Project description
Rethinking urban accessibility through human effort
Distances and travel times can shape how people experience cities, but so does the physical effort involved in moving through urban environments. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the REACH project introduces Urban Ergonomics, a new framework for analysing interactions between the human body and urban space. Central to this approach is the metabolic equivalent of distance, a metric that measures accessibility in terms of physical effort. Using datasets that include underrepresented populations, the project will examine whether effort-based accessibility measures better explain real-world mobility patterns. It will also assess links between environmental exposure and health and well-being.
Objective
The REACH project fundamentally rethinks urban accessibility by introducing Urban Ergonomics, a novel framework that centres the fit between the human body and urban space in spatial analysis. Moving beyond generic distance or time conventions, REACH develops and validates the Metabolic Equivalent of Distance, a metric that translates individual physiological effort into a personalized measure for understanding active mobility and urban reachability levels. The project will leverage a careful selection of appropriate datasets from reputable studies, with a specific focus on underrepresented groups. This will enable rigorous testing of the hypotheses that effort-based accessibility zones more accurately delineate observed activity spaces and possess greater explanatory power in linking environmental exposures to health outcomes. The implementation of the project requires a cross-disciplinary methodological bridge, which is secured by explicit collaborations with experts from diverse fields. Overall, by bridging urban geography with physiology, REACH will deliver a new method and toolset to create more equitable, inclusive, and health-promoting cities.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project's classification has been human-validated.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
This project's classification has been human-validated.
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European Fellowships
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2025-PF
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
08036 Barcelona
Spain
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.