People will have the chance to share what infrastructure they need for a comfortable life, as well as assess the quality of services in the most popular places: pharmacies, stores, cafes, gyms, and parks. Based on its results, researchers will create maps and satisfaction ratings on city services in the districts of St. Petersburg.
“When designing infrastructure, it’s vital to address the needs and values of citizens. The survey will highlight the most convenient areas and those needing development. The developed maps and ratings may be useful not only for specialized committees but also administrations of city districts,” says Alexandra Nenko, the lead author of the study, an associate professor at ITMO’s Institute of Design & Urban Studies, and the head of ITMO's Quality of Urban Life Laboratory.
The citizen’s opinions will allow researchers to test the hypotheses proposed by the digital platform of the smart city of the National Center for Cognitive Research. This platform was designed to evaluate the development of St. Petersburg districts and contribute to the changes in their infrastructure.
“We want to figure out how people’s age, gender, employment, family status, and lifestyle affect their needs for special services in the city. For instance, young families would appreciate safe and appealing playgrounds, while older people – convenient pedestrian zones with trees, pharmacies, and other kinds of social infrastructure,” notes Sergey Mityagin, the director of ITMO’s Institute of Design & Urban Studies and a project manager of the digital platform of the smart city.
ITMO University invites city residents to take part in the survey till April 20. Its results will be posted on the website and the VK page of ITMO’s Institute of Design & Urban Studies in late April 2021.
