The City Walking project has won the Living Labs Global Award 2012 for the category of Terrassa. The City Council has awarded the two teachers from Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya (UPC) Jaume Figueras and Toni Guasch, responsible for the initiative, a certificate of recognition for having achieved this award.
City Walking promotes sport as a way to prevent cardiovascular diseases. The device, designed by UPC Barcelonatech, suggests city routes to users via de use of webpage and a Smartphone. Every suggested route will be different and will allow the user to get to know the heritage and cultural activities of their city and will also offer rewards such as discounts at various local shops. An important feature is that the device can allow doctors to monitor patients’ physical activity.
The Deputy Mayor for Economic Development and Innovation, Carmen Labòria, highlighted that that the project was chosen to provide the best solution in the field of community health. Labòria believes that, in addition, the Living Labs Global Award 2012 will help increase the international projection of Terrassa: “One of the main objectives of our mandate is to project the city internationally, and to strengthen businesses and the industry associated with innovation and knowledge. So I think that the two strategic priorities of our mandate were covered by taking part in the Living Labs Global Award 2012. We are committed to participate as a city. We took part in 2012 and now we are considering our participation in the 2013 edition, if we are selected”
The council, the Health Consortium, the University Hospital Mútua and UPC have signed an agreement to develop a pilot in the city. Work on the implementation of the project will take place over a 6 months period. Potential participants in the pilot will be sought among patients from two health centres, the Mútua and the Consortium. Routes, activities and incentives will be prepared in advanced and in the following 6 months the results will be evaluated to see how the health of people who have participated in the walks has improved.
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