Creating campaigns to nudge a shift in citizen behaviours
Designing gamified ways to nudge Indian city leaders to walk and cycle on their streets
Location
PAN India
Service
Campaign Development
Year
2022-2023
Collaborators
Smart Cities Mission, Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs
Role
Lead - Strategy, Design and Execution
Credit
I share the credits for this work with my super awesome team at ITDP India. I do not take ownership of this work.
Changing people's behaviours' is a monumental task - especially when it comes down to their everyday routine. With the Smart Cities' Mission, we developed a smart gamified Campaign - Freedom2WalkCycleRun (F2WCR) - which leveraged technology to monitor and nudge leaders across the nation to leave their cars behind and walk, cycle or run instead. We clocked over 1.5 Lakh KM across the nation.
Campaign communications through Strava, Whatsapp communities and more Credits: Aangi Shah
Freedom2WalkCycleRun Report launched in 2023 | Credits: ITDP India
"Thanks to F2WCR, I now understand the streets of my city so much better"
- City Leader
Understanding human psychology is one of the first steps to changing people's behaviours. A good targetted campaign can change the way people act, forever.
Across India, Freedom2WalkCycleRun (F2WCR) reimagined leadership - inviting city officials to walk, cycle, and run as a way to build empathy and connect with their streets on a human level. Grounded in behavioural science and driven by a gamified, city-vs-city format, the campaign saw participation from over 100 cities and over 1.5 lakh kilometres recorded.
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Behind the scenes, a coordinated effort brought together strategy, execution, real-time monitoring through a tech partner, and sharp storytelling - making the campaign seamless, data-driven, and deeply engaging.
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What set it apart was how it moved minds. City leaders spoke of how the experience reshaped their understanding of active mobility, equity, and public space. This transformation was captured in a compelling final impact report - weaving together stories, data, and insights from across the country. Freedom2WalkCycleRun wasn’t just about movement. It was about mindset - nudging cities towards people-first change, one step at a time.
