17.08.2025

Workshop with Seniors in Mannheim-Vogelstang Provides Valuable Insights on Mobility

On August 14, 2025, a workshop with seniors took place at the Fritz-Esser-Haus in Mannheim-Vogelstang. Participants mapped their personal walking routes and shared experiences about their daily mobility, offering detailed feedback on both opportunities and barriers for walking in the neighborhood. Their perspectives are crucial for developing a senior-friendly routing system and provide guidance on how to make Mannheim more walkable and livable. The event highlighted the importance of including older citizens’ voices in urban planning — ultimately benefitting all generations. We thank the team of the AWO Fritz-Esser-Haus and all participants for their active involvement.

05.08.2025

New Paper on Route Choice and Navigation for Older Pedestrians

On August 18, 2025, the Silver Ways team published the article “Route choice to inform navigation system design and accessibility analysis for older pedestrians: a scoping review” in the Journal of Transport & Health. The study examined how older adults make walking route choices, emphasizing safety and comfort over speed. By reviewing existing research, the authors highlighted critical environmental factors such as pavement quality, benches, shade, and perceived safety that should inform age-friendly navigation systems. The findings point to new directions for designing pedestrian routing tools that better reflect the needs of older populations.

Published in Journal of Transport & Health, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jth.2025.102151

05.06.2025

Sidewalk Tagathon: Mapping for Age-Friendly Cities

On June 3, 2025, the Geography Institute in Heidelberg hosted a Mapathon under the theme “Sidewalk Tagathon: Enhancing OSM for Senior Walkability.” Participants gathered in the lecture hall on Berliner Straße to map smoothness and surface tags within the Mannheim area, contributing valuable data to the ongoing Silver Ways project. This initiative develops an age-friendly routing system to improve mobility for older citizens, helping to identify safe, comfortable, and accessible walking routes. The lively event welcomed both newcomers and experienced mappers, combining community engagement with meaningful contributions to urban sustainability.

15.05.2025

Networking for Sustainable Urban Futures in Bonn

On May 13, 2025, researchers from Heidelberg University – Prof. Sven Lautenbach, Dr. Kathrin Foshag, and Johannes Huber – together with Dr. Philipp Kadel from the Municipality of Mannheim, took part in the national networking event of the Driving Urban Transitions Partnership (DUT) in Bonn. Hosted at the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), the gathering brought together projects and stakeholders working on sustainable mobility and the “15-minute City” concept. The event provided a valuable platform to exchange ideas, explore synergies, and strengthen collaboration across German initiatives dedicated to shaping more sustainable urban futures.