Understanding How city design shapes the way we walk influence the way we walk, step by step: launch of the CITY-STEP project

For four years, researchers, engineers and local stakeholders will pool their expertise to explore a question that has yet to be studied in depth: how does the shape of a city influence the way we walk, step by step?

A novel approach: studying walking at the step level

Our walking habits depend as much on our personal preferences as on our surroundings: pavement width, noise, vegetation, slopes, street furniture... All these factors unconsciously influence our stride, our comfort and sometimes even our ability to find our way around.

While walkability is generally studied using global indicators (density, accessibility, functional diversity), CITY-STEP innovates by analysing walking at the most detailed level: that of the step. 

Using a lightweight portable device combining inertial sensors, a camera, eye tracking and satellite geolocation (GNSS), researchers will follow volunteers in real-life conditions as they go about their daily business, without disrupting their natural movement. This data will be cross-referenced with 3D models, field measurements, perceptual analyses and artificial intelligence tools.

Collaborative research in the service of sustainable mobility

CITY-STEP adopts a resolutely collaborative approach, bringing together:

• the Urban Architecture Nantes Research Centre (Centrale Nantes) and GEOLOC (Université Gustave Eiffel) laboratories, specialists in urban perception, geolocation and movement modelling;
• Nantes Métropole, a key partner in anchoring research in the realities on the ground;
• a panel of citizens, including elderly and visually impaired people, to represent the diversity of mobility.

The ambition: to understand how the micro-characteristics of the city influence stride, speed, balance and movement strategy, and to translate these observations into useful indicators for the design of more comfortable, inclusive and sustainable public spaces.

Co-constructing knowledge with local stakeholders

The research teams are looking for 15 to 20 volunteers from Nantes of all backgrounds, including elderly and visually impaired people, to walk various routes that are representative of the city's morphological diversity (slopes, stairs, wooded areas, narrow streets, etc.).

Myriam Servières, professor at Centrale Nantes and project coordinator:

« CITY-STEP allows us to explore how the body reacts to the city, step by step. Resident participation is essential to understanding how people actually walk and designing spaces that are truly tailored to users. »

Launch of the CITY-STEP project on 2 February 2026 at Centrale Nantes

Nantes Métropole will play a key role in identifying study sites, providing geographical data, granting access to the field and qualifying the project results. This close collaboration will enable:

• to test models directly in real urban situations;
• to integrate the operational requirements of mobility and development policies;
• to anticipate practical applications for the city of tomorrow.

These results will contribute directly to the objectives of sustainable mobility, public health and improving the quality of urban life.