long-term basis or not.
The most useful follow-up strategy for an Association is social marketing;

particularly a smart use of social media is seen as necessary.
There is a challenge regarding how to engage new members within young adults:
there is a general trend in society not to join things; [] people are so oppressed
with time and there is so much choice of things to do. They are not so willing to
commit themselves to [] be a member of something (Marson, 2014).
11/03
Interviewee: Mr. Bruce McVean

Background
Mr. Bruce McVean, founder of Beyond Green, founder of Movement for Liveable
London and member of Living Streets.
Topic discussed
Necessary changes to make European cities more liveable; why he walks; the benefits of
walking; challenges for the walking movement.
42
Observations
Policies are necessary to reduce the dominance of traffic on streets, to make

cyclists and pedestrians rights relevant, and to inform people regarding walking
and cycling alternative routes to the public transport.

Walking allows people to know their cities much better, and to appreciate them; it
makes them more relaxed and happy, as well as healthier; it is the only mode of
transport that facilitates socialization and meetings with people on the streets;
17/03 29/06
Interviewees: Mrs. Jo Heath, Mrs. Victoria Hands, Mrs. Teresa Nash
Background
Mrs. Jo Heath, Sports Development Manager of Student Wellbeing, Kingston University.
Mrs. Victoria Hands, Head of the Sustainability Hub, Kingston University.
Mrs. Theresa Nash, Community and Primary Care Team/Enterprise Lead, Founder and
Director Heritage2health of the School of Nursing and Paramedic Sciences, Kingston
University.
Topics discussed
Opinions and feedback regarding Walk Your Kingston; links to other initiatives within
Kingston University; further projects and developments.
Observations
Kingston University need to find solution to students sedentary lifestyle: the

Community Mental Health Profiles 2013 of Kingston upon Thames underlined
that 7.4% of the students is obese, and 1.1% suffers from depression.
Walking is proven to be healthy for the body as well as for the mind: it is a
promising treatment for depression or depressive symptoms (Robertson,
43
Robertson, Jepson, Maxwell, 2011) (Heath, 2014 The network of Public Health
Observatories, 2012).
building under construction (Kingston University, 2014).
Kingston University need new mobility solutions, since there is a new University
Kingston University needs to work towards increasing social inclusion, especially

over the last few years, when the number of International Students has grown fast.
(Hands, 2014 Travel Implementation Group, 2013 Kingston University,
2013).
At the moment there are some walking initiatives like Kingston Tour Guides,
Change4Life Kingston, Fit as a Fiddle, Parkrun, Active Kingston Programmes,
YMCA Leisure Centres and DC Leisure Centres. However, those are mainly
addressed to adults and elderly people (Nash, 2014 Royal Kingston, 2013).
WALK YOUR CITY

01/04 30/04
Interviewees: Dr. Erico Agabiti Rosei, Dr. Marco Metra
Background
Dr. Enrico Agabiti Rosei, Director of the Department of Clinical and Experimental
Science and Lecturer of Internal Medicine at University of Brescia, Director of the
Medical Clinic and of the Medicine Department at the Civic Hospital of Brescia.
Dr. Marco Metra, Cardiology Lecturer of University of Brescia and Director of the
Cardiology Unit of the Civil Hospital of Brescia.
Topics discussed
What is prevention today and for which disease walking is useful?
Observations
44
Chronicle diseases are determined by a non-transmittable, not-infectious cause,

which tend to become chronicle. These represent the major weight of diseases in
economical, social and nursing terms, especially within the Western population,
in particular cardiovascular diseases, tumours, diseases of the respiratory system,
diabetes and neurological diseases
It has been demonstrated that the physical activity is an independent risk factor for
heart diseases. In particular, walking is useful for tumour prevention, such as
breast cancer and colon cancer.
The recommended time to spend walking per day is at least 30-45 minutes for at
least 5 days a week, with a brisk pace, around 2-3 km in half an hour. Brisk pace
means that the individual has to reach the point when he feels that his heart beat
increases a little bit, but not too much.
Moderate physical activity reduces the values of arterial blood pressure; it reduces
of 5-8 mm of mercury the systolic blood pressure even after only a few months of
regular walking. This is also associated to a series of positive variations of
humoral factors, of concentration, of lipids and of cholesterol, especially of
triglycerides decrease.
Walking provides a sensation of optimism, of mental opening that has to be

encouraged, as it could prevent some minor psychiatric diseases.
Institutions in Brescia have to guarantee cleanness, safety and accessibility.
In terms of initiatives running is more privileged than walking. From a health and
cardiovascular point of view, the risk factors of walking are inferior to the ones of
running.
Group walks could help people to decide whether they enjoy walking, and show
them the possible benefits of meeting new people. Secondly, group walks could
be useful to create a walking culture, and make travelling by bike and on foot
considered socially cool and trendy.
A couple of years ago the Civic Hospital of Brescia did a scientific study called The
Calini Project, at the Calini Scientific High School. On average the students were
healthy, active, not overweight, with blood pressure parameters being normal.
Nevertheless, within the youngest generations, especially children, physical
45
activity is becoming less present and appreciated.
Furthermore, the age that is more at the risk of inactivity is young adults attending
colleges and universities. From then on, people start to be sedentary.
14/04 28/04
Interviewees: Mr. Luca Gianotti, Mr. Sergio Salvo, Mr. Luigi Nacci, Mrs. Roberta
Medini, Mrs. Sarah Marder, Mrs. Roberta )
Background
Mr. Luca Gianotti, professional walk guide, founder of La Compagnia dei Cammini, (La
Compagnia dei Cammini, [n.d]).
Mr. Luigi Nacci, member and guide of La Compagnia dei Cammini, member of
Movimento Lento (Slow Movement) and founder of Festival della Viandanza (Wayfaring
Festival).
Mrs. Roberta Medini, member and administrator of Repubblica Nomade (Nomad
Republic).
Mrs. Sarah Marder, writer and director of The Genius of A Place, a feature-length
documentary about sustainable development. Mrs. Marder is also the referent of the city
Milan for Janes Walk.
Mrs. Francisca Parrino, founder and member of Genitori Antismog (Parents Against
Pollution) (Genitori Antismog, [n.d]).
Topics discussed
When the passion for walking starts; benefits of walking; philosophy of walking; group
walks; walking culture today.
Observations
46
The passion for walking starts predominantly with teenagers, being motivated by
love for nature and the wild, whereas in some cases it can begin later in life,
motivated by a need to change.

Walking has many benefits; physical improvement, mind-opening, stimuli to
think, occasion for meeting other people, self-discovering and self-questioning,
discovering, admiring places and reconnecting with them and their genius.
The Romans, the Sciamans and the Busshists have used travelling on foot as a
therapy and meditation since the ancient times.
The foot is the foundation for rhythm in poetry. It gave rhythm to the marches of
Spartan warriors and religious celebrations. Mainly philosophers and poets of the
past, but also artists, walked a lot and often described in their diaries how this
movement influenced their poetics.
Walking in a group means experiencing a community. In order to develop a

walking culture, there is a need of big group walks, because it changes the
perception of the participants, who feel to be part of something.
Walking is not seen as cool, yet. There is a need to create something that could
engage teenagers, where events could be a strategy.
STUDENTS INTERVIEWS
The transcription of the interviews is available in APPENDIX 4 TRANSCRIPTION OF
STUDENT INTERVIEWS.
A sample of 37 individuals was interviewed in the city of Brescia along Corso Palestro in
August 2014. 25 subjects were females and 12 were males.
The age group was 16-21, primarily composed by High School students, plus some
University students and a few young workers.
A shown in Fig. 21, the majority of the sample declared to walk on average 30 minutes
per day (27%), which is the recommended by Health Authorities (Department for Health,
2011), whereas 7 individuals walk less than 10 minutes, which is far less and it is a
worrying data.
47
>60
60
45
NUMBER OF M
ANSWERS
30
NUMBER OF F ANSWERS
20
10
<10
10
Figure 21 Time spent on foot daily (Piazza, 2014)
When asked about the Saturday night walks of Walk Your City, primarily targeted to
High School students, a very high number (60% - Fig. 22) of interviewees stated that they
would participate and that it would be very useful; only 7 persons expressed a negative
answer, saying that the youth would not be interested in a similar initiative (3 Fig. 23),
that walking is slower than cars (2), that the participants could change their idea along the
way (1) or that they prefer to walk alone (1).
Overall, Walk Your City appears to be liked from young people; it is seen as a novelty, a
way of making new friends, discover the city and to move more intelligently.
Furthermore, being the Saturday nigh walks described as a good idea by the majority of
interviewees, it could be noticed that there is actually a necessity of a mobility solution,
and that walking would be the more sustainable and accessible. Cycling is sustainable as
well, but quite a few people argued that not everybody owns a bike.
48
I DON'T KNOW
NUMBER OF M
ANSWERS
NO
NUMBER OF F ANSWERS
YES
10
15
20
Figure 22 Hypotetical participation to Walk Your City (Piazza, 2014)
I don't like to go out

with new people
Walking is slower than
cars
NUMBER OF M
ANSWERS
They could change

their idea while
walking
NUMBER OF F ANSWERS
The Youth is not

interested
0
Figure 23 Open answers regarding the reasons why the youths would not participate to the walks proposed by Walk Your
City (Piazza, 2014).
49
3.3 RESEARCH RESULTS
50
51
52
4.
PROJECT
4.1 Timeline Project Design

November 2013 February 2014
Individualizing of the problem to solve; analysing best practice; improving the network;
finding the gap.
March 2014 May 2014
Live interviewing of best practice (APPENDIX 3 TRANSCRIPTION OF INTERVIEWS).
Analysing Kingston University data about student/ staff mobility and health. Survey in
Brescia (37 young people in Brescia between 15 and 35 years old). Analysing ASL
documents about young people mobility and health. Adapting the projects to the targets
and briefing for the Branding process (see Appendix 7).
June 2014
Walk Your Kingston Branding (brand identity, logo design, production of promo video
available at www.vimeo.com/99375677). Network improvement, contacting stakeholders
and partners. Stating Social/ Economical metrics. Calculating expenses and expected
funds. Walk Your City Branding supervising (Brand identity available in Appendix 6).
Network improvement.
July 2014
Reinforcing relationships with partners and supporters. Creating a recruitment strategy.
Creating a communication strategy. Supervising the realization of the website for Walk
Your City. Purchasing the domain and the hosting.
53
August 2014
Preparation of documents to found a student society with Walk Your Kingston.
Contacting partners and supporters in order to let them know exactly the timeline. Walk
Your Citys High School and university students interviews (see Appendix 4). Analysing
the results, comparing with the quantitative and qualitative data. Adapting the project to
the results.
September 2014
Producing a presentation of Walk Your Kingston for the Freshers week in collaboration
with the Sustainability Hub. Presentation of the project at the Freshers week.
Recruitment of members and volunteers. Founding a student society. Walk your Citys
Planning year 1 of events with partners/ supporters/ volunteers. Calculating expenses and
availability of funds.
4.2 The projects

Walk Your Kingston will be launched in September 2014 during the Freshers Week at
Kingston University. The following autumn will be employed to recruit members and
volunteers, to create a positive environment for community development, and to register
the walking club as a student society. This is motivated by the necessity of the project to
be sustainable: every society may ask access to funds of the Students Union to cover
expenses. Another source of finance will be a one-off hike in the countryside during
Spring 2015, guided by Michael Ahmed, professional walk leader who will volunteer;
therefore all the revenues from the walk (10 per person) will be funds for the walking
club.
The project is based on participatory design, which actively involves end users in the
process so that the outcome meets their needs (Kuhn & Muller, 1993, as cited by
Berridge, 2007: 87). Hence, there will be a collaborative relationship with the Sustainable
Development BSc, in order to make it part of the course in Design and Management of
Projects. It is assumed that the scheme will be taken on by a group of BSc student from
January 2015.
54
Prior to start the actual events, every Wednesday there will be a walk from Penrhyn Road
campus to Kingston railway station. This is seen as the first key stage of Clawsons
nature of experience design, a useful occasion to engage the target and to anticipate
the further events from January to June 2015 (Clawson, 1963, as cited by Berridge,
2007:73).
Being organized walks, the events will merge the second and third stages of the
experience, travel to site and on-site activity: the journey itself will be fundamental
part of the experience, seen as an opportunity for socialization. Every walk will also
reach a place close to public transport, in order to make the return travel- the fourth
stage- an additional occasion to follow-up the event with some participants, even if a
return walk will be always proposed. The last stage, recollection will happen via
social media. The Facebook page will be used to share pictures and videos from the
events, and the Facebook group will serve the improvement of the community. A
Mailchimp newsletter will also be used to keep up the attention on past events as well as
to launch new initiatives. Moreover, every month the society will have a social meeting
open to all the members to both organize the following event and to share ideas.
Each initiative (see Appendix 5) will consist of a group walk guided by trained
volunteers, will have an element of gamification (competitions regarding velocity, best
homemade dessert, best present, best picture), and will end with a social activity (drinks
at the Students Union pub lunch in the park lunch at the market celebration in the
courtyard). All the destinations (Kingston Bridge Bushy Park Kingston Market) have
been chosen in order to allow participants to discover key places of Kingston Upon
Thames and the surrounding area, in order to compliment the theme of the event
(Yeaoman et al, 2004, as cited in Berridge, 2007: 27).
Walk Your City will be launched much slower. The website will be online from
September 2014 with just the landing page. Throughout Autumn 2014 it will be
completed with all the contents (see Appendix 6). Over Winter 2015 the project will be
finalized with established partnerships, in order to apply for local, National and European
funds for social enterprises and associations before March 2015. Spring will be dedicated
to members recruitment and training, so as to be ready to register Walk Your City as an
55
ARCI Association in July. Keeping the original idea of being member of the ARCI,
despite some adverse opinions gathered from the original survey (see Chapter 3.1.2) is
motivated by the sharing of ARCIs mission and values. Moreover, as ARCI is a National
Association, it is seen as a safe environment that could guarantee some funds for
activities of Walk Your City. In terms of finance, the project will count on international
competitions and prices, on Walk Your Wild events, and on partnerships with institutions
and bigger charities. It is foreseen that at least for the first year the project will not be
sustainable, but that it has the potential to grow in the next few years.
The Social Media accounts will be launched in September 2015, followed by the website
public opening.
Walk Your City, as well as Walk Your Kingston, will be based on participatory design.
Not only volunteers, but also partners and members will be fundamental for the project,
the latter especially because of the use of gamification in every event. For instance, in
September 2015 a competition will be launched in High Schools, Institutes and Colleges
of Fine Arts: students will be invited to produce a piece of art that would represent a
beautiful hidden corner of Brescia. The best creations will be exposed along the path of
one of the walks, Walk Your Art, with the celebration of the winner. The winner will not
win if not present at the walk. The website itself will have some participatory sections,
where members could track paths, propose new walks and offer themselves to guide them
(see Appendix 6)
In addition to Walk Your Art and Walk Your Wild, the project comprises other 4
categories, available in Appendix 6. The reason of differentiate the offer of walks is
motivated by Berridges research on Event Design, studying the Mountain Bike Race of
British Cycling: the researcher underlines that participant stakeholders interests are not
uniformly the same and so the programme [] within the single event attempts to meet
as wide range of interest as practicable (Berridge, 2007:51). From the quantitative
survey it emerged as well that young people in Brescia have many different hobbies, of
which Cooking, Fine Arts and Music are the most diffused, with Events being the first
interest overall.
Other gamified experiences during the walks will be, for instance, a cookery workshop/
competition.
56
In terms of structure, Walk Your City will be even more gamified because it will
comprise an online gamification, Count Your Steps: registered users on the website will
be allowed to record their daily steps. The more they will walk, the more they will gain
points. The winner of the month will receive a gadget or a voucher.
In terms of Social Media, Walk Your City will have a Facebook page and a Facebook
group for the members, a Twitter account, an Instagram account, and a Vimeo account.
As well as Walk Your Kingston, Walk Your City will also use a Mailchimp newsletter to
keep the members updated; other similar characteristics of the projects are the choice of
destination, in order to allow participants to discover the city, and the conclusion of each
initiative with a social event.
57
58
5.
EVALUATION
The project began with the individualization of a problem (physical inactivity within the
youths, high levels of CO2 emissions) in both Kingston Upon Thames (UK) and Brescia
(Italy) and an initial insight (organizing guided walks) to solve it. The selection of the
two locations was due to the authors knowledge of the contexts, as she studies at
Kingston University and grew up in Brescia.
The researcher chose to use social marketing, particularly gamification, considering her
target of digital natives (see Chapter 2); for instance, she planned to use a combination of
social media, newsletter, contests and challenges between the participants. Moreover, she
utilized elements of participatory design to engage the youth: students and young people
will get involved in the actual leading of the projects, as all the walks will be led by
volunteers; furthermore, during the walks participants will be active and they will have
roles to respect and goals to reach. Indeed, this particular kind of event design is most
likely to be used when stakeholders are involved in the process of planning and
management and where the event has little or no commercial interests to consider, which
is the case of Walk Your Kingston and Walk Your City, both thought to be charities
(Berridge, 2007: 88).
As a result of an intense research based on a mixed method approach, which examined in

parallel both quantitative and qualitative data (see Chapter 3) about the benefits of
physical activity within the youth, and indirectly with the society, the economy and the
environment, the study reached a point where it had to be adapted to the findings and
partially to modify its strategy.
A selective coding was used in order to select the core category of behaviour (mode of
socialization) as a vehicle for the integration of the other major categories of behaviours
(sedentarily, high use of cars) thereby developing and refining initial hypotheses
(Benaquisto, 2013).
59
The quantitative research in Kingston Upon Thames confirmed particularly 3 hypotheses:

1) The town needs initiatives to reduce CO2 emissions, due to the high number of single
occupancy vehicles, and themed group walks are seen as a positive initiative;
2) Students need to get more active, to transform their Sedentary Social interests in
Active Social interests, and they need to be involved in initiatives towards social
inclusion. Walking in group is proven to facilitates socialization;
3) Past or current initiatives regarding physical activity within the town are mainly for
aged people, like Change4Life Kingston;
The quantitative research in Brescia gave different but complementary results:
1) Brescia is one of the most polluted cities of Italy. It needs policies to facilitate
walking and cycling as alternative modes of transport;
2) teenagers and young people are attracted to the project because if facilitates
socialization;
3) teenagers need an alternative mode of transport to go out on Saturday night;
The problems
The first difficulty encountered in trying to conduct a behaviour change within the youths
was the lack of a verified and successful method. Moreover, there have been some case
studies using gamification and ED (see Chapter 2), but not specifically directed to
teenagers and young people.
Both academically and institutionally, there have been several attempts to inspire
behaviour change within children or ageing people, while small research have been done
about the youth reactions to stimulus (Broughan, Hartless, 2011 Rosei, 2014). In terms
of merging gamification and event design, the author chose an experimental rather than
an academic approach, because small academic research has been done on the topic (see
Chapter 2).
Through the mixed-method approach, the project has evolved and adapted to the
60
findings; both quantitative and qualitative research were fundamental for the developing
of the solution, even if it is still uncertain. Nevertheless, for what Eric Ries states,
uncertainty is an intrinsic characteristic of the vision of a start-up process, of which
learning and experiment are fundamental steps (Ries, 2011).
Secondly, recruiting people for the survey have been extremely difficult, because there
was a lack of connection between the author and the teenagers in Brescia; a similar
problem was also encountered in Kingston Upon Thames, where recruiting volunteers
have been unsuccessful, and the society is still not founded yet. However, both these
problems are a stimulus at both intensifying the research in Brescia and designing a new
engagement strategy across students in Kingston.
Further research and developments

Regarding the evaluation of the impact of the project, Social Media will be fundamental.
In addition to considering the total of return users on the website (for Walk Your City) or
the number of visits of the Facebook page, it is consider essential to receive the feedback
via Facebook events (counting the participants) and Facebook groups. The more people
share, the more is engaged.
It is still to verify whether the project will have a positive impact on a long-term basis.
In terms of research, there is much more to study regarding young peoples behaviours
and elements that could influence them. In particular, small studies have been done about
their reactions to stimuli.
Particularly practitioners and academics may also find this project useful to develop other
strategies of behaviour change.
Regarding the project itself, it could be adapted to any place, and it would be very useful
for the society and the community if the testing of Walk Your Kingston will be
successful.
61
62
APPENDIXES
APPENDIX 1
Models and Theories of Behaviour Change
1. Icek Ajzens TPB (Theory of Planned Behaviour) is one of the most applied
theory of Behaviour Change; it describes behaviour as centered on individuals
attitudes and believes. It states that an individuals behaviour and intentions
derive from attitude towards behavior, subjective norms, and perceived
behavioral control (Morris, Marzano, Dandy, OBrien, 2012: 5).
2. 1950s Health Belief Model (HBM) defines behaviour as a balanced mix of
beliefs about risks to an individuals wellbeing compared to the efficiency or
chosen actions or habits. These beliefs are supplemented by additional stimuli or
cues to action, which could be internal, like the symptoms of illness, or
external, like media campaigns or other information (Morris, Marzano, Dandy,
OBrien, 2012: 6, 7).
3. The Social Practice Theory (SPT) states that human practices or behaviours
are arrangements of various inter-connected elements such as physical and
mental activities, norms, meanings, technology use, knowledge. This model is
particularly used in the context of energy use, because it focuses on social
practice, therefore emphasizes the socio-technical infrastructures that permit
certain activities to be performed in specific ways, defined as materials; the
theory analyses other two elements: meanings, seen as interpretations []
associated with activities that determine how and when they might be performed,
and procedures, [] competencies that permit activities to be undertaken in
certain ways (Morris, Marzano, Dandy, OBrien, 2012: 11). Stephensons Energy
Culture Framework is another social-practice influenced model; it focuses on
energy behaviours, seeing them as outcomes of the interaction between cognitive
63
norms, material culture and energy practices (Morris, Marzano, Dandy, OBrien,
2012: 18).
4. Jacksons 4 Es model sub-divides the path of the individual consumer
behaviour into four stages: enable, encourage, engage, exemplify. The model
emphasizes the importance of interventions like information, education,
incentives, deliberative fora, leading by example, community action (Morris,
Marzano, Dandy, OBrien, 2012: 16).
5. The MINDSPACE approach focuses on the individual decision-maker, giving less
importance to the context, which counts only in reference to individual cognitive
processes and not to structural political, social or economic influences on
behaviour (Morris, Marzano, Dandy, OBrien, 2012: 17)
6. Tim Harfords describes the Rational Choice Theory as a simplified view of the
world where people act rationally most of the time (Darnton, 2008: 6);
7. The AIDA (Awareness Interest Decision Action) model focuses the attention on
rational aspects as well by emphasizing the importance of information as a clue to
action;
8. The Expectancy Value (EV) Theory considers behaviours as results of subjective
beliefs and values;
9. The Theory of Reasoned Action describes the attitude towards a behaviour as a
balance between subjective beliefs about behavioural outcomes and evaluations of
those outcomes;
10. In Rogers Protection Motivation Theory attitudes towards a behaviour and the
actual final behaviour are balanced by the aim to protect the individual itself;
11. 1995 Schematical Causal Model of Concern by Paul Stern considers individuals
beliefs as expressions of a general worldview; he also describes values as
broad-based dispositions which are constructed earlier in life, and they are
more stable over time (Darnton, 2008: 14; Stern, Dietz, Guagnano, 1995);
12. The Elaboration Likelihood Model describes how two different routes can
conduct to a behaviour: the central (conscious) and peripheral (unconscious); the
balance between the two is given by individuals motivation and ability,
influenced by the context and the message (Darnton, 2008:15);
64
13. The Standard Economy Theory bring the same concept towards an extreme level,
assuming that the individual acts mainly in his own economical interests; the
model also underlines the importance of information, which draws a direct
connection between institutions and individuals;
14. The Expected Utility Theory derives from the Standard Economy Theory: it
describe behavioural economics principles as Heuristic Discounting (peoples
preferences are inconstant due to a first subjective balance between long-term and
short-term rewards, and a second comparison between the obtained rate and the
timeframe of the decision); Framing (individuals decisions depend on how the
choices are presented to them); Inertia (when facing problems, individuals may
choose not to change their behaviour at all) (Darnton, 2008: 8);
15. The Theory of Judgment Heuristics by Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky
investigates how humans intuitive responses, under time pressure, are deviated
from their deliberative responses based on knowledge (Darnton, 2008: 10); the
psychologists individualized three heuristics: Representativeness (decisions
regarding outcomes are based on their likeliness to previous outcomes);
Availability (the ease an event can be recalled assesses its likelihood);
Adjustment/Anchoring (individuals make assessments depending on
adjustments on given reference points, or they assume one if no reference point is
given) (Darnton, 2008: 10);
16. The Stage of Change (SOC) model sub-divides the process towards behaviour
change into five stages: pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action
and maintenance. It also identifies ten phases driven by two key factors: selfefficacy and decisional balance (Morris, Marzano, Dandy, OBrien, 2012: 8);
17. Diffusion of Innovation (DOI) sees the change as caused by four elements,
defining the main one, innovation, as an idea, practice, or object perceived as
new (Rogers, 2003: 12, as cited by Morris, Marzano, Dandy, OBrien, 2012: 13);
the other three cues are communication channels, time and social systems. For
Rogers, behaviour will change if innovations are perceived as: better than
previous options, consistent with the existing values and needs, easy to
understand, testable and their results are visible (Morris, Marzano, Dandy,
65
OBrien, 2012: 13). The stages, through which the individual has to pass, called
Innovation-Decision Process, are knowledge, persuasion, decision,
implementation and confirmation (Morris, Marzano, Dandy, OBrien, 2012: 13).
Moreover, Rogers divides people into five categories: innovators, early adopters,
early majority, late majority and laggards plus an external category, change
agents(Darnton, 2008: 45);
18. Gladwells Tipping Point is another theory regarding behaviour change in terms
of adoption of innovation; it divides actors in Mavens (who acquires expert
knowledge and [] share it), Connectors (who interact with large numbers of
others in the network) and Salesmen ([] the most persuasive in encouraging
adoption) (Darnton, 2008: 45).
There are several factors that can influence behaviour change; a summary is listed
below, divided between internal and external.
INTERNAL FACTORS:
Social Norms: dependent on external sanctions; they are divided between

descriptive norms, which specify what is done, based on the observation of the
majority of others and injunctive norms, which specify what ought to be
(Darnton, 2008: 17); the two types together influences the behaviour;
Identity: for the Social Identity Theory and Turners Self Categorization Theory,
groups of individuals identify themselves with like others in an in-group and
differentiate themselves from the out-group: this is permitted because the
individual creates its own group-prototype base on its values, beliefs, actions
and feelings (Darnton, 2008: 18);
Agency: the power to act (Giddens, 1984, as cited by Darnton, 2008: 18);
individuals are actors that oppose agency to the structure of the society;
therefore they are themselves at the core of the change process (Darnton et al,
2006, as cited by Darnton, 2008:18). Lack of agency is found where the
individual thinks that the problem to solve or the behaviour to adopt is too large
66
or too difficult for himself, hence he does not act. As part of agency, Self Efficacy
describes not only the action, but its perpetuation;
-
Emotions: in Slovics Affect Heuristic emotions influence the behaviour in

terms of perceptions of risk; the theory underlines that individuals often evaluate
their risks based on quick emotional responses (Darnton, 2008: 24,25). This
concept is also investigated in the Risk as a Feeling Model, which explores a
temporal dimension as well: fears grow as the moment of action grows nearer
(Darnton, 2008: 25);
Self Regulation: the outcomes of behaviour are seen as a part of an on-going flow
of activity, which is a balancing of ones own behaviour (self monitoring) and its
impacts (self judgment) (Darnton, 2008: 29). This monitoring is also described
as Reflexiveness, giving social behaviour resistance as a result of constant
adaptation (Darnton, 2008: 29).
EXTERNAL FACTORS:
- Group Influence: Kurt Lewin, known as the father of action research, defines
habit (or behaviour) as resistance to change, as a indicator of resilience of a
group [] which will adapt to keep its behaviour constant [] in the face of
changing circumstances (Lewin, 1951, as cited by Darnton, 2008: 39). Group
standards represent the origin of individuals resistance. The big influence that a
group can have on individuals behaviour change is also underlined but the
Change Theory and in Banduras Mastering Modelling.
- External conditions: resources and facilitating conditions are necessary for
behaviour to change;
- Social Practice: the Theory of Consumption and Social Practices designs the
behaviour as an interaction between lifestyles and systems of provision,
saying that each of these factors is shaped in response to the social practices it
helps to determine (Darnton, 2008: 28). Therefore individuals behaviours are
shaped by both the available systems of provision, and the conventions adopted
by their lifestyles;
67
- Societal Factors: NOA (Needs Opportunities and Abilites) is based on

intentions, divided in motivation (needs and opportunities) and agency
(opportunity and abilities); the model does not describe behaviour change, but
the dual outcomes of wellbeing and environmental quality (Darnton, 2008: 32);
- Social Capital: resources available through networks, social norms and trust
and reciprocity (Mc Michael, 2007, as cited byDarnton, 2008: 46). Robert
Putnam describes social capital as a combination of network links: bonding
capital (in-group links), bridging capital (inter-group links) and linking capital
(vertical links between the strata of society) (Darnton, 2008: 46). Social Capital
does not guide behaviour per se, though: people themselves [] forge the
connections which create it; it is urged for institutions to introduce upstream
interventions which can facilitate the linking process (Darnton, 2008: 46).
APPENDIX 2 TEXT OF THE ORIGINAL SURVEY and ANSWERS

Walk Your City what on earth is it?
Hi! I am Francesca Piazza, Bresciana DOC (Controlled Designation of Origin,
A/N)
, temporally emigrated in London for my Master in Creative Economy.
Walk Your City is a project for a Cultural Association, which will organize free
walks (short and long) in the Brescia area and its Province for teenagers and young
adults, even if obviously everybody could participate.
The walks will be themed (we wont just walk!), therefore "interactive": there will be
Walk Your Art (regarding fine arts / music/ cinema/ photography etc), Walk Your
Culture (more or less about tourism), Walk Your Food (food and wine), Walk Your
Nature (naturalistic), Walk Your Wild (exploration/ adventure), Walk Your
Health (fitness/ health - these will be the only ones that are thought to be more for
aged people) and Walk Your Way (logistic: for instance when it s sales period or to
go out on Saturday night without asking your parents the car or a lift).
68
I absolutely need your opinion!!

I need to understand if this project could work only in my mind, or if you would like
it as well (this does not mean that afterwards you will be forced to participate, also
because this survey is anonymous).
As I really do want to realize Walk Your City, its really important that you are
sincere. For example please do avoid thinking that because the idea is nice you will
participate, when you already know well that you wont because you are not
interested or you are too lazy
The survey consists of 12 questions regarding the project, plus 5 questions regarding
yourself (called demographics). Obviously you are not obliged to answer to these
questions (as for the previous ones), and, anyway, no information will be given to
thirds, and, I repeat, the survey is anonymous.
If you are curious to know who I am, these are my contacts:
francesca.piazza.86@gmail.com
http://facebook.com/lafranci.alondra
@persulla
http://vimeo.com/francescapiazza
Thank you very much for your time (I hope not too much, eh!) that you wil spend to
compile my suvey!!!!
Franci
Walk Your City Fluidsurvey Survey Report

(Completion rate: 98.04%)
1 Bring a calculator and calculate: on average how much do you walk per day?
69
Response
Chart
Percentage
Count
I do not walk
3.9%
10 minutes
5.9%
20 minutes
21.6%
11
30 minutes
27.5%
14
45 minutes
17.6%
1 hour
21.6%
11
0.0%
2.0%
Total Responses
51
1 - Bring a calculator and calculate: on average how much do you walk per day?
#
Response
1. 2 hours
2 Why do you walk (you may select more than one answer)?
Response
Chart
Percentage
Count
I do not walk (and I already told you!)
3.9%
I go to school/ to the uni/ to work
68.6%
35
I go to the training/ at the church/ any other
15.7%
I go out with friends
39.2%
20
I walk the dog
17.6%
I have a walk
31.4%
16
I go to the supermarket/ shopping
37.3%
19
0.0%
commitment during the day
70
0.0%
Total Responses
0
51
2 - Why do you walk (you may select more than one answer)?
# Response
3 - Which kind of physical activity do you do? (You may select more than an
answer)
Response
Chart
Percentage
Count
None
15.7%
Is it ok to walk up and down the stairs? We do
25.5%
13
Physical education at school
7.8%
I often cycle
35.3%
18
Swimming
15.7%
Dance and similar
2.0%
Yoga/ Pilates
7.8%
Gym
11.8%
Aerobic/ Fitness
5.9%
Running/ Jogging
17.6%
Climbing
5.9%
Sailing/ Surf well people who live close to the
2.0%
During Winter I go to ski at least once a month
5.9%
At least one weekend per month I go on the
13.7%
not have the lift!
lake they can! and what an envy!)
mountains (it means to hike, not to eat in a lodge

^_^)
71
Team sport (football, volleyball, basketball,
3.9%
2.0%
rugby etc)
Total Responses
51
3 - Which kind of physical activity do you do? (You may select more than an
answer)
#
Response
1. Is I play Assassin's Creed a valid answer?

4 - Ok this is a bit uncomfortable, but it is necessary :-( Please, identify yourself in
one of these body types:
Response
Chart
Percentage
Count
Skinny
13.7%
Muscular
9.8%
Normal
35.3%
18
Well I got some belly...but its sexy!
13.7%
I should put me on a diet. I will start on
13.7%
Overweight. But it is because of my brain!
9.8%
0.0%
3.9%
Monday (I do not specify which Monday)!
Total Responses
51
4 - Ok this is a bit uncomfortable, but it is necessary :-( Please, identify yourself in

one of these body types:
#
Response
1. I am big, both overweight and muscular
72
2. Fit
5 - Ok now weve got 2 similar questions. The first is: which hobbies do you
cultivate (note that they are hobbies, so they have to be activities that you actually
do you may select more than an answer)?
Response
Chart
Percentage
Count
None
5.9%
Fine arts (you paint/ sculpt etc)
25.5%
13
Photography (you take photos selfies excluded!)
23.5%
12
Film Making (you do short movies/ documentaries
5.9%
29.4%
15
5.9%
3.9%
19.6%
10
19.6%
10
41.2%
21
19.6%
10
holiday or pubs videos with your friends

excluded)
Music (you sing/ play an instrument singing in
the shower and karaoke excluded :-P)
Dance (dancing alone in front of the mirror
excluded)
Theatre (you are member of a theatre company or
similar)
Nature (you often hike tanning in the park
excluded)
Sport (you are member of a sport team or you
practice a sport watching football in TV
excluded)
Cooking (you often cook and create recipes being
a good eater or watching cookery programs in TV
excluded)
Shopping
73
Volunteering
27.5%
14
11.8%
Total Responses
51
5 - Ok now weve got 2 similar questions. The first is: which hobbies do you
cultivate (note that they are hobbies, so they have to be activities that you actually
do you may select more than an answer)? Other, please specify
#
Response
1. Assassin's Creed, Chess, Artisan Beer (tastings, comparisons, visits to beer factories),
Tabe Games, did I already said drinking artisan beer?
2. Reading
3. Handmade and handycrafts (bricolage?), yoga and vedantic singing
4. Vespa
5. I draw with colours and con colori and polymeric paste... Calling it fine art seemed to be
too much.
6. Reading
6 - So this is the question that is similar to the previous one (really?). This time
please select which interests youve got (so not things that you do, but things that
you watch/ look at/ visit etc you may select more than one answer).
Response
Chart
Percentage
Count
Art exhibitions (contemporary art included)
47.1%
24
Photography exhibitions
31.4%
16
Concerts
66.7%
34
Events (like Festivals with concerts, exhibitions,
72.5%
37
64.7%
33
acrobats and good food)

Cinema
74
Theatre (comedy, drama, opera, musical, ballet,
37.3%
19
60.8%
31
Wine and Food tourism
33.3%
17
3.9%
puppets)
TV (film, series, cartoons, soap operas, reality
shows, sport matches, programs and...telesales)
Total Responses
51
6 - So this is the question that is similar to the previous one (really?). This time
please select which interests youve got (so not things that you do, but things that
you watch/ look at/ visit etc you may select more than one answer).
#
Response
1.
2. Literary essays, something about literature and boring stuff
7 - In which type do you see yourself ? (The question regards how many friends
youve got)
Response
Chart
Percentage
Count
Me, my echo and my shadow (you are a lonely person)
5.9%
A few but good (youve got your 3-4 friends since ever)
27.5%
14
Why not (youve got your group of friends, but
27.5%
14
25.5%
13
13.7%
sometimes theres nothing wrong in meeting new people)

Multitasking (youve got your class/course-mates/,
friends of the sport team, friends from the oratory, the
neighbours, childhood friends, holiday friends, the group
of Saturday nights, friends of the music...)
Let's add a seat at the table (every occasion is good to
know new people)
75
0.0%
0.0%
Total Responses
51
7 - In which type do you see yourself ? (The question regards how many friends
youve got)
# Response
8 - In which type do you see yourself ? (again, but this time the question regards
making new friends)
Response
Percentage
Count
7.8%
You are shy
3.9%
You are not that shy, but you need an
51.0%
26
You are exuberant
31.4%
16
You are the life of the party
2.0%
0.0%
3.9%
Total Responses
51
Its not that you struggle to make new
Chart
friends: you just do not care.
occasion to open yourself up
8 - In which type do you see yourself ? (again, but this time the question regards
making new friends)
#
Response
1. I speak with rocks

2. Normal but discreet, I make friends when there is something like a spark or when I share
an important experience with that person
76
9 - How do you get out on Saturday night? (On the way there and back - you may
select more than one answer)
Response
Chart
Percentage
Count
I do not go out.
9.8%
My parents or some friends parents drive us by car
2.0%
My friends have a car, they pick me up
15.7%
By bike
25.5%
13
On foot
21.6%
11
By public transport
13.7%
By car (I drive)
41.2%
21
Car sharing with friends, we do shifts for who has to
37.3%
19
0.0%
2.0%
drive
Inbound and outbound journeys are different (please
specify - helicopter, rollercoaster, spaceship, flying
rug, teleport and other similar stuff excluded ^_^)
Total Responses
51
9 - How do you get out on Saturday night? (On the way there and back - you may
select more than one answer) - Inbound and outbound journeys are different (please
specify - helicopter, rollercoaster, spaceship, flying rug, teleport and other similar
stuff excluded ^_^)
# Response
10 - Which one of these member cards do you own? (You may select more than one
answer)
Response
I am not a member of any
Chart
Percentage
Count
29.4%
15
77
Association
Arci
62.7%
32
Uisp
15.7%
Enal
3.9%
19.6%
10
3.9%
Total Responses
51
answer) - I am not a member of any Association
#
Response
1.
I do not want to pay to enter in a place and often it is not worth it). Particularly if it is
defined as "cultural".
2.
3.
Not interested
4.
It did not happen. There are no events / projects that make me interested.
5.
No specific reason
6.
Not interested
7.
I have never been interested
8.
I do not care
9.
I do not think that entering in a place, visiting an exhibition or participating to an event

should require people to be members of an association.
10. Because I do not practice any sport, and neither take part to any group.
11. I never happened to be close to any association
12. I never happened to be close to any association
13. I do not care
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14. I do not care

15.
answer) Other, please specify
#
Response
1.
Italian Chess Federation, Asi
2.
Avis
3.
Avis
4.
Emergency, A.N.P.I.
5.
ACSI
6.
Antimafia Network of Brescia
7.
FAI (Italian Art Foundation), FAI TANGO,
8.
Tangram project! Of course!
9.
Tangram project! Of course!
10. Vespa Club Brescia, Italian Motorcycle Federation, Historical Italian Automotoclub,
National Institution for the Protection of Dogs, Friends of Sagrada Familia
11 - Would you like to participate to the walks of Walk Your City? (Be sincere!)
Response
Chart
Percentage
Count
I do not know
17.6%
Yes
41.2%
21
No
2.0%
Maybe
35.3%
18
0.0%
3.9%
79
Total Responses
51
11 - Would you like to participate to the walks of Walk Your City? (Be sincere!) I
do not know
#
Response
1.
2. I have to try :)
3. I generally walk alone, I relax, a little bit as if I were apart from everything and everyone
4.
5. it depend on the content of the offer of the single event
6. Because I am lazy
7. I prefer to walk alone or with some trusted friends
8. Because I am lazy
9. Because the idea is very nice but I am lazy
11 - Would you like to participate to the walks of Walk Your City? (Be sincere!) Yes
#
Response
1.
Because it is eco-friendy and I am curious
2.
It seems an interesting way to move around and at the same time doing something new
3.
I like the idea of discovering places, people and experiences around my territory
4.
An interesting stimule to be more active
5.
I like novelties
6.
I like novelties
7.
To do something beautiful and to meet new people
8.
It is a great novelty
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9.
It seems an interesting initiative and it would be an alternative walk
10. Because Francesca knows many cool places!

11. I like walking, I think it has the perfect pace to discover new things
12. To meet new people, discover new places that I still do not know
13.
14. Interesting and pleasant occasion of socialization and sharing
15. Because I find it an interesting and curious idea.
16. Because it would be a new way to meet new people
17. It is useful
18.
19. It seems interesting and an occasion to get to know the city where I live a lot better
20.
21. I like walking, going here and there around the city, being surrounded by people in
serendipity. Maybe with this project the number of cars around could decrease and it
could help people understand (me too, sometimes) that the public transports exist, that
walking is not that kind of thing that only the Scouts or the Alpines do ...and also walking
is beautiful and makes you fit for free :)
11 - Would you like to participate to the walks of Walk Your City? (Be sincere!) No
#
Response
1. I already walk alone or with friends and I do not like organized events because they have
rules.
11 - Would you like to participate to the walks of Walk Your City? (Be sincere!) Maybe
#
Response
1.
81
2.
It depends on the circumstantial inspiration and wish
3.
It depends on the path, if it is outdoor in green spaces yes, if it is in the city no
4.
I think it could be a good way of knowing aspects of the city that, even if it is the city
where I live, I do not know in deep
5.
I still have to understand exactly what is all about
6.
7.
It will depend on how the walks will be communicated, organized, and on how I will feel
or on the things I will have to do at that moment
8.
It will depend from time to time on which kind of walk will be organized
9.
I am not that sportive but I like new experiences
10. It depends on the theme and on work commitments

11. Because Francesca will organize them, but I am lazy!
12. Because Francesca will organize them, but I am lazy!
13. It will depend on the theme and on my work commitments
14. Interesting initiatives, but every single appointment will have to be evaluated on its own
15. I have to loose weight and waling without a goalor purpose is boring... If you propose
something instead, maybe...
16. I am not really a walk-person, but if there is something beautiful to see I will jump in
17. It depends on the theme of the day, on which and how many people is there and on my
desire to go out
18. It depends on the " theme " of the walk, if I have time and if I wish!
11 - Would you like to participate to the walks of Walk Your City? (Be sincere!)
# Response
12 - Would you prefer that the activities of walk Your City will be done by bike
instead of on foot?
82
Response
Chart
Percentage
Count
Yes
20.4%
10
No
32.7%
16
Maybe
24.5%
12
12.2%
10.2%
Total Responses
49
instead of on foot? - Yes
#
Response
1.
I prefer the bike to the legs
2.
I prefer cycling
3.
I love cycling
4.
I love cycling
5.
6.
Because it could make a difference within the offer
7.
They would be less tiring
8.
I prefer cycling
9.
I like cycling, it seems to be less tiring
10. The bike is faster, more comfortable and less tiring, but it would not be "walk" any more
instead of on foot? - No
#
Response
1.
Even though it is another beautiful idea, and I love cycling, everybody has legs, whilst
not everybody own a bike. Even children, aged people and disabled people have the right
83
to participate
2.
Because if this is the offer it is already very good, I can cycle on my own. Maybe you
could alternate some bike ride and some walks
3.
I am dangerous on bike! ;-)
4.
I am dangerous on bike! ;-)
5.
I do not own a bike
6.
I do not own a bike, and cycling is tiring
7.
I do not like cycling
8.
I do not like cycling, I do not appreciate it because I am scared
9.
10. Because going to Tangram by bike I realized how dangerous it is!!!Imagine if we are
many!
11. Because going to Tangram by bike I realized how dangerous it is!!!Imagine if we are
many!
12.
13. I do not own a bike ;-)
14. The bike seat is uncomfortable and having it up from the basement stair is like climbing.
15. I am not good at cycling
16. I prefer walking
instead of on foot? - Maybe
#
Response
1.
I prefer to cycle, but I put maybe because some places could be discovered only on foot
2.
Also, why not
3.
One thing does not exclude the other: they could cover longer paths
84
4.
5.
It depends on the routes
6.
I think that there should be both
7.
More comfortable but maybe it would make us missing some small details
8.
9.
We could visit more places in less time
10. I prefer the bike as a mode of transport, but walking is better if it is more important the
itinerary rather than the arrival
11. Because they would be less tiring
12. I love cycling
instead of on foot? Other, please specify
#
Response
1. It is the same, I would do both

2. The ideal would be to alternate both
3. I guess that it could be an interesting variation, but only for itineraries within the city
4. Both, depending on the path
5. I would like both... but maybe the bike is less tiring
13 - We are almost done. Now there is the classical section about you, called
demographic. I repeat: none of your data will be given to thirds. How old are you?
Response
Chart
Percentage
Count
15-17
3.9%
18-20
13.7%
21-23
5.9%
85
24-26
17.6%
27-30
33.3%
17
2.0%
23.5%
12
Total Responses
51
13 - We are almost done. Now there is the classical section about you, called
demographic. I repeat: none of your data will be given to thirds. How old are you?
#
Response
1.
35
2.
34
3.
32
4.
32
5.
35
6.
33
7.
34
8.
33
9.
31
10. 35
11. 33
12. 32
14 - Which school/ university are you attending?
Response
None (I work)
Chart
Percentage
Count
49.0%
25
86
High School
15.7%
Polytechnic School
0.0%
Professional Institute
0.0%
University of Brescia
3.9%
University outside Brescia (you are a
17.6%
0.0%
2.0%
11.8%
commuting student)
University outside Brescia (you live
outside Brescia)
Total Responses
51
14 - Which school/ university are you attending? High School

#
Response
1. High School of Social Sciences

4. High School of Applied Sciences
5. High School of Human Sciences
6. High School of Human Sciences, specialization in Economics
7. High School of Human Sciences
8. High School of Fine Arts
14 - Which school/ university are you attending? Polytechnic School
# Response
14 - Which school/ university are you attending? Professional Institute
# Response
87
14 - Which school/ university are you attending? University of Brescia

#
Response
1. Medicine
2. Medicine
14 - Which school/ university are you attending? Commuting
#
Response
1. University of Parma
2. Polytechnic University of Milan
3.
4.
5.
6. University of Bergamo
7. University of Bergamo
8. University of Verona
9.
14 - Which school/ university are you attending? Living outside Brescia
# Response
14 - Which school/ university are you attending? Other, please specify
#
Response
1. I am a postgraduate student and a worker.

2. Luckily I finished my BA in 2009 and my MA in 2011 when I was 24. Now, at 27,
luckily I work since 3 years!
3. Unemployed, graduate
4. I work full time
88
5. I temporarily stopped to go to the University because I started working

6. Graduate and worker
15 Where do you live?
Response
Chart
Percentage
Count
Outside Brescia
7.8%
Province of Brescia
25.5%
13
Brescia city
60.8%
31
3.9%
Other, please specify (Mars, the Moon, I come
2.0%
from the future and similar answers are not

valid)
Total Responses
51
15 Where do you live? Outside Brescia

#
Response
1.
2.
3.
4. France
15 Where do you live? Province of Brescia
#
Response
1.
2.
Flero
3.
Desenzano del Garda
4.
Desenzano del Garda
89
5.
Villa Carcina
6.
Mazzano
7.
Roncadelle
8.
9.
Roncadelle
10. Villa Carcina

11. Botticino
12. Montirone
13. Passirano
15 Where do you live? Brescia city
#
Response
1.
2.
Viale Piave
3.
Sanpolino, outside the tube station
4.
5.
San Polo
6.
7.
Via Diaz
8.
9.
10.
11. North Council, Via Vittorio Veneto
12.
13. San polo
90
14.
15.
16. Outside the centre but close to it
17. Urago Mella
18. Urago Mella
19. San Polo
20. Chiesanuova
21. San Polo
22. Urago Mella
23.
24. San Polo
25. City centre
26. San Polino
27. San Polo
28. San Polo
29. City centre
30. San polo
31.
15 Where do you live? - Other, please specify (Mars, the Moon, I come from the
future and similar answers are not valid)
#
Response
1. Outside Italy
16 - How many members are in your family?
Response
Chart
Percentage
Count
91
I live alone
31.4%
16
Up to 3
23.5%
12
Up to 5
37.3%
19
0.0%
Other, please specify (I live in the jungle and
7.8%
Ive got a family of wolves is not a valid

answer)
Total Responses
51
16 How many members are in your family? - Other, please specify (I live in the
jungle and Ive got a family of wolves is not a valid answer)
#
Response
1. 2 humans and 1 dog ;-)

2. 2 humans and 1 dog ;-)
3. 2
4. 2
17 - Last question!!! Which income does your family earn (more or less, come on)?
Response
Chart
Percentage
Count
Up to 12,000 / year
12.0%
Up to 30,000 / year
34.0%
17
Up to until 50,000 / year
12.0%
Up to 80,000 / year
2.0%
Up to 120,000 / year
0.0%
16.0%
I have no idea and I am too lazy to
20.0%
10
answer my parents
92
4.0%
Total Responses
50
17 - Last question!!! Which income does your family earn (more or less, come on)?
#
Response
1. 18,000-20,000
2. 18,000
APPENDIX 3 TRANSCRIPTION OF INTERVIEWS
WALK YOUR KINGSTON PHIL MARSON

1 - When did your interest in walking start?
When I was a teenager. I was very fortunate, I went to a school where at half term they
were taking us away to the showdown at the Lake District and drag us up mountains and
staying in Youth Hostels and that was when my love for the countryside started. Then,
when I went to University in my early 20s I didnt do so very much walking but I went
occasionally and I joined the Ramblers just in order to fund the campaigns to keep the
footpaths opened.
It was some years later, I think I was member of the sixties before actually becoming
active with Ramblers Association.
My walking today is walking with the groups that Ive set up, theres walking
independently, its quite very nice to go walking just with friends and a small group, and
walking of course is part of my everyday life.
Walking is a natural part of living around in Central London; you dont even think about
it, you just do it.
93
2 - Which benefits does walking bring you?
There are many proven health benefits both physical and mental health due to regular
walking. And its study after study they showed it.
In terms of walking and thinking, Socrates had his philosophical schools walking around
and therere numbers of other philosophers that have maintained it, they could not think
without walking.
It clears your mind, the physical activity, the slight pumping of the blood, the fresh air,
the stimulus from the sounds around you and the things you see keep you interested in far
better than sitting at a desk will.
3 - Why did you and how did you found the Metropolitan Walkers?
Around 2000 the Ramblers Association nationally was getting quite old, the average age
of our members was 60, and there was a move nationally to create some groups that
would attract young people.
A couple of groups had been set up and a magazine article appeared in a local magazine
for Ramblers in London, asking if anybody would be interested.
A few thousands of people responded naturally were very interested, we like to be
involved, but we are too busy with our jobs to actually be involved. So we got together,
a few thousands of people, and went for a couple of walks, got to know each other, and
they decided to join. So the first program was put together just by 6 or 8 of us and we
grew from there.
Now its got 720 members. They also have social events and parties.
4 - This group is loosing members, isnt it?
Yes, well, the problem is that it was born 14 years ago, so the members are around 10
years older now, and they are probably joining other groups. So theres an actual
challenge.
94
Theres a general trend in society not to join things, people want to be involved in groups
in a different way now, whereas historically groups like the Scouts and organised football
clubs and numbers of volunteering organisations recruited quite easily, or at least easier
than now.
People are so oppressed with time and theres so much choice of things to do. They are
not so willing to commit themselves to organizing or being a member of something.
For the Metropolitan Walkers in particular, weve done very little research but the
speculation is about right, theres a lot of competition now and it is easy to find.
When we set the Metropolitan Walkers up we didnt even have a website, because you
could run an organisation without a website, whereas today with things like Meetup you
can go there and search for a walk in London and youll find a dozen of thousands of
groups. So theres a lot of more competition and those groups when you turn up to them
they dont say, oh, by the way, this is a volunteer organisation, do you want to help run
it? And could we have a 30 pound membership as well to keep our campaigns going?.
We have to get out there and explain to people that Ramblers membership is worthwhile,
even if you never walk with the Ramblers, because the campaigns that we do and only we
do is what keeps the footpaths opened that you can walk on whether you walk with us or
not.
5 - How do you recruit member and turn them into volunteers?

Once you get people on the walk its the first opportunity to welcome them, to be
friendly, to find the time to meet them and speak with them, have interesting
conversations and go to interesting places, and thats a start of a relationship, of a longterm process to turn some of those people into volunteers, because if we dont have
volunteers nothing happens.
but not everybody can volunteer for everything, they got engaged to other charities and
thats fine.
To keep people engaged we use mechanism like social media: our Facebook page is very
popular, its a way of people putting up photos of things theyve done, publicizing the
events they are putting on, and its great, in the old days if you met somebody on a walk
95
and you didnt quite catch their name or their contact, it was very difficult to find them
again, unless you happened to be on the same walk again, and in a large group that would
be quite unlikely.
On Facebook if you meet somebody and they are members of the group and theyve got a
reasonably good photo you may have a contact with them again, so is a very good tool to
create a community.
As people get involved with the group we explain more about the things that were doing
and the new things we could do with their help. We can ask people just to volunteer to
one-off event like a social or a walk. We also run courses to teach walk leading.
6 - Are people walking less or are they less interest in it?

Theres a lot more competition for peoples time at the moment, but it is still the case that
over the years we had 24 million people saying theyve come for a walk just for the fun
of it, so I havent seen very much of that declining.
WALK YOUR KINGSTON MICHAEL AHMED
1 - How did you start hiking and how did you end up in guiding hikes?
I joined the hiking group when we went on a walk and to get out to the countryside, away
from London, would be fantastic. Some of the places that we went to see were absolutely
gorgeous and so that gave me even like a passion for walking to get out to the
countryside more.
I originally got involved with the group cause there was a friend of mine who organised
it. He was a little bit busy, so I helped out; in August 2012 we agreed that I should take
over the group and from January 2013 I was organising regular Saturday walks.
2 - Why do you enjoy walking in-group?

Typically you see places that youve never been before, you meet people from all around
the world, you get to learn about their cultures, you walk with like-minded people, and
96
you can make a lot of friends. Thats what makes it much more of a social activity rather
than just going out there and doing a general walk.
3 - What is your best memory of a walk?
The ultimate most memorable walk was South Lakeland Park in the Lake District. The
reason being it was the company that I was with, it was 3 of my sons and their friends. I
am from Liverpool, so we usually make fun of each other, and this is what we were doing
all the way upend all the way back down. Whereas many people would go on a hike and
theyll hike for a couple of hours and then theyll take a rest, well, we didnt. We were
like walking 10-15 minutes, then stopping and resting and eating, just basically having a
really fun time.
When we got to the top I remember seating there at the plato of the South Lakeland Park
and saying what would round this whole walk off is that Id have a hot drink and there
was a guy Ive never met before, he just went over with his flask of coffee and he said
hey man, have a drink and that was just fantastic.
It was the whole experience of that and as I said the people I was with and the
conversations that we were having and the fun of each other that we were taking, thats
what made that particular walk the best walk of my life.
WALK YOUR KINGSTON IAN BULL

1 - How did you get involved with leading walks and volunteering?
Some years ago I wanted to support a particular charity and they organised a sponsored
walk, Ive never done something like that before so I took part in something called the
Nightingale Walk, which is a 20 miles walk along the River Thames.
To my amazement, I got back to the other end 40 minutes faster than anybody else, so I
thought, well, perhaps this is something I might like to take up. Particularly is about 2
97
or 4 days after Ive done that walk that I felt so much better and thats begun something
of a walking odyssey.
Ive now walked the whole length of the Thames path through Central London at least 70
times and having got a little bit bored with that Ive take up with South East London
Green Chain Walk, which is itself about 60 miles pond and very hilly in some places.
2 - What was the effect of this walking odyssey on you?
The effect has been a really quite tremendous improvement in my health. I like to do a
round of about 30 miles at least and I prefer to so it against the clock. I confess that I do
less during the winter than I do in the summer, but ideally I do that about once every 3
days, work permitting. But I really do find, though, that walking has made an immense
improvement to my health.
The last time I had a health check with a doctor, she pronounced that I was physically
something like 20 years younger that what I should be. Therefore I really recommend
walking as a very health pursuit.
3 - Which material benefits has walking brought to you?
Many. Not least a great improvement in health. I am not alone in discovering that. In
recent years thereve been quite a few medical studies, which found that taking up
walking, can prolong life quite considerably, even if its taken up late in life. The
Government has therefore brought in a program called Walk For Life, for which
mainly elderly people are encouraged to walk by trained walk leaders and youll find
them in every local Authority.
Some years ago it was estimated that the amount of money saved to the National Health
Service was roughly for every pound spent on Walk For Life training, 7 saved to the
Health Service.
In London there have been efforts to encourage more walking, not least through Walk
For Lifes WalkLondon program of guided walks. They are always led by qualified walk
leaders; over the years I suppose probably 700.000 have taken part.
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4 - How are the chances of young people to take up walking?

Walking is seen to a large extent as an elders activity, but I would disagree with that. I
believe that walking can actually bring about health benefits that are any excess of those
who run, not least, because youre not giving any impact damage to your joints.
WALK YOUR KINGSTON NICKY PHILPOTT
1 - How did you start walking?
I think it was because I grew up in the South West of England, which is a lovely rural
area and I had to walk a lot just to get around, so Ive been walking from a very early age
and then I probably went through a little bit go teenage phase where I didnt like walking
at all, a little bit like my sons are now, where I had to be bright to get out of the house and
get to walk by the sea with my mum and my dogs.
Having done that youve come through that hatred of walking and then you have to find
your own way to enjoy it again and thats how I really embraced it.
I find it a great way to keep fit, a lovely way to relax, an most of all I live in London and
I love walking in London, it gets me fit, you know, I love to go to meetings on foot
because its so much easier than going on a bus or the tube. But I love walking in the
countryside, seeing the view, so being on my own too, that sort of free feeling when
youre walking on the mountain.
2 - How did you join the Ramblers?
I joined the Ramblers only 2 years ago. I was really lucky to be able to go out and walk
with our volunteers and our members who obviously enjoy walking and know the best
places to go walking.
And my first and best memory of that time was going out in Surrey, a place called the
Green Southway, its a long distance trail where the Ramblers have been way-marking
and making sure the people could follow it and it was up on Heath Hill that we did a big
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celebration of it, it was a great example of working in partnership with Authorities and
Councils and the Ramblers walkers.
This really celebrates a very old and very beautiful trail that you could walk for hundreds
of miles.
3 - Why do you like walking in the city?
You always see something different when you are walking, you always notice things that
youve never seen on any other form of transport.
4 - What are you trying to do with the Ramblers to encourage young people to
walk?
We are trying to make walking interesting to young people, because I think that if you
catch them young theyll come into it when theyre adults and then carry on that walking
journey. So when theyre really young you might want to do things like if you give them
trails to follow and find things and leaves and footprints and then as they get older you
need more age relevant stud, so when you are a teenager you might want something to do
for example a challenge or a game to play that unlocks things, so you carry on walking.
It is really difficult, is a massive challenge to make walking relevant to children. We
know that theres a big problem with the inactivity amongst young people today, so its
something that we really do have to face, we really do have to make sure that we win that
fight.
WALK YOUR KINGSTON CLARE WADD
1 - How did you start walking?
I was brought up with walking actually. My mother and my father they both walked and
they used to take us walking when I was quite a young child, my brother and myself. For
a long time actually I hated it, they used to give me 5 p to go to the top go the hills,
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cause, I guess, I was the youngest, so I was always kind of little steps behind and I
couldnt really see the point of going up the hill and come back down again.
I got a passion for it in my teens when I started to go away with some friends to the Lake
District. I grew up in the North of England, so lot of very different walking from here in
London, and we were going up hills and just had a lot of fun.
I didnt really walk a lot until I got involved with the Ramblers about a dozen of years
ago, Ive started walking and dragged friends alone with me but really I was just looking
into walk more often and tried to convince people to come with me al the time became a
bit tedious, so then the Metropolitan Walkers group started in London and I started
walking with them, got involved with leading walks with them and just got more and
more involved over the years.
I have always been someone who walks around to get to places, so its always been my
main mode of transport.
When I first moved to London I never thought it as a city for more outdoor walking.
Through the Ramblers Ive got to know London a lot better, I think walking here has
improved, partly through the efforts of the Ramblers. To me its been about discovering
bits of London I didnt know previously, exploring London.
Walking for pleasure, leisure and adventure, and I think both matter equally to mess Id
like to be able to cross the roads safely and for the pavements to be wide enough to get
from A to B, but also walking for fun.
2 - What is your best memory about walking?
The first time I went walking with the Ramblers group, a group called the Metropolitan
Walkers, which is Londons group for people in their 20s and 30s. They were a very new
group and I dont remember so much the walk as that kind of feeling nervous, not
knowing what to expect, ringing them beforehand to say, How will I find you? Will I
know you? and just the warm friendly welcome I got to meet their Chairman for the first
time, a guy called Phil Marson, and hes still a good friend of mine 12 years later, and the
person leading the walk, a guy called Alan was also very kind.
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I just wanted to go back, I was interested in leading walks for them and, you know, kind
of straight away Oh, can I lead some of these walks? and they welcomed me with open
arms. It was a great first experience, and then Ive been a Ramblers member for a while
and its just been a kind of seeking myself up to go for that first walk and I am so pleased
I did.
3 - What is the best thing with the Ramblers?
It is the variety of things on offer. In London we have everything from city centre walks
to walks on the South Coast, walks in the forest. This ability to get to know not jus little
London, I mean, Ive seen so much of London through the Ramblers I just didnt know it
existed and I think I knew London quite well before, I mean, I grew up in Yorkshire so
Im not from here, but I just know it in a way I never previously did and its just been
brilliant seeing that variety of what our city and countryside has to offer.
4 - What is the best benefit of walking for you?

I think it really works for me, a kind of mentally if youd like, to step aside from the
hectic London life. I have quite an hectic life, a busy life, you know, I have a full time
job, I do a lot of volunteering, I have a social life so I am often kind of changing from one
thing to another and I think, well, I walk quite fast most of the time, so it is not always
relaxed but theres a real kind of break in walking and I think its just a bit of something
different to sort of separate up all that stuff and it does help you to unwind and relax, its
a bit of a calm I think. Theres just something about getting out there, that kind of selffood, a kind of escapeYouve seen some wild life, some blue sky, some big sky, some
horizonit just makes you feel better and different.
5 - Did you notice any effects on your body?
For me walking is most of the exercise I do. I do a bit of swimming, I do a bit of yoga,
but mostly my exercise is walking, so it keeps me fit and healthy, I think, really.
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WALK YOUR KINGSTON BRUCE MCVEAN

1 - Who are you and what do you do?
I am Bruce Mc Vean, I work for Beyond Green, which is a sustainability consultancy and
property development. It basically questions how you create places where it is easy for
people to lead a sustainable lifestyle and live their lives and reduce carbon footprint and
environmental footprint. So it regards the way people travel, particularly how to get
people walking and cycling rather than driving.
I am also the founder of Movement for Liveable London, born in 2011, and member of
Living Streets, the UK charity that champions the right of pedestrians in the UK.
The Movement of Liveable London tries to change the debate regarding making cities a
better place for cycling, so its aim is to make people to move out of the side routes, and to
combine cyclists and pedestrians rights. Getting people thinking about how all the
different elements of that process will necessarily change the way people travel in
London, could we both together create a better city and a more liveable city?
2 - What does need to change in order to make European cities more liveable?
The issue is how we can reduce the amount of traffic and reduce the dominance of traffic
on streets. So, I mean, slower speeds, fewer vehicles, things like using a congestion
charge more effectively, and changing the way that frames streets.
3 - Why do you walk and why do you find it useful?

I was very lucky. When I first moved here, I lived in Kings Cross for the first years, and
I walked everywhere and actually I know the city, I think, much better than a lot of
people who lived here even longer than I have, and I have been here for 14 years now, as
a result of those first years. Because, you know, it is the way you could generally get to
know any city, I think, you know, you see everything that is interesting about it, in a way.
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Even when you are on a bike you are moving 3 or 4 times faster than you would do if you
walk, and so youll inevitably miss all sort of things.
4 - What is the challenge now for the walking movement?
The challenge now is to make sure that everybody who wants to walk can and enjoy this
experience of walking around London. And actually people are already invited to walk
around, so that kind of thing where, you know, it would be a 20 minutes walk or a 0
minutes bus drive, well, Id rather walk, that would be much more interesting and much
more pleasant.
5 - Do you prefer cycling or walking?

I cycle as a form of transport, I walk for transport and for leisure. You know, I dont
really cycle for leisure, whereas I do definitely walk. I go out for a walk, I dont think I
would go out for a bike ride; I am not that kind of cyclist.
6 - What is walking for you?

Walking is the most relaxing way to get around any city when you dont have to worry so
much about being knocked off your bike, youve got the space to kind of loose yourself
in the city, and really kind of relax into it and enjoy waling around. Theres a sense of
discovery when you walk around, even more when youve lived somewhere for a long
time, you always find new things when you are walking.
7 - What about walking as a way of socializing?
Well, first of all if you live in a city, you want to be around people and you want to
interact with people, and the only way to do that is on foot.
8 - Do you think is it also a way to enjoy nature?
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Yes, it is a way to reconnect with nature as well. It is something like youre reminded that
you are part of that natural world and you already get that feeling when youre walking
around, instead of hearing birds singing when you are on a bus or in a car, theres a huge
difference, if youre moving at a faster pace than walking pace you tend to miss it. And I
think that incredibly important for people meant to wellbeing, not just physically.
WALK YOUR KINGSTON JO HEATH
The author and Mrs Jo Heath met on 17th March 2014. During their conversation Mrs
Heath demonstrated enthusiasm for Walk Your Kingston, stating that Kingston
University has an interest in finding solution to students sedentary lifestyle. Walking is
proven to be healthy for the body as well as for the mind. Mrs Heath guaranteed that the
Student Wellbeing department will fund the walk leader training course for all the
members of Walk Your Kingston who would like to guide walks
WALK YOUR KINGSTON VICTORIA HANDS
During the meeting with the author, on the 26th of June 2014, Mrs Victoria Hands gave
positive feedback regarding the project. She also underlined that Kingston University
needs initiatives to stimulate active mobility, especially since there is a new University
building under construction, as well as social inclusion, because the number of
International Students is growing fast.
WALK YOUR KINGSTON THERESA NASH

The conversation between the author and Mrs Theresa Nash was only via email, as the
author was in Italy for the whole month of August 2014. However, she demonstrated her
enthusiasm and will to support Walk Your Kingston, being the project directly related to
Heritage2Health. She also underlined the presence of other walking initiatives, like
Boots4Walking.
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WALK YOUR CITY DR. ENRICO AGABITI ROSEI

1 - Is walking useful for prevention of cardiovascular diseases?
It is known since many years that the physical activity is useful to prevent cardiovascular
diseases. An average quantity of physical activity in the form of walking has been
indicated to be suggested, which is at least a 30 minutes walk per day for at least 5 days a
week, with a brisk pace, around 2-3 km in half an hour. In walking, moderate physical
activity means that we have to reach the point when we feel that the heart beat increases a
little bit, but not too much.
Many observational studies analyzed the impact of this activity on cardiovascular
diseases, finding out that who has a physical activity that is equal or superior to the
recommended quantity, has a possibility of being affected by diseases like myocardial
infarction and ictus which is inferior of at least the 30-40 % .
2 - Is walking useful to prevent depression?
Walking is the most economic, the most organisable and the easiest form of physical
activity which gives positive results in terms of reduction of cardiovascular diseases, but
not only: it gives a good sensation of wellbeing, of optimism, of mental opening that has
to be encouraged.
The lifestyle which is known by everybody, I mean, who does not know on more or less
how much he should eat, how he should move, that he should not stay 4 hours per day in
front of the television? Everybody knows. However, the practical application in linked
to the habit, the organisation of the life. It is suggested to park the car far from the office,
if you have to go shopping go into pedestrian areas, use the stairs instead of the elevator;
however all of this has to be inserted in the daily life, because if someone gets used to
park in the backyard, to use the car even to go to the coffee shop, to use only the elevator,
to stay in bed or on the sofa for the whole day, it will not work: some individual or
familiar or group organisation is necessary in order to promote a virtuous lifestyle.
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There are also some data that say that physical activity, and in particular walking, is
useful for tumour prevention, like breast cancer, colon cancer, and also for some minor
psychiatric diseases, because it gives a sensation of wellbeing and balance, even if that is
more difficult to evaluate.
The stimulation of endorphins through the physical activity causes a sensation of
wellbeing, even the consciousness of being able to practice physical activity, and, with
training, a more and more intense physical activity, or with fewer efforts. All of this gives
wellbeing, self-consciousness,
3 - Is walking useful to prevent hypertension?
We have certified studies that demonstrate that this form of physical activity reduces the
values of arterial blood pressure; it reduces of 5-8 mm of mercury the systolic blood
pressure even after only a few months of regular walking. This is also associated to a
series of positive variations of many humoral factors, of concentration, of lipids, of
cholesterol, especially triglycerides decrease, the sensitivity to insulin increases, therefore
somehow it prevents the diabetes mellitus.
There is a famous Finnish study that discovered that people with values of high
glycaemia on fast, but not yet like in diabetic patients, if inserted in a program of physical
activity and compared to a similar group that was using a medication, were resulting to
have even better effects than the second group.
Therefore the physical activity is associated to a series of very positive humoral
variations. Moreover, it allows certain training, so people get used to physical activity
and therefore their body uses less energy.
4 - Is walking useful to reduce obesity?
Yes, because walking also helps to loose weight, if associated to a balanced diet, because
naturally walking is a physical activity, and the physical activity requires energy and so
calories consumption, which promotes weight loss. The more the physical activity the
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more is calories consumption, always according to the amount of calories that are
introduced.
5 - Is walking useful for the treatment of chronicle diseases?

We are in front of what the World Health Organization calls the epidemics of non
transmittable chronicle diseases. Chronicle diseases, like cardiovascular diseases,
tumors, and diseases of the respiratory system, diabetes and neurological diseases,
represent the weight of the majority of diseases, especially within the Western
population.
Chronicle diseases are diseases that are not determined by a transmittable cause, and not
infective, which, also because of the therapeutic successes in the acute phase, tend to
become chronicle. Therefore, they are those diseases, which represent the main weight in
social, economical and nursing terms.
6 - What is prevention today?
We all are involved in the prevention of diseases or at least of the worsening of diseases,
so an attempt to stabilize the diseases. This could be done with medicals, but primarily
with a correct lifestyle, for which the physical activity is very important. Obviously we
have to adapt the physical activity to people who are already sick, because their
capabilities and possibilities of performance may have changed. This physical activity
has to be guided by a medical evaluation: if a patient was affected by an ictus, he will
have to practice a physical activity that could be compatible with eventual disabilities left
by the ictus, as well as with the state of his arteries.
Therefore when we speak about physical activity, we have to speak about moderate
physical activity, in order to prevent diseases, and in this sense walking is the most
useful, the most measurable, the most scalable physical activity, it is the patient himself
that slows down when he has respiratory difficulties or he feels pain during the walk.
Some sportive activities for instance require competition and some fixed movements that
could ask the patients excessive efforts.
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Walking is more natural, more respectful of the joints, ligaments, and of the respiratory
and cardiovascular system.
7 - How do you collect data?
Usually how does a research work? We ask a group of people to fill a survey that asks
them how much they walk, how much activity do they do on a daily basis; then we follow
them over the years and we can assume that the ones that do more exercise are the ones
that have less diseases. Then we have to analyze these data, because there are many
factors to be considered, it s also possible that who walks more is the healthier one, and
therefore he gets sick less often. Therefore when we suggest patients to walk we have to
be very reasonable and keep in mind his general physical and clinical condition.
8 - How is walking in Brescia and how can institutions improve walking?
Brescia is a city that has quite many green spaces. I think that the Institutions have to
guarantee cleanness, safety, accessibility, and that the spaces are big enough for a
minimum of physical activity, and in particular for walking, especially parks and
pedestrians areas.
It is clear that if strolling in the middle of the traffic means breathing the smell, the smoke
and the dust it is not healthy any more. Therefore, it is necessary that a virtuous and
favourable situation is created in order to promote walking.
9 - Do you know about dog walking?
There has been an initiative of the Verona NHS, where people had the possibility of
trying dog walking for a month, because dogs favourite walking. It was a very interesting
initiative, there was a kennel with stray dogs, and people had the possibility of taking one
for a month and strolling with it. Having a company appears to be useful for walking and
wellbeing. After this trial month, if people want they can keep it.
This was an initiative of the treatment or prevention of diabetes.
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10 - What about group walks?
Group walks help, especially if it is a group of friends or of people who know each other,
or it could also be a possibility to meet new people. However these are bigger initiatives,
that goes over the individual, and it could be interesting to put them in relation to some
programs like going to see some monuments, going to visit a church or an exhibition.
Walking has to be a daily activity, but group walks could help, especially at the
beginning, to show how walking could be, to understand if we like it. Considering the
population per se, the success of group walks could only lead to the capabilities of people
to be together and socialize, therefore finding the pleasure of being together, and this
could be a starter for a certain lifestyle that involves physical activity as well. Afterwards
the individual have to go on walking.
In order to start, the population per se can organise and move from A to B on foot, other
than visiting museums and exhibitions.
11 - What are the causes of physical inactivity?

One of the main ones is the time, isnt it? If someone finds the time, I believe that people
have to organise in order to find the time to walk, because nowadays they are always
rushing, always late, and so they take the car because it is faster.
12 - What are the initiatives for the youth?
A couple of years ago we did a scientific study called The Calini Project, with the Calini
Scientific High School, and the result was that on average they were healthy, they were
active, there were not overweight problems, the individual parameters like blood pressure
were normal. For that age, teenagers of 16- 18 years old there was not sedentarily, but we
know that the younger generation has more problems of childhood and early teenage
overweight and even obesity.
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In this sense there is a need of investments in education to a correct lifestyle of which

walking and physical activity are an essential component.
I fear that for the youngest generations the physical activity is becoming less present and
appreciated.
13 - Do you think online platform with maps and routes of the city could be useful?
Well the limits regard people who do not have Internet, for example, the majority of aged
people do not use it, but for the majority of the population it could be useful. I believe
that it will be especially for bigger cities than Brescia, because it is limited and the
experience already suggests the best paths.
14 - Do you agree that the age between 18 and 35 is less active than before?
Of course, it is an age on which focus the attention, even if I think that the culture of
physical activity and walking has to begin before, from the childhood. Probably at this
age there have to be motivations and stimulus, and groups walks are an example of
motivations.
However I am not very pessimist about this age, because, for what I see in Brescia, it
seems an active age, on the move, then if their activity is structured or casual I cannot
really say, but on average I am not pessimist.
However, combining walking with some typical interests of the youth is very interesting.
WALK YOUR CITY DR. MARCO METRA

1 - What is the role of prevention today?
Today we give more and more importance to prevention, also because it is economically
more convenient than therapy. Several studies individuated within huge samples of
population cardiovascular risk factors, which are factors that are associated to a higher
risk of cardiovascular diseases. These factors are smoking, mellitus diabetes, hyper111
cholesterol, and arterial hypertension.

Recently other factors emerged, like overweight, obesity and physical inactivity.
It has been demonstrated that the physical activity is an independent factor: if an
individual is obese, diabetic, or with high cholesterol levels, but does physical activity his
risk is minor to a sedentary person and vice versa.
Walking is the simpler, more convenient, and somehow healthier way of practicing
physical activity, because it is a non-excessive effort and it is very natural.
It is useful to walk at least 30-45 minutes per day, and maybe twice a week it would be
better to do a longer walk or other kind of exercise. It seems that there is a relationship
between dose and reaction: the more an individual does physical activity, the less is the
risk. The big difference is between sedentariness and a regular physical activity.
2 - Is walking useful to prevent cancer?
The physical activity is proven to be useful to prevent cancer. There is an indirect effect,
because the physical activity causes weight loss, and a direct one, because of the actual
physical activity.
3 -What about dog walking?
There are some interesting studies about walking a dog. This is protective because forces
the individual to do a physical activity. It is scientifically proven that having a dog is
associated to a reduction of the risk of cardiovascular diseases, because that individual is
more active.
4 - Is walking useful for chronicle diseases?
Inactivity provokes a muscular hypotrophy, so the muscles are wasting, and this is per se
an independent element that worsens the symptoms. Hence, keeping a physical activity
even if the individual is sick, has an impact on the quality of life, on symptoms, and
probably even on the prognosis as well.
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5 - When is better to start walking?
It clearly emerged that our childhood influences us from every point of view, influences
our alimentary habits, and our custom physical activity. Therefore it is very important to
educate Primary school children to love and practice physical activity.
6 - Do you know if the youth have reduced their physical activity?
This is a very interesting topic, and I do not know if it has been explored deeply in terms
of statistics. It could be useful to do an epidemic survey with this purpose. My impression
is that there is a reduction of custom walking or custom sport, the number of hours spent
in front of the television and in front of the laptop is very high, and this is obviously in
contrast with the physical activity, even if Steve Jobs always had meeting on foot.
7 - What can the community of Brescia do about that?
First of all there is a very important urban theme, which is organising the city in order to
create walkable spaces which have to be the hugest possible and linked between each
other, so for example myself, even if I live at 40 minutes by walk from the Hospital, I can
get used to the idea of walking here, with the return it becomes 1 hour and a half of
walking per day, which is very good.
Secondly, we have to create a walking culture, and make the fact of moving by bike or on
foot socially cool and trendy. For example, smoking at a certain point became socially
unpleasant, I worked in the USA and I remember that in 1985 smoking was already seen
as a bad thing, so at a certain point it becomes very important developing a huge culture
that could make walking a trend.
9 - How do you see the walking culture in Brescia?
Recently in Brescia there have been several initiatives like marathons and runs and there
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is a considerable participation. Running is more privileged than walking. From a health

and cardiovascular point of view, the risk factors of walking are inferior to the ones of
running. It would be very clever to organise more walks and less marathon, because we
have to underline that even the simply act of walking it is healthy.
Secondly, we do not have to think only about 20 years old athletes, but also we have to
find some forms of physical activity that would be easily utilizable even by elder people.
It is better to age healthy.
10 - Do you agree that sedentariness starts with College?
It is true that the age that is more at the risk of inactivity is the College one. From then on
we start to be sedentary. Therefore organising some organised walks with a social and
cultural aspect it would be great. Even if I think about a walk, I ask myself what to do
with my brain in the meanwhile. In reality we always think about something, but if
walking becomes a way to know the critics of a movie or of a book or of a director or of a
piece of art, it would be merging the intellectual aspect and the physical one and it would
be very useful.
WALK YOUR CITY LUCA GIANOTTI
1 - When and how did you start walking?
When I was a teenager, with a girl we started to become passionate about walking, and
that was the period when trekking was diffusing in Italy, so the interest was switching
from hiking, from alpine clubs to the idea of staying within nature and do not conquer
any top. During the 80s, there was already this idea of doing trips, days long walks
seeking the immersion within nature, so I immediately entered within this passion by
participating to the beginning of this movement of the new way of walking linked to
trekking.
Since the first months I became a member of a trip association, I started to be a
volunteering guide, and then over the years it became my big a unique passion.
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2 - How did you notice the benefits of walking?
After a few years of a juvenile passion for the wild, as I was a curious person, and as I
graduated in Philosophy, so I liked to examine things in depth, I soon realized that
walking had extremely positive benefits on me, the ones that nowadays are well known,
but that at that time were not. I realized that walking made me feel good, it freed my
mind, it made me stronger, so, walking for a week non-stop in places like Corsica, or
Pollino, in these wild places of Italy and Europe has always positively effected me.
Therefore, I started to study these aspects of walking as a therapy, and, at the same time, I
tried to examine it more in depth also from the point of view of my daily walking. I did
not feel completely comfortable with the Association I was a member of, because they
were more about a hedonistic and leisure aspect, so I tried to involve them but I failed.
Hence, I decided to build my path on my own, trying to find like-minded people, and I
thought that if I would succeed maybe walking could become even a job, so at 27 years
old I already had this perception.
I founded an Association called La Boscaglia (The Woods) with which I started to
propose certain things and to collect documents about walking as a therapy. As soon as
Internet was public, I published these documents, because I found amazing things and I
wanted to share them. I found that since the ancient times the Romans used walking as a
therapy, and many naturopaths sustained that walking was very good for us. Therefore, I
collected all these experience and I rather lived them, because I can say that to me
walking has been a way of saving my life and creating a path of harmony with myself.
This long path made me a guide, and only a long-walks guide, so from the beginning I
experimented this aspect, I have never been really interest in strolls, I was interested in
this engaging walking, which needed a break of some days of detox before reaching the
real wellbeing.
I am a professional guide since 20 years now, so I succeeded.
After some years, La Boscaglia closed, but I founded this wonderful project of La
Compagnia dei Cammini (The Company of Walks), with which another evolution of
mine was already starting. By realizing that walking was good, I felt that I could move
even forward. I also found some existing projects, like deep walking, which is a theory I
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met as a curious walker. I found out that sciamans used to have particular walks that
connected them to deep sensitivity. I found out that Buddhists meditated while walking. I
found out that, anyway, all the walks of pilgrims were more than walks to reach a
physical place, where the Saint and his memorabilia were; they were valorising the whole
path, which was also a self-journey.
Therefore, I used walking more and more as a tool for practice, interior research and
balance seeking.
3 - How does the process of feeling better work during the walks?
It is after some days that a change happens. So the trip, or the strolling, is a nice thing,
important thing, healthy habit, but it misses this aspect of transformation. I tried to define
it in terms of time, and to me it consists of three days, but I am not the only one who says
that; for instance the fasting therapy states that a fast has to be of three days in order to
detox. During the first three days it is a pain, because you are hungry, you would like to
stop this terrible experience of a fast, but after these three days everything becomes
simple and you could stay without food for five, six, ten days.
The same thing happens during the walks. Three days is the right time to detox our body
and our mind, we free ourselves from all that thoughts linked to our problems at home, at
work, and we start to find that harmony of being ancestral walkers, as we were when we
was primitive humans that had walking as the only mode of transport, of living, of
hunting, of providing food. We lost it, because we are not deep walkers any more, we
forgot how to walk. So these three days are useful to detox. At the end of these days there
could also be a crisis, when people want to stop, or they get angry, or they slip and hurt
themselves.
From the fourth day on, everything changes. The harmony starts. I see hundreds of
people every year, so I notice these benefits on them as well. People transform
themselves. They find the balance, they start to be happy, they do not have anxiety, rush
and stress any more, and they start to feel that slowness is at a human dimension. There is
no more need to arrive, or to think about how ling will it take. You will feel that here and
now you can feel good. The pace becomes more harmonious.
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Then there are no relapses, even if someone walks for a month it does not get tired, in
fact it is an increasing of positive energy. Hence, it is hardly possible that someone that
started the Camino de Santiago at the end complains about being tired or is willing to
arrive. If you go deeply into the spirit of the walk, in fact, you will not want to stop. The
problem is that often people realize that they have to go back to their daily life, so,
sometimes, they arrive at Santiago and go forward until Finisterre, because they want at
least some more days in order not to lose the harmony that they reached. Sometimes
people do think that they cannot reintegrate themselves in their daily life.
Actually, somehow it is like that. However, the positive aspect is that who is a walker
remains a walker forever. Therefore, even if you go back home, in your daily life you
will keep that wayfarer spirit, you will always be able to see things with a certain
peaceful detachment. You will not be a consumerist any more, you will be sober, you will
be attentive to certain values, so you will keep that spirit inside.
4 - May walking be considered as a lifestyle?
A walker is a revolutionary, especially nowadays. In fact, somehow it is also unpopular

in the society of consumerism Who is this homeless that goes on the road in this
way?; it is scaring, the society of consumerism, which is based on velocity, is afraid of
slowness. Nevertheless, slowness is a great opportunity at all levels. Walking offers a
great opportunity of slowing down; downshifting, de-growth are all words that actually
the walker knows well. The walker is often very attentive to these values. The walker in
his small backpack, in that small amazing object that lays down on his back and that
somehow becomes his home, because it contains all of him and it almost embraces him,
in that backpack he has only the essential things. However, from every journey, the
walker comes back home and realizes that there were even too many, that he could
perhaps leave at home a pair of socks, a t-shirthe realizes that at the end of the day he
actually needs only a few things to stay well.
When he goes back in his daily life he is bombarded with consumptions, superficial
needs and other stuff. But he remains linked to that experience, so the possibility that the
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walker could understand certain new values, that are our only salvation, is very strong;
values of a 360 degrees- revolution opposite to where we are going.
The walker is more conscious than others, because he opened his eyes. The opportunity
of slowing down and of having a break from technologies, of being disconnected, of not
keeping the mobile phone on 24/7, of not being reachable by the media bombardment, is
a great opportunity.
When we walk, we are totally disconnected from technologies because we try to recover
the dimension of Here and Now, because it is there that we can find harmony.
5 - What is the role of the group during a walk?
Walking in-group means experiencing a community. Being part of a community is the

other important aspect of the future society, for how I would like it to be. The society of
walkers is community-based, democracy- based: all the walkers are at the same level,
because during walks there are no social, age, gender, economic or ethnic differences.
During the walks, we are all the same, and this is another strength of walking.
During the walks there is a strong sharing that gives people the possibly of building small
communities, and these virtuous and fair small communities allow us to go back to the
community- based antique society, which is our only salvation.
6 - How do the participants live the experience beforehand, during and afterwards?
Within the Compagnia dei Cammini we have many people that are getting closer to the
walking philosophy, and this is already a great satisfaction, because we are a growing
movement. Walking is not affected by the (economic) crisis, in fact, because of the crisis,
the society needs new values, and walking is becoming an alternative. So now we have
several people who are getting closer to the movement and that had never done any walk
before, perhaps they heard about the Camino de Santiago.
When they get closer, they have no or small experience, so they have many fears, like
Will I physically make it? or Which kind of gear do I need?, Will I find the
company comfortable, Who really are these people? Are they crazy? Are they like an
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alternative new-age sect?We do reassure everybody that we are normal people, and
we try to demonstrate it day by day during the walks. People are being reassured but it is
mainly the walk itself that unravels all the doubts. It is sufficient to start walking
together. Therefore, the key is getting on a walk instead of being too insecure and
thinking too much.
You can even walk alone; many walkers on the Camino De Santiago are alone. If you
prefer to walk with a group, join one; walking alone is as good as walking with a group,
they are different but both positive experiences.
During and after the walk you can notice the change; you can see how people transform
themselves. Our satisfaction is seeing people that transformed themselves in a few days,
people who have a new smile and a new harmony.
7 - What is your book about?

LArte del Camminare (The Art of Walking) is dedicated to people who would like to
leave alone, that would like to get on a walk without having enough information. I made
my 25 years-experience available to everybody, so the book is a sort of manual with
simple and practical suggestions, because the walker is a simple person, but also with
philosophical and interior considerations as well, in order to represent the essence of
walking.
If the essence of walking is not gathered, remaining a bit superficial, a bit sportive, an
opportunity is lost; therefore with this manual-non manual I tried to provoke people in
deep and to give them stimulus to make them gather these aspects of walking in order to
stay well, to live the Here and Now, to de-stress, to grow.
I have to say that it worked, because I received many positive feedbacks from readers
who thanked me because the book was very useful for them to get on a walk.
I also published a diary, Parole in Cammino - 365 pensieri viandanti (Words on a Walk
- 365 wayfarer thoughts); it is a collection of considerations that over the history many
thinkers wrote about walking. It is like make all this walking knowledge stronger. It is
impressing that many philosophers used walking as a way to better think, from Nietsche
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to Russeau and Kant, only during a walk they managed to design their ideas, in all the
cultures, from the Western to the Easter.
8 - What is deep walking?
Deep Walking is a new version of mine that I developed over the years until I created a
definition.
I discovered that in many parts of the world there was already this attention to walking as
a practice of interior research. My first experience was a meeting with some shamans of
North Mexico called Huicholes, and previously I knew about them through Carlos
Castaneda, a famous writer.
Carlos Castaneda had a mentor, a shaman, called Don Juan, who taught him which
practices to apply in order to have even extra-sensorial perceptions. He taught him to use
the Peyote and the hallucinogenic mushrooms or other ways, between which there was
also walking, that does not emerge a lot from the books of Carlos Castaneda, but it does
in his pupils.
These shamans used walking as an instrument not only of a self- practice, but also of
opening their mind. I met them because I wanted to try and to see how they were doing it,
and it was wonderful.
Afterwards I discovered that also in the Easter practices of Buddhism, Zen and others
there is something very similar. The analogy between these culture and the use of
walking as a way to remain in Here and Now and to live the present is very strong.
The most important meeting for me was with a Vietnamese monk, great mentor, Thich
Nhat Hanh. I met him, I walked with him, and I became his pupil. He changed for me the
use of walking. Merging these two practices of the shamans and of the Zen monks I came
up with Deep Walking, which is a small offer, which can become a deeper journey. For
the moment it is sufficient for me to make the people to get closer to a new way of using
walking that can give them extremely powerful results, if they commit themselves and
are really willing to be happy.
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We do particular exercises, we learn to walk with extremely soft and harmonic steps,
while walking in silence, focused on our breath; it is a wonderful and deep form of
meditation.
WALK YOUR CITY LUIGI NACCI
1 - What does walking represent to you?
Walking and walks are 2 different things. Walking is a physical activity which any of us
could do, and we do it since we were children; some do it intensely, some do trekking,
some do Nordic walking that is the last trend in the city or in the countryside. On the
other side, there is the walk, which is a whole experience that involves walking as one of
its elements, but not as its unique and basing feature. Thanks to walking, it is possible to
be with our feet inside a walk, but then there are many other things, there are meetings,
there are discoveries about the others and us, there are possibilities of questioning
ourselves.
2 - Why people call you the walking poet?
I actually do not think to be myself a walking poet. I prefer to be described as a wayfarer.

I love the word viandanza (from via, way, and andare, to go, translated as
wayfaring, but the interviewee also make a joke with words, so he is also considering
the words via, way, and danza, dance, A/N), because it expresses the idea of both a
dance on the way and a creature on the way, that crosses the way and lets itself be
crossed by the way. It is as if the way was dancing and we were dancing on the way. This
scenario has a lot to do with poetry, more than walking per se.
Every poet is a wayfarer, because every poet tries to dig more and more from words into
levels of reality, and it does with the foot, because the foot is at the base of both walk and
poetry. Obviously, the foot into the walk is appendix of our body, and into the poetry is
the fundamental rhythmic unity. Since the classic poetry the foot gave the rhythm to the
marches of the Spartan warriors for instance, or of religious celebrations. The poetry was
born and it is founded on that rhythm.
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Therefore poetry and walk are founded on a foot, which links them together, and
somehow going to discover the other foot was natural for me, as I was coming from
poetry.
4 - So what does walking represent?

The history of walking is very long. It involves many creative figures of our Western
history, hence lets think about philosophers that were walking, meditating, thinking over
the porticos, lets think about poets that since antiquity and then for centuries, mainly
philosophers and poets but also artists, walked a lot, and often described on their diaries
how this moving, this going on influenced their poetics.
There have been great walkers, some are known by everyone, like Rimbaud,
Wordsworth, who is said to be one of the greatest walkers overall, also Coleridge was a
walker; they are many, lets think about Walser between writers, lets think about
Nietzschesomehow all of them stated that this deambulation can produce more sense
mechanisms. First of all deambulation is absolutely natural, walking is the natural activity
by definition; the act of putting one foot after the other, is as if it is putting us in a
situation of danger. I mean, if I would not put my foot after the other, I would find myself
in a situation of possible fall. It is as if I am forced to put the other foot, otherwise I
would fall, I would precipitate. It is as if I would always be on a threshold. This
advancing, this rhythm, which is also a rhythm that allows me to think, to compose the
poetry, the sound and the music as well, not to precipitate. Hence, walking saves us from
a never-ending fall.
Long walks, so not simple strolls, but days or weeks or months long walks bring you to
progressively forget yourself, because during this advancing without resting your body
changes, and at the same time your way of thinking changes. Your ID card does not have
power and importance any more; your old life is as if it would be slowly disappearing,
and at a certain point you would find yourself in a dimension of a very strong
disorientation. Therefore the creative found his job on disorientation, because it is thank
to disorientation, it is thank to failing in safely figure out the profiles of an identity that
you can break everything and give birth to a creative act, to an innovation.
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Therefore I am not surprised if philosophers, artists, poets, musicians walked a lot over
the history. I am not surprised because it is as if it was necessary, hence i arrived at walk
from poetry, and when I arrived, I understood that these two things could perfectly
overlie each other.
5 - What are the benefits of walking?
I think that each of us has a limit, many limits that derives from our education, from our
knowledge, from our bias, from our ideas about the world, about the others, about us,
from our complexes, and physical limits. During the walk, all the limits emerge. Each of
us has limits. The nice thing is that in a normal life is difficult to unveil them, because it
is as if we were absorbed, not completely awake, in a state of half-sleep, even when we
work, when we go out, when we spend time with people we love. We are never
completely conscious. In addition, because of that, it is difficult to perceive our limits.
During the walk, when the machine starts to move it takes a while, because one day is not
enough. I do not even know if three days are enough, I do believe that each of us has its
different amount of days. Once we overtake that amount, we enter in a state of
consciousness; I always imagine it like a rope: when you walk, there comes the beautiful
or awful day when you see, even if there is not, a rope on your path. You start to feel this
rope from far, even if it is still not possible to see it clearly, and at a certain point it is
there, it appears in front of you, as if it was a rope stretched between two trees. After that,
it is difficult to go back. You understand your limit, you know that if you will overtake
that rope you will not be able to go back in the same way as before, you will never be
able to lead the same lifestyle as before, you will never be able to look at people in the
same way as before, you will never be able to do the same job as before. You will need to
let go things, people; you will have to questioning yourself and most of what you
believed in before.
I do not really know where this happens, each of us has to try and experiment it, I do not
see it as possible to happen after three days only. It is true that after three days our body
starts to work better, and the pain starts to disappear, therefore, instead of focusing on
pain, feet problems, knee problems, shoulder problems, back problems because of the
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backpack or because of the shoes, we can focus on what we really are and what is our
balance with the world.
However, the limit that brings you to a real change I guess is further; in my case my limit
is 40-45 days of walking. I made it quite a few times, and when I always reach the same
day, I need to go back home; otherwise, I know I will get mad. After the rope, I will
never go back home, because at a certain point, when you sleep at a different place every
night, when you meet new people everyday, is as if you were leaving what you thought
was your house. After that rope is as if you would not need to go back home, and you
could loose yourself in the world, and you will meet lost people, people who never came
back, they became wayfarers. That risk is real. The walk teaches you to overtake your
own limits, because the most difficult part of a walk is not leaving, but coming back.
6 - Why did you start writing about walking?
As I reached to walking from writing, it was difficult to think not to write about it
afterwards; however, I have to say that for years I did not write about the walks.
Sometimes I wrote some line for some magazines or newspapers or I reviewed books
regarding similar themes, but anyway I did not write, because during the walks I never
wanted to take notes. I did take pictures, which were my notes; sometimes I noted some
quotes of someone, especially of some aged men met in some small village during the
way. If I wrote I would have projected my identity as a writer into the walk, whereas
during the walks I did not have any identity, I really wanted to destroy my identity.
Over the years I accumulated many experiences, relationships, friendships, and all these
elements at one point started to sprinkle like geysers and they did not leave me in peace.
In the past few years I started to do some exercises during the walk, because while I was
walking I realized that often I was doing the same mistakes, and the worst one was
vainglory. Not vainglory linked to writing, but indeed to the walk. I noticed that I was
starting to judge the wayfarers and pilgrims that I was meeting, because it was their first
time. They were doing a series of things that in my opinion were wrong, like the manner
they had in relation to others, the manner they had in feeling the right to expect a bed to
sleep on or some food, the manner they had in observing the world, or in not observing it,
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without seeing important details. This was completely wrong, because I was there indeed
not to judge. Therefore, at one point I realized that the more I walked the more I became
expert, the more I judged. It was terrible. I remember, I reached Finisterre after a onemonth walk over the Spanish coast, I reached the sea, and I decided to go back on foot. It
was the time when something really happened. I realized that I had to tip over everything
I had done, even the manner I had while walking, because I needed to be more humble,
and the return walk teaches humility. It happens because you walk in a direction that is
opposite to other people, so everybody is walking towards you and you feel really like an
upstream salmon.
When you are young and you say I am upstream and you go to demonstrate, you go on
strike and you think that you are doing something against mainstream, it is nothing when
you are there. When you are in a flow, on a path that is crossed by dozens and dozens of
people who are walking towards you, you feel this mass of bodies and energy against
you, and if you do not find the balance on the way, you fall. You walk upstream, you do
not know anyone, and you do not have a goal any more. Not having a goal, not making
friends, having the feeling of a big mass of corps that wants to drag you behind, being
lonelyall these things teach you that you have to continuously question yourself, even
during the walk, because it is not certain that the walk itself will teach you something.
There are people that do the walks several times without changing their lifestyle. I mean,
perhaps they use the same violence against people, against colleagues and employees.
Often during the walk you can meet entrepreneurs and people who have important roles;
during the walk they may be wonderful persons, but when they go back home they take
advantage of workers as they used to do before the walk, and this is not good. The issue
is how to walk not judging the others, it is a matter of self-work, because even you, even
if you do not have a powerful role in society, you do exert power. The wayfarer refuses
power, he refuses the ego and the individualism that makes each of us self-referential.
This is why walking for long, reaching that rope, understanding our limits, coming back
to a home that does not exist any more teaches you many things; I learned a lot from that.
I started to write because finally I understood some things, even if I still have to solve
them, and I wanted to collect them. The book I wrote, Alzati e Cammina (Stand Up
and Walk), is a book about which I thought during all these years. In order to write it I
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had to look back, at the pictures I took during the first walks, the pictures of the people I
met, and I had to look at those words I collected and at the exercises that I transcribed. It
was very difficult for me, because it was like being in front of a mirror. I do not consider
myself as a better person than before, but the walk taught me to see all my limits and
flaws, and when you see them you manage to make them floating in the air like a juggler.
You are not happier, but you are definitely on your way to happiness.
7 - Which effects did the walks have on your life?

Many effects, starting with relationships, friendshipsI left some jobs, I left some
friends, I left some relationships, I started to say many NO: my generation of under 40
is being told to accept everything, and then you ask yourself why?, and you answer
yourself that you have to pay the bills. Well, what is the sense of that? You will always
find a way to pay the bills. Indeed, you should accept something that would make you
feel calm, you should accept a situation when someone does not step on you, because you
cannot think of going for a long walk once per year and then coming back in your daily
life and being stepped on. You cannot be free on the walk and a prisoner in your life, it
does not make sense, this is the issue.
The walk reaches the point in which it tells you to stop faking, why do you feel free and
happy on the walk and you go back in your previous cell? The walk is not an escape, you
can walk even standing still. You can walk even inside a prison, or in a hospital room; the
sense is that we can be free wayfarer in any kind of situation, the walk teaches you that.
You can stay on the walk as a host, for instance. You can offer hospitality to wayfarers
that arrive. So I started to say a series of no to jobs and people that I did not recognize
myself with any more that were part of my previous life.
At the same time, while you are on a walk you have some effects and some benefits,
because you release endorphins, it is a complete and continuous release of endorphins, it
is as if you were always on drugs when you are walking, you have this sensation of being
on drugs. Obviously it is an euphoria that sometimes has to be limited, because otherwise
euphoria leads to the maximum individualism, so it has always to be mitigated with the
acceptation of bad days, of the rainyou have to learn to walk under the rain, in the cold
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weather, even when you slip and hurt yourself. When you manage to accept everything,
when you do not say today it is sunny, lets go for a walk, but today it is rainy, lets go
for a walk anyway, today it is cold, lets go, today I am alone and I will go anyway,
I am in a company of people that i do not really like but I will go anyway. You have to
manage to always stand still in any situation. Then, if you do not bring all these learning
into your daily life, it was useless. The aim, in my opinion, is trying to merge the life of
the walk and the daily life. You cannot walk every day, and you cannot keep still all the
time neither: we are nomads and sedentary. Finding the balance between these two
lifestyles having the same values, the same manners, the same view, the same way to see
the world both on the walk and inside our flat means being faithful to the walk.
8 - Is there a way to make these changes effect your daily life?
Well, for example I organise a Festival called Festival of Wayfaring, this is the third
edition, it is in Monterigioni, on the Via Francigena. We collaborate with an Association
that promotes the culture of slowness in Italy, which is called Movimento Lento (Slow
Movement).
This Festival wants to be a three days- party for all the people, who already had this
experience, on foot or by bike, and for people who are willing to have it, or for people
who think they could not have it because they consider themselves as physically not
suitable for long walks.
During the three days there is entertainment, conferences, debates, music concerts, and
everything is outdoor. There is no difference between the artists, wayfarers and writers
and the public: everybody is at the same level. The aim is to create an open community.
There is also the Compagnia dei Cammini (the Company of Walks), of which I am a
member and a guide, and this became one of my jobs, so these are changes as well:
organising a festival, becoming a guide that leads groups to walk in Italy, in Slovenian, in
Croatia, in Spain.
I also set up a club called Rolling Clubs, we are almost all from the Triveneto, even if
there are some people from Sicily and from Portugalfriends that met each other during
the walks over the years, and that we then united around this idea of going every year,
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leaving on the 25th of April, in order to celebrate the Liberation on the street, from a
different place in Triveneto to Venice, following the ancient routes of pilgrims and
wayfarers because nobody walks them any more, because the posh North-East that have
known poverty, solidarity until 50 years ago, appears to have forgotten everything.
Therefore we are trying to bring back this culture of slowness, of welcome, of friendship,
of the rescue of traditions and languages that are disappearing. There are many things that
you bring back from the walk, for me it was starting new jobs, and starting projects that
could help my territory, my land.
Finally, it is not only getting on a flight and reaching a place, reaching Santiago, going to
do trekking in England or the trekking of Appalachian Mountains in the USA; it is
bringing back home everything.
For me it is a political action, because walking, especially with others, I think we can
change many things.
WALK YOUR CITY ROBERTA MEDINI

1 - When did your passion for walking start?
I started to develop a passion for walking only 4 years ago. I have always done sports, but
I never did long walks previously.
I started with a group of crazy people who thought to merge their passion for walking
with something more; the idea comes from Antonio Moresco, who is a writer that after
years of hearing people complaining about the Italian situation asked himself what we
could really do about it. He realized that we could complain, we could have meetings,
public demonstrations, strikesbut in the end the best way is re-activating the
consciences and the bodies of Italians by walking.
Eventually I read about their first initiative, which was a walk from Milan to Naples, and
I thought I could try to join for some days. It was like an epiphany. I participated to 4
stops and even before going back home I was already planning to come back walking
with them; it was a 40 days walk, so there actually was the possibility for me to join them
again, and so I walked other 4-5 days with them.
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It was very exciting.

That particular walk, which was the first of the group, was made in order to celebrate the
150 years old of Italy as a Democracy. At the end of the walk, in September, the group
had a party and they asked who wanted to join the staff, all made by volunteers from
different areas of Italy, different age and different social class. I joined the staff and then
we planned the sequent walk that was Stella dItalia, made by 5 walks starting in 5
cities: Genoa, Venice, Santa Maria di Leuca, Messina and Rome and all ending on the
same day at LAquila. At that walk I participated to 20 days, from Assisi to LAquila. I
saw people that I met at the previous walk; I met new extraordinary people, many
associations, and administrations. In some occasions we have been welcomed very
warmly, other times less warmly, sometimes we have even welcomed by people met on
the road.
The locals had different reactions: some told us that we were crazy, some gave us fresh
water and food, some even offered us a lift during bad weather, ignoring that we had to
walk anyway. At LAquila, we had a great party with locals: it was amazing.
The third walk I took part at was last year, in 2013, and I walked the whole path, it was
an international path, we left at Mantua and arrived at Strasbourg, passing through
Switzerland, France and Germany. We walked for 35 days, 1.200 km in total. The aim of
the walk was to handle a letter to the European Parliament in order to explain our idea of
Europe, which is different from the one that is presented to us: Mr Schulz welcomed us in
the Parliament and listened to our ideas. The relationship with the locals has been a bit
different because we were foreigners: we found very warm people but also others that
were colder.
2 - What was the effect of walking on you?
The walk was stunning for many reasons. First of all I had to find the time to reach these
people and to walk with them. Secondly, in a few days we walked for a few km only,
from a village to another, whereas if we were driving we would have moved much
further; however, when you walk your perception changes, it seems like you are walking
a lot and seeing a lot of placesat the end of one day of walking it seems as if a week
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has past. You felt many emotions, you had many stimulus, youve seen the sun, the rain,
the wind, all in the same day.
Finally, freedom. When you walk, you feel free. Nothing else has never given me this
sensation. The walk was itinerant, so it was like going on all the time, the backpack was
essential, so you only had necessary stuff like the sleeping bag, a mat, some clothes,
some food, and nothing else. The feeling is like you could never stop. And every time I
have to pack a new backpack for a new journey, I reduce the amount of stuff I bring with
me, because I always bring something that is unnecessary.
The amazing thing is that, when you realize that you do miss something, someone else
would probably have it. So the group is fundamental. Our walks are always based on
groups. But even if you are a lonely walker, you will always find what you miss during
your journey. There is always a special solidarity between walkers.
3 - How important are relationships during the walk?
As I never walked before, I did not need to walk alone, whilst I know some people do. To
me sharing the walks with other people was fundamental, each with its lacks and virtues.
Inevitably, staying in contact with each other for many hours, while sharing strains and
hunger, makes also the worst part of each other come out, and we had to face it.
However, I met wonderful people, like-minded people, and after only a day of walking I
established friendships that I guess I will take on with me until my death. What you tell
each other during the walk free your mind from thoughts but it also held you to think
more, it is a weird mixture, you think but also you do not think to some physical and
mental burdens. You go back to primary needs, you are sleepy because you are tired, you
are hungry because you walked for many km, you are thirsty because its hot, you do not
feel boredom, you do not eat or sleep because you do not know what else to do. We
moved around following the rhythm of daylight, so we used to leave at sunrise and stop
at sunset, destroyed but happy and still willing to share, laugh, chat and have fun with
each other. It is a dimension that is easy to be lost in our daily life. Nowadays we do not
even speak with our neighbours, whilst between walkers you always greet each other,
even if you do not know each other.
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Finally, thanks to the walks I established these strong friendships with people who
otherwise I would have not probably even met at all, because they come from different
Regions, or they are very older or younger than me, or they do completely different jobs
than mine. Hence, the destiny made us meet and I do believe that with these people I will
always share certain sentiments forever.
4 - What does walking change in walkers life?
When you walk, many things become secondary. It is incredible how during the days of
the walks I had we could stand almost every sort of issue, like bad sleep, small food, bad
weatherThe only arguments we had always happened on the day off, so I think walking
allows people to live differently.
5 - What is the Nomad Republic?

The Nomad Republic was born from 2 ideas: nomadism, which is a different lifestyle,
different from the main one of being settled in a specific place; Republic, which for us
means sharing, talking and debating in order to take decisions. During our walks when
we were discussing about the leitmotiv of our journey everybody could speak and all the
ideas and proposals were equally taken in consideration.
The Nomad Republic is therefore a democratic group of people who are on the move
with their bodies and their minds as well.
WALK YOUR CITY SARAH MARDER

1- Who are you and what is your relation to walking?
I am a person, Im a mother, and a filmmaker, American, and Ive lived in Italy for over
25 years.
My relationship with walking is just that I walk. I walk as much as I can, but for a long
time, you know, being an American I grew up in a kind of car centred situation: you get
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in the car, you go somewhere and you get out, you just get something, you get in the car
and you go somewhere else Its really just since Ive been here that gradually I came
up with the idea that its better for me if I move around on foot than in other ways.
2- What brought you to Janets Walk?
I got in touch with Janes Walk because I know about Jane Jacobs, and I know about Jane
Jacobs because I am making a film about place, called The Genius Of A Place, and
because I am working on this film and I am thinking about the topic of place, I started
reading a lot of urban texts and among them I read, of course, Jane Jacobs. I just really
like her style and approach. And I also like the fact that she was an outsider, a nonexpert, a mother, a womanand she took upon herself to just kind of like take on the
experts and tell them that thy werent doing things that were functioning for the
community, you know, they were making these big projectsbut actually they were
tearing apart communities so they werent really helping them. Then somehow I guess I
came you know to understand that Janes Walk existed and I did a search at a certain
point to see if there were walks in Milan and there were not, so I wrote to them and said,
you know, is there anything I can do?, and they said Why dont you become the city
organiser and organise the first Janes Walk in Milan, so one thing led to another and it
seems just like a little way to do something for the city where I live, my adopted city that
I love actually.
3- What is The Genius Of A Place?
The Genius Of A Place is really like maybe a vast and abstract concept. I think even if
you listen to the term and you start thinking about it youre already getting a little bit
closer to understand that a place can have a genius. And what does that mean,
genius? Its like personality, its character, its needs, and its aspirations. I think in
ancient times people were just much closer to this, I mean it comes from Latin, Genius
Loci, and they knew and respect even the word, the genius of a place, they knew that a
place had personality, whereas today we live in this fast pace world and its all about
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mobility and speed and so the world is just kind of like racing into two places three
places et ceteraWeve lost the sense that actually a place has, its personality,
characteristics that we can slow down, admire, cultivate, protect and so I guess the film
ultimately is about kind of putting down routes again, I mean, before people were routed,
you know, society wasnt as mobile as it is today so you grew up you lived in a place you
worked there you knew that your survival would depend on the wellbeing of the place,
whereas now its not like that. You know, of course weve got forward, we progressed in
a lot of ways, but I think the film ultimately is about how the wellbeing of people is interrelated with the wellbeing of places, and so if we want to be healthy and happy and
feeling gratified in life we need to take care of the places where we live and where we
work, because if we dont were really undermining our human being.
4 - What are for you Non Places?
There are a lot of places that have become non-places, even places that were placesfor
instance with the car you just go through, you know, you just drive fast, you drive
through places that before were neighbourhoods, and people were out walking and doing
their errands and meeting neighbours and so I think the car tends to transform places into
non places.
5 - Can walking change your life?
Yes, it can. It can change your life and lifestyle and actually I am an example of that.
When I moved here, well, I have 4 children, so I mean for a quiet some time we had 2
cars and, you know, wed get around the city sometimes, not always but, I mean, I have
always liked public transportation in the city but you know using the car and take them to
birthday parties and swimming lessons and hassle in finding parking, you know I mean I
used the car with some frequency, not constantly, but you struggle to find parking and
then you forget to move it on the date when they are cleaning the streets and its took
away and then somebody breaks the window, soat a certain point maybe 7 years ago I
decided I would eliminated my car, so now we only have one car which we use just on
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weekends we go away. So I live without a car, really, in my everyday life. And it has
changed my life so I live now in Milan, even its a city, I am living it as it were a town,
so I walk almost everywhere I can, you know, I do errands, I take my daughter to school
on foot, I do everything I can on foot and it has changed my life, it changed my
perception of the city, I have to say I have come to love Milan whereas before I didnt
like it, you know, this big dysfunctional cityand now that Ive moved around on foot I
really like it so much more, on Facebook I am always taking pictures of, you know, a
beautiful door or you know window or entrance and people comment or you take so
beautiful pictures and I am like well, if you walk around central Milan, theres some
many beautiful things that you dont see if you are in a car, on a bus or in a subway, even
if you are on a bike, because, I mean, I like biking too but, you know, even thats faster
and youll see less and enjoy less.
6 - Why should people walk?
I grew up in a period when I mean there was a whole environmental movement but it was
something likeI dont known I was never like an environmentalist or something. But I
have come with things like environmentalism is not any more just about forest like, you
know, the Amazonia and danger tigers, I mean, its that, too, but actually to make it work
is to come in the cities, and like people have to live in a more environmental way, and I
think a big part of that is figuring that out, is helping people to see that actually doing
things like walking as much as possible its a way of doing all sorts of things like making
our cities healthier and making ourselves healthier, and so its all kind of together, I
mean, I think we have to bring more countryside and more kind of healthy habits into our
urban living, thats kind of like the way I see forward and so anything that we can do that
help encouraging that sort of behaviour its not just save the planet really I think its to
save humanity. I we want to live well and be healthy we have to do these things so then
our environments are healthy because otherwise were just really creating problems for
ourselves. I think its just part of an overall effort that we need to do and not because its
like you have to walk, but because its fun its enjoyable, it improves your health rather
than sitting all day long and then moving around from one place to another sitting.
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WALK YOUR CITY FRANCISCA PARRINO

1 - Genitori Anti Smog: what is it?
Genitori Anti Smog (Parents against Smog) is an Association that was born in 2001,
when there had been a moment of very high pollution within the city of Milan, so the
Councillor of that time invited not to take out children. So a group of mums met in the
streets in order to protest and the Association was born from that, so at the beginning it
was called Mums against Smog. In 2007 we became Genitori Anti Smog, and the
association has 3 principal activities: we collect all the information and scientific studies
regarding the research about pollution and about the effects that it has on peoples health;
we have a website that is always updated with all the latest studies; we put pressure on
the local administration in order to make them adopt the most efficient methods to reduce
CO2 emission and pollution. We also try to influence the National administration and the
European Union.
Our projects are our main method of behaviour change. Siamo Nati Per Camminare (We
Are Born To Walk) is one of them. We get on the ground and we try to modify step-bystep reality and the perception that people have of the city and of moving around within
the city.
2 - What is Siamo Nati Per Camminare?
Siamo Nati Per Camminare was born 4 years ago, it is a very simple initiative: we invited
all the Primary School students of Milan to go to school for a week without using the car,
so on foot, by bike or by public transport. It was an experiment and we did not know
what could happen, but we wanted to try. It is not very academic, as an experiment,
because the aim is not educating children regarding the benefits of walking, but make
children discover them by simply making them walk. From this point of view the project
was a success; the choice of not proposing contents but only giving children freedom to
re-elaborate what they felt after this experience worked very well.
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Children are very competent in this field; they do not need to be educated regarding the
benefits of walking because they already know them perfectly. They know all the benefits
for the health, for socialization, for the discovery of the city. The only issue is putting
them in a condition that allows them to do it (to walk). One of the reasons because
children in Milan and all over Italy are not very autonomous when they have to move
from A to B, not only from home to school, but also on every moving in the city. They
always need to be accompanied, because the traffic is very dangerous and it is one of the
reasons that discourage parents to let children to walk on their own around.
Therefore the real aim of this project is bringing as many people as possible to walk, in
order to increase the public demand for pedestrians rights, for safe, clean and pleasant
streets, and in order to make it possible for the children to be autonomous on transport.
For a child walking alone is very different from walking with adults, it is a different
experience, much more intense, rich and strong. Children need to do some things on their
own, as well as they need to play without adults around, sometimes.
3 - How does the perception change during a walk?
During a walk the perception changes, and it does change even more when the
participants to the walk are many. This year Siamo Nati Per Camminare involved 10.000
kids, and for this project numbers are fundamental. When students of many schools of the
same borough go to school on foot or by bike, the perception changes immediately: the
parents told us that during the experimental week there were no second rows of cars in
front of schools, there was less noise, everybody was more joyfuland this happened
because almost everybody participated. If only a few children participated, nobody would
have noticed a difference in traffic. Therefore, in my opinion, the strength of this
initiative is that we concentrate in one week all the energies and resources in order to give
immediately the perception of how it could be if we stop using cars. And people, if
experiments, understands much more.
4 - How important is to involve a community, especially regarding teenagers?
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A communal experience is fundamental, firstly because you crossover (?) psychological

barriers. We would like walking to become a cool activity, much more than using the car.
In order to reach this objective we have to change the stereotypes that people have,
though, especially if we speak about teenagers. Walking is not seen as cool at all, yet.
Biking is starting to have more appeal, but not walking.
Therefore there is a need to create something that could engage teenagers. Events could
be a strategy. A fixed day, funny activities, many people, are fundamental characteristics,
because they gave to the event a sort of identity to share with others, and automatically
they become more acceptable.
There are many experiences, like Cesena Cammina: it is a project of the doctors of
Cesena NHS, and it consists of a weekly walk from 7 to 8 pm to which the whole city
participates. This walk became something very natural to the community, and it happened
because the participants were many and they were sharing an experience.
5 - Do you agree with the theory that states that walking stimulates creativity?
Well, the most beautiful thing about this project is that it works with Primary Schools, so
children do not have those mental structures typical of adults. They are still so not
rhetorical, unconventional, they have a free mind that let them catch some shades, which
probably only wise men after a life spent on foot could catch.
For example a child cemented: I like walking because touching the ground I feel as I
am a better personit could be a phrase wrote on a philosophical essay about the
philosophy of walking, but it was thought by a 7 years old child; we have hundreds of
comments by the children that demonstrates to have an incredible competence that over
the years decreases. It is a kind of immediate- and not mediated- knowledge that is a
treasure and that re-establish the priorities ladder. For the children it is important to have
the possibility to speak with many other people on foot and meet new people, while it is
impossible travelling by car, the possibility to see the city; they know that walking makes
you feel better, it removes sad thoughtsall things that we know are based on scientific
research, but children have a direct perception of these and that is the value of our
experiment.
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APPENDIX 4 TRANSCRIPTION OF STUDENT INTERVIEWS

1 - How many minutes or km on average do you walk per day and why?
F: 2/3 km, when I go running 6 km.

F: everyday I walk with my neighbour around 30 minutes because I like it and it is
healthy.
F: 40 minutes, always. From home to school and back, or sometimes I go to Mompiano
where I volunteer for a charity. In general I walk to get from home to the bus stop and
back, and sometimes I also have a run.
F: 1 hour, from the station to the school and back, and from home to the gym.
M: 20-30 minutes. I walk to get from A to B or to listen to some music, to have a rest.
F: 30 minutes. From The station to the school and back (Mon to Fri), but during the
weekend I do not walk, really.
F: 30 minutes. From The station to the school and back (Mon to Fri), but during the
weekend I do not walk, really.
F: 30 minutes from home to the school and back, and in general if I have to walk I like it,
I walk because it is also good for me.
F: 1 hour, from home to the school and back, and sometimes I have a walk in the park.
F: 30 minutes, from home to the school and back, if I go out I walk more. I like it, it is
sometimes necessary but it is also relaxing.
F: 30 minutes, from home to the school and back, if I go out I walk more. I like it, it is
sometimes necessary but it is also relaxing.
F: I prefer to run. If I walk I walk when I go to the mountain, or I have a walk on the
seaside. In the cityJust from the bus stop to the school and back, because I prefer to
run.
F: Maximum 5 km, I walk at home. My activitiesI study or I stay seated watching
TVDuring the weekend, during my spare time I walk a bit more.
F: The only walk is the route from the car park to the schoolwhen I go out in the
weekend I walk more.
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F: 1 hour from home to Piazza Loggia, and then from the bus stop to the school and back.
F: 30 minutes, from the station to the school.
F: 30 minutes, form the station to the school.
M: 10 minutes. Normally I take the train to Brescia and so I have to walk a few minutes
on average because I do not need to walk more.
F: 10 minutes, from home to the bus stop and back. Every time I go out I walk or cycle,
though.
M: 2 hours. I take the dog out.
M: 1 km. I live in a campus and walking is the only mode of transport.
M: 3/4 km from home to work.
M: I do not walk a lot, but my job is pretty physical so I move a lot.
F: At work I walk the whole day.
M: 2 km, only if I go shopping.
M: 15 minutes to walk the dog.
M: Enough, from home to the school and back and I go to my friends on foot and they
are about 20 minutes by walk from mine.
M: 6-8 km, because the station is at 3 km by walking from the school. I come from Chiari
so I take the train and then walk. And from my house t my friends as well, around 2 km.
M: Enough, because I live at 20 minutes from the school so it is 40 minutes in total and I
visit my friends on foot as well.
F: Only a few minutes because I walk from the tube to the school and back and it is close,
and my friends all live close to mine.
M: 3 hours. I go to the school and back, I go out with friends, because we live in the city,
so we do not need to take the public transport, everything is close because Brescia is a
small city and it is easy to walk around.
M: We walk together, we are always together, we walk a lot, we do not have a
motorcycle or a car and we are always quite a few to hang out, even to go to some clubs,
even far from the city centre, we walk there or we use the public transport
F: It depends. When I have lectures I only walk from the parking to the classroom, when
I am on placement I walk for 8 hours.
F: 40 minutes per day, from home to school
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M: 1 hour, I live in a small town on the mountains, so I walk every time I need to move
when I cannot use the car.
F: 30 minutes, from home to the bus stop and from the tube station to the school, and
when I do not go to school I try to have a walk instead, because it makes me feel better
and I do some exercise.
F: 4 km, from the bus stop to the school and back, and I do physical activity everyday
F: I do not walk a lot because my parents drive me to school and they leave me in front of
the school, but sometimes I have a walk in the afternoon.
2 - If there were an organization that would organize public walks that could take
young people from the suburbs and boroughs to the city centre, in order to avoid
the use of the car, do you think it could be useful and that you would use it?
F: Absolutely, it would be more comfortable, without having to ask parents to drive us in

the city, and also there will be less cars and traffic and smog.
F: Yes, it would be more comfortable.
F: Yes, first of all on Saturday nights it would be useful, maybe even from the closest
towns like Borgosatollo, Yes it would be great.
F: I think it would be useful because Brescia is one of the most polluted cities of Italy,
but I do not think that the youth will be wiling to walk on Saturday nights because I think
they have other interests.
M: Maybe. I am very lazy, but if it will happen I could participate.
F: Yes, of course. It is a beautiful idea. They also put the city bikes, but they are used
during the day and not in the evenings.
F: I think it is a good idea but I would not participate because I live in the city center
already.
F: I would use it because I like walking, but I do not think that the youth would use it.
F: Yes it would be great.
F: Yes I would participate.
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F: It would be useful but I could not participate because I live very far from the city,
about an hour by train.
F: It would be useful but it depends on what I will have to do.
M: We do not live in the city but also in our town the youth and especially girls are
scared to go out in the evening and maybe they ask their parents to drive them. So I do
not know the situation in the city but I guess that it is similar and therefore I think it is a
nice initiative, it would be functional, maybe it would succeed in even creating some
groups, it would increase socialization between people.
F: For me it could be useful because who does not have the driving license or does not
own a car could go in the city centre anyway.
M: I guess so.
M: Frankly I do not think I would use it, it depends where it starts, because if it starts
from a reasonable distance so I would not have to walk for 3 km, maybe I could join, bur
personally I do not think I would use it.
M: It depends on the group, and the idea, it may be, to go out for a drink all together, a
way of knowing new people.
M: It depends on the group, and the idea, it may be, to go out for a drink all together, a
F: It depends on the group, and the idea, it may be, to go out for a drink all together, a
M: I generally do not go out on Saturday night, it is a nice idea but I would not use it
M: It would be nice to walk with other people; it is always better walking together than
walking alone. It is a starting point to spend a Saturday night with company.
M: Yes I think I would use it.
M: Yes especially for socializing, for knowing new people more than for the walking
itself, because I walk already on my own.
M: Yes I would participate.
F: Yes it would be nice.
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M: Well, we always walk together; we are always a minimum of 6-7 to go into pubs and
clubs, so we dont need it.
M: It depends by the people who are there, maybe if we are all friends, it could be
interesting to socialize with new people, so it could be an interesting initiative, but I do
not know now if I would participate, it will depend.
F: Not really.
F: It would be useful maybe once instead of using the car, and anyway having a walk is
always good.
M: Yes, it would be useful, I do not go out very often not even by car, so I would not use
it, but I think it would be useful for other people I know.
Yes, because I live in Via Milano and walking alone in the evening is a bit dangerous, so
in a group I would do it.
F: I would be very interested, if we are in a group, because usually is difficult to find a
lift after disco parties to go back home, often the parents are not available, so if there
would be a group of people that organise these initiative it would be useful, very useful.
F: I think it would be useful also because it could be a good reason to meet new people,
hanging around with new friends and it would be useful because often parents are not
available to drive the sons to the clubs.
3 - If not, why? If not you, do you have an idea if in general the youth would
participate?
F: I think the youth know that walking is good for them, instead of always driving cars,
maybe also to work out what they eat. I guess it will be enough make them thinking that
walking is good.
F: The only issue is that if someone changes idea of where to go then he/she has to be left
alone.
F: I do not think the youth will use it, maybe more adults.
F: The walks are slower than cars.
F: I think it depends because I have some friends that always stay in front of the
television and others more sportive like me who would participate, so it depends.
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M: Because there is the car, yes, maybe you agree with your friends that one evening one
of you do not drink and then you turn. If I would live in Mompiano for example I do not
think I would use it.
Because if I go out I go out with friends and mixing with other people is a bit weird, I
would not like it.
APPENDIX 5 PROJECTS TIMELINE

WALK YOUR KINGSTON YEAR 0
Table 1 - Walk Your Kingston scheduling
Creating PPT presentation of Walk Your Kingston for the Freshers week
September
sharing of the pitch video via Facebook - preparing flyers and poster for
2014
the Freshers week stand

Freshers week presentation and stand collecting email of interested
students and staff ask for volunteers
First newsletter for follow up of the Freshers week, with links to
Facebook page and Facebook group
First meeting with the members to set up a society (advertised via
Mailchimp and Facebook)
With the members, preparing Sandwich Board for the meeting point: every
Wednesday students and staff will meet at Penrhyn Road Campus and
September
2014
September
2014
September
2014
October
2014
walk together to the train station (1.12654 km each day)

Organizing a meeting for the members via Facebook Group/Mailchimp
October
2014
Preparing necessary documents for the Walk Leader Training Course
October
2014
Walk Leader Training course
November
2014
Sharing of pictures of the training course via MailChimp and Facebook
November
2014
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Creating poster/flyer for Bushy Walk to distribute during Inauguralk Walk
January
2015
Inaugural walk from Penrhyn Road campus to Kingston Bridge and then
competition to reach Knights Park campus with final party at KUSU
January
2015
Coconut pub and prizes for the winners (free drinks)

Collecting contacts of Facebook/ email to insert them into Facebook
group/ newsletter
Sharing pictures of the Inaugural Walk via Mailchimp and Facebook
January
2015
January
2015
Organizing a meeting for the members via Facebook Group/ newsletter
January
2015
Creating poster/flyer for Walk Your Shopping + start promoting it
January
2015
Bushy Park Walk: walk from Kingston Hospital to The Pheasantry of
February
Bushy Park + bring a typical dessert with you (the best meal will win a
2015
prize) + lunch together

Sharing of pictures of the Bushy Park Walk via MailChimp and Facebook
February
2015
February
2015
Creating poster/flyer for Walk Your Easter (to distribute during Walk Your
Shopping)
Walk Your Shopping: walk from Clayhill Halls of Residence to the
Kingston Market, plus shopping game (buy a present for someone
February
2015
March
2015
unknown) and drink together at a pub to define

Sharing of pictures of Walk Your Shopping via MailChimp and Facebook
March
2015
March
2015
Update statistics about the participants to insert into the Business Plan
March
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2015
Walk Your Easter: walk from Kingston Railway station to Richmond
April 2015
Park, plus bring your Easter egg (we will decorate them together, and the
best will win a prize) and drink together at a pub to define
Sharing of pictures of Walk Your Easter via MailChimp and Facebook
April 2015
April 2015
April 2015
Creating poster/flyer for One Year Walk Your Kingston and start
April/May
promoting it
One Year of Walk Your Kingston walk from Seething Wells through
2015
June 2015
Clayhill and Knights Park to Penrhyn Road (at each station there will be
a short entertainment in collaboration with the International Youth Art
Festival) + party in the courtyard
Sharing of pictures of One Year of Walk Your Kingston via MailChimp
June 2015
and Facebook
Changing roles, eventually modify the mission
June 2015
Finalize the Business Plan
June 2015
WALK YOUR CITY YEAR 1
Table 2 - Walk Your City scheduling
Finalizing the project + applying to Funds and Grants for Charities and
Spring 2015
Social Enterprises
Recruiting team members
Spring 2015
Preparing documents and applying for becoming an ARCI Cultural
July/ August
Association
Opening Facebook Page, Facebook Group, Twitter, Instagram, G+ and
Foursquare account + designing newsletter via Mailchimp
2015
September
2015
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Launching of the Website via Facebook/ Twitter and other Social Media
September
2015
Launching in schools and universities the contest for High School and
September
Fine Arts Academy students in order to reproduce a beautiful hidden
2015
corner of the city (see below Walk your Art)

Creating Facebook Event and digital poster for Walk Your Nature +
starting promotion
Walk Your Nature with the AGESCI movement (Scout) + collecting
flowers and learn how to store them (the best composition wins) + lunch
September
2015
September
2015
together
Collecting contacts of Facebook/ email to insert them into Facebook
group/ newsletter
Creating the first newsletter on MailChimp + sharing pictures of the Walk
Your Nature via Website/ Mailchimp/ Facebook/ Social Media
September
2015
September
2015
September
2015
Creating Facebook Event and digital poster for Walk Your Food + starting
promotion
Walk Your Food food and wine tasting walk with Slow Food Brescia
and BresciaVini with cookery competition and winners
Sharing of pictures of Walk Your Food via Website/ MailChimp/
Facebook/ Social media
October
2015
October
2015
October
2015
October
2015
Launching of the online gamification part, Count Your Walk (online
October
launch + 4 offline flash mob in Piazza della Loggia, Piazza Duomo,
2015
Piazza Vittoria and Freccia Rossa Shopping Centre)

Selecting the students art pieces
November
2015
Creating Facebook Event and digital poster for Walk Your Art +
November
146
starting promotion
2015
Walk Your Art treasure hunt of art pieces in hidden beautiful corners
November
of the city with Liceo Leonardo (Art High School), Santagiulia Academy
2015
of Fine Arts and LABA(Free Academy of Fine Arts) + prizes for the best
art piece
Sharing of pictures of Walk Your Art via Website/ MailChimp/ Facebook/
Social Media
November
2015
November
2015
Creating Facebook Event and digital poster for Walk Your Culture +
starting promotion
Walk Your Culture treasure hunt/historical walk with Itinerari Brescia
+ prizes for the winners
Sharing of pictures of Walk Your Culture via Website/ MailChimp/
Facebook/ Social Media
January
2016
January
2016
January
2016
January
2016
Creating Facebook Event and digital poster for Walk Your Health +
starting promotion
Walk Your Health leisure walk in different city parks with ASL
Brescia + pictures competition
Sharing of pictures of Walk Your Health via Website/ MailChimp/
February
2016
February
2016
February
2016
February
2016
Creating Facebook Event and digital poster for Walk Your Wild +
March 2016
starting promotion
Walk Your Wild trekking with Europa Sporting Club instructors, to
March 2016
pay + Insta-video competition (videos on instagram)

Sharing of pictures of Walk Your Wild via Website/ MailChimp/
March 2016
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March 2016
Creating Facebook Event and digital poster for Walk Your Way +
April 2016
starting promotion
Walk Your Way with Vittime della Strada ONLUS + best dancing
April 2016
video competition
Sharing of pictures of Walk Your Way via Website/ MailChimp/
April 2016

April 2016
Creating Facebook Event and digital poster for Walk Your Art- theatre
May 2016
edition + starting promotion

Walk Your Art with Teatro19 and Improvvisazione Teatrale (itinerant
May 2016
theatre pieces + final workshop of theatre improvisation competition and

prizes)
Sharing of pictures of Walk Your Art- theatre edition via Website/
May 2016
MailChimp/ Facebook/ Social Media

May 2016
Creating Facebook Event and digital poster for Walk Your Nature-
June 2016
Urban Gardening + starting promotion

Walk Your Nature- Urban Gardening itinerant Guerrilla Gardening
June 2016
workshop with El Botanique + best green guerrillero prize + pic nic by

Gruppo Free.Da
Sharing of pictures of Walk Your Nature- in da city via Website/
June 2016
MailChimp/ Facebook/ Social Media

June 2016
Finalize the Business Plan and developing the process for the further years
June 2016
APPENDIX 6 WALK YOUR CITY WEBSITE BRIEF

Walk Your City is an ARCI cultural association, which ultimate mission is to stimulate
young people to a more active life, with particular focus on the importance of walking
148
every day. It is born in 2014 from the idea of Francesca Piazza, expert in Social Media,
Video Communication and Event Organizing
The association organizes walking tours and group walks basing on different themes:
-
Walk Your Culture: historical/ cultural;
Walk Your Food: food and wine;
Walk Your Nature: natural/leisurely;
Walk Your Wild: hiking/climbing walks to be paid by participants;
Walk Your Art: contemporary art (section primarily dedicated to young people);
Walk Your Health: (section particularly dedicated for heart patients and people
affected by psychiatric diseases in collaboration with ASL Brescia and ARETE
ONLUS)
Walk Your Way: walks in collaboration with Associazione Vittime della Strada
Brescia (Street Victims Association), organized to guide young people during the
journey on foot towards big events/ concerts. There will be group walks (with
precedent booking) leaving from each borough, and the same groups will then go
back at two scheduled times. Is this an event especially designed to avoid that
young people drive when they drink alcohol.
Walk You City, being member of ARCI, will require a subscription by participants to the
walks. However, the official inquiry of subscription will be only after the second event,
in order to allow participants to have an opinion regarding the Association.
The walks will be guided by trained volunteers primarily members of other Associations
CAI (Italian Alpine Club), ANA (National Association of Alpines), AGESCI (Catholic
Scout), CNGEI (Atheist Scout), FAI (Italian Art Fund), ANP (Italian Association of
Pensioners), and FNP (National Confederation of Pensioners). The members of the
Association might propose walks, and training will be provided to who will ask to guide
walks. The only exception will be Walk Your Wild walks, which could be lead only by
fitness professionals, volunteers of UISP (Italian Union Sport for All).
149
The Association will collaborate with different other local realities, in order to organize
also, for instance, charity walks, meditating walks, or yoga trekking.
Local competitors:
http://www.scopribrescia.com/ (Business)
http://www.bresciaguide.it/ (Business)
http://www.bresciastory.it/ (Association, it is not clear, but the routes seem not to pay. If
so, they could become partners of the project)
http://www.millemonti.it/ (Business)
http://www.speleoasb.it/ (speleology)
http://itineraribrescia.it/ (not organized walks, but very informative)
National competitors (more like best practice):

http://www.cammini.eu/
http://www.deepwalking.org/
http://www.movimentolento.it/
http://www.itineraria.eu/it/
http://www.viandanzafestival.it/it/
http://www.trekkingitalia.org/
http://www.slowtourist.com/
http://camminacammina.wordpress.com/
http://www.yogalenuvole.it/Trekking_Yoga.html
International competitors/ best practice:

www.everybodywalk.org
150
http://www.ramblers.org.uk/
http://www.walkyourcity.org/
https://walkit.com/
http://www.walklondon.org.uk/
http://www.walk4life.info/
http://www.walkingforhealth.org.uk/
http://www.walkingbritain.co.uk/
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/gettingaround/walking/
http://www.walks.com/ (Business)
Mission and Objectives
The website must be clear, user-friendly, and horizontal. It must have a clean but juvenile
graphic, in order to attract young people, but also to be understood by adults.
The project will never work without a community: it has to be clear that the Asociation is
based on participation and collaboration within members.
It is aimed to facilitate walking not only because of health issues, wellbeing, ecology,
lifestyle, but also to stimulate socialization within members.
The website must have:
-
HOME;
PARTICIPA (Participate); section divided in ISCRIVITI (Subscribe) and

COLLABORA (Collaborate). The latter must be divided in GUIDA (Guide) and
SEGNALA (Notice). Iscriviti and Guida will be forms to compile online. Segnala
is inspired by Walk[yourcity], website dedicated to indicate city paths (for
instance: From this point it is a 10 minuti walk from the supermarket which
means: avoid taking the car!)
151
GUARDA (Watch): WALKNEWS, section dedicated to embedding of VImeo

videos, channel www.vimeo.com/channels/walkingalifestylechannel; video
communication will be very important for members engagement; YOUWALK,
section dedicated to the channel for members video (still not opened);
GALLERY, section dedicated to photos (linked to PICASA- INSTAGRAMPINTEREST)
LEGGI (Read); section dedicated the download of DOCUMENTI (Documents)

(Statute, Business Plan, Evaluation), RICERCHE (Researches) (Statistics,
inquiries), ISPIRAZIONI (Inspirations) (suggested books), BLOG.
AMICI (Friends): section dedicated to partners (volunteering associations, ASL)
WALKSEARCH: section dedicated to the internal search engine for organized

walks, linked to a database.
ITINERARI (Routes): section dedicated to archived routes linked to database, in

order to allow members to walk the paths autonomously. It is important to
remember that the ultimate goal of the project is to stimulate people to walk, not
to organize events with, for instance, 200 participants. If the members organize
within themselves, it is seen as positive.
FIND US: section dedicated to WHO WE ARE, CONTACTS, FAQ and

FOLLOW, which will be the link with Social Media: FACEBOOK, TWITTER,
PINTEREST and INSTAGRAM. For now the pages do not exist (it is very
important that the social buttons are placed also at the top-right corder of the
Header).
Technical Specifications
The website must have 8 pages, of which 4 with sub-sections. Contents will be given
step-by-step, therefore for the moment it is enough to keep the standard tect (Lorem
Ipsum).
152
In termini di SEO il sito deve risultare tra I primi 5 risultati di Google. Non avendo
esperienza nel campo si richiedono suggerimenti sulle keywords da utilizzare.
The domain www.walkyourcity.org already exists. Therefore, it will be chosen
www.walkyourcity.it, www.walkyourcity.it/en for the English version (fundamental for
tourists).
Usability
Target Audience (age):
-
ITALIANS: category 1 young people between 18 and 25 years; category 2

young people between 25 and 35 years; category 3 - adults between 35 and 55
years; category 4 elderly people; category 5: heart patients and people affected
by psychological diseases.
FOREIGNERS: category 6 young people between18 and 25 years; category 7

young people between 25 and 35 years; category 8 - adults between 35 and 55
years; category 9 elderly people.
In particular:
1) Walk your Culture: categories 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9;
2) Walk your Food: categories 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9;
3) Walk your Nature: categories 2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9;
4) Walk your Wild: categories 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8;
5) Walk your Art: categories 1,2;
6) Walk your Health: categories 4, 5;
7) Walk Your Way: categories 1, 2.
Target Audience (social class): Middle-class*.
Target Audience (education): High School diploma/ BA Degree/ MA Degree **.
* and ** except categories 4 and 5.
153
Testing: the website has to be accessible with every standard browser (Chrome, Firefox,
Avast, Safari, IE), smartphones and tablets (Macintosh, Android, Windows). Heavy
technologies like Flash must be avoided.
Functional Specifications
The editors of the website must have the possibility to modify both text and multimedia
contents.
There must be an area dedicated to the LOGIN of registered users, together with the
SIGN UP, at the top-right of the Header.
The documents in the section LEGGI must be available for the download.
The forms of the section COLLABORA, specifically the sub-sections ISCRIVITI and
GUIDA must be very clear and readable.
Comments will be active only in the section LEGGI in the sub-sections BLOG, and in all
the sub-sections of the section GUARDA.
The website must be bilingual, in Italian and English.
State of the art - details
The project is still on paper only.
The website must be online in September 2014, with a landing page, in order to stimulate
buzz and attention. The Social Media accounts will be set up in October 2014. A
selection of the downloadable documents will be ready for November 2014. The
documentary Walking A Lifestyle and Walk Your City plus some other interviews
will be available online on Vimeo around December 2014.
The website must be therefore modifiable by the content management team. The content
manager (me, at the moment) does have basic knowledge of PHP, CSS and HTML, but it
would be better to have some guidelines regarding back-hand specifics.
Timeline
Brand Identity: April/ May 2014;
154
Website: July/ August 2014.
APPENDIX 7 WALK YOUR CITY BRAND IDENTITY
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
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Inspiring Behaviour Change within the

Youth Through Event Design and

A Practice-Based Project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the

MA in Creative Industries & the Creative Economy

But the beauty is in the walking -- we are betrayed by destinations.

RESEARCH AGENDA ..................................................................................................................... 11

LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................................................................. 18

November 2013 February 2014 .................................................................................................................53

Walk Your City Fluidsurvey Survey Report ...........................................................................................69

WALK YOUR KINGSTON NICKY PHILPOTT ..........................................................................................99

APPENDIX 5 PROJECTS TIMELINE...................................................................................................... 143

WALK YOUR KINGSTON YEAR 0 ............................................................................................................. 143

APPENDIX 7 WALK YOUR CITY BRAND IDENTITY ...................................................................... 155

REFERENCES ......................................................................................................................................... 162

term in health and socialization improvement, and on a long-term in environmental

The thesis is divided into four sections.

1.1 Extensive Research Methodology

orientation). It clearly focuses on impacting the targets behaviour, by examining the

The research is divided into two sections.

1.1.2 Methods of Data Collection

1.1.3 Methods of Data Analysis

1.2 Output and Presentation

If individuals believe they cannot do something [] they are unlikely to do it, as

The Chief Proponent of Community- Based Social Marketing (CBSM), McKenzie-Mohr,

2.1 Case Study: Unilever

The campaign involved 12 UK families completing a series of monthly challenges in

Ultimately, gamification is a process that aims to enhance services with (motivational)

Six different concepts have to be clear for an effective gamification process.

2.2 Case Study: Nike

3.1 QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH

OneCouncilOneKingstons last Borough Profile of the Royal Borough of Kingston Upon

Figure 5 Physical Activity. (Osservatorio Emidemiologico, 2012:14)

The background of the participants to the survey

13 - How old are you?

Figure 5 Average Age Range of the Sample. (Piazza, 2014)

15 - Where do you live?

I prefer not to answer

Figure 6 Distribution by Geographical Location. (Piazza, 2014)

5 - Which hobbies do you cultivate ? (note that they

Figure 7 Types of Hobbies Cultivated by the Sample. (Piazza, 2014)

6 - This time select which interests youve

Figure 8 Types of Interests of the Sample. (Piazza, 2014)

7 -In which type do you see yourself ? (The

question regards how many friends youve got)

Why not youve got your group of friends, but

Let's add a seat at the table (every occasion is good to

8 - In which type do you see yourself ? (again, but

this time the question regards making new friends)

You are the life of the party

I prefer not to answer

Figure 10 Types of Modes of Socialization. (Piazza, 2014)

The physical activity of the participants to the survey

3 - Which kind of physical activity do you do

Is it ok to walk up and down the stairs? We do not have

Dance and similar

Figure 13 Types Of Practiced Physical Activity. (Piazza, 2014)

1 - Pick up a calculator and calculate: on

Other, please specify

2 - Why do you walk ? (you can select more than an answer)

I go to the training/ at the church/ any other

I prefer not to answer

Figure 16 Walking Motivations. (Piazza, 2014)

9 - How do you get out on Saturday night ? (on

Figure 17 Mode of Transport for Saturday Nights. (Piazza, 2014)