The impact of Living Labs on mobility behaviour of active mobility users in East African context

Walking and cycling are the most prevalent modes of transport in Africa, with over a billion people relying on them daily. Yet poor-quality infrastructure continues to push many toward motorized transport. Before investing in costly, long-term projects, living labs offer a low-cost, flexible, and community-driven way to test and improve street design. Using a bottom-up approach, living labs empower communities to reimagine streets as inclusive, people-centered spaces.

This paper examines the impact of living labs on pedestrian and cyclist behavior in Mekelle, Ethiopia. The key mobility challenges were unsafe crossings, poor accessibility, narrow pedestrian spaces, and no cycling lanes. The living lab design was based on inputs from surveys and stakeholder engagements. The interventions included zebra crossing, widened walkways, bike lanes, greenery, and designated street vendor space. To assess its impact, surveys and drone imagery were collected before, during, and after implementation. Using YOLOv11, we created a dataset to analyse mobility patterns and users` behavior. The preliminary results showed most participants had never experienced a living lab before. The intervention was perceived as positive, improved pedestrian, cyclist, women and children’s volumes. Since safety, accessibility and market activity were improved the respondents suggested more car-free zones in the city.