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Stadtentwicklung
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Studies show that the effects of motorised private transport are seen as being among the heaviest
strains of daily life. This is primarily the case for those traffic participants who do not travel by
car and are therefore unprotected, in other words children. The Urban Troll project aims to set
new standards in this area because mobility starts in the mind – in terms of the psychology of
learning, it has been proven that only 30% of aurally received information is retained whereas if
this information can be learned through actions – that is play and practical activities – retention
can be as high as 90%. The usual, “well-trodden” mobility models can only be reconsidered and
redesigned through independent activity and experience. Children’s everyday experiences and
impressions form their transport attitudes and mobility behaviour in later life. In order for them
to retain an environmentally aware, road-safe behaviour as adults (as far as mobility is
concerned, children are the most environmentally-friendly section of the population) it is
important that they are encouraged to think in a responsible way about mobility issues in the
long term. This can only be done by targeting smart information and publicity strategies towards
children and young adults and by providing them with a broad base of information about the
complex subject of “mobility” from an early age. It is the aim of Urban Troll to improve the
road safety of children by broadening their knowledge in a hands-on and exciting way and to
achieve lasting changes in attitudes and behaviour. The key aspects of the Urban Troll game are
fun and a sense of achievement, curiosity, fascination and the desire to understand, experience
and learn. The game, which is designed to be easily understood and takes into account the latest
ideas on learning through play, is intended to motivate children to develop a sustainable and
environmentally-friendly mobility behaviour.
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Educational objectives: The Urban Troll character is a strongly positive role model for road
safety education. Unlike previous characters in this area, the Urban Troll does not only
encourage children and young adults to adapt to existing traffic situations, but also challenges
them to consider cause and effect in the context of road traffic in a fun way. The Troll is an
effective tool for use with children because they identify with him as a role model who behaves
in a similar way to them, radiates a spirit of adventure and desire to explore, discovers problems
and offers concrete options for action. Unlike other road safety figures who fulfil the role of a
teacher, the Troll’s situation is similar to that of the children themselves. His place in the Troll
family is on a par with theirs. He is the youngest – curious, cheeky and discovering the world in
his own way. On the surface, it would seem that the game is all about teaching practical road
safety routines. However, the fundamental objective is to develop basic social competencies
through a critical reflection on and differentiation between individual habits in relation to the
mass phenomenon of traffic. In terms of teaching road safety awareness as a fixed part of the
curriculum, emphasis is increasingly being placed on fostering the necessary skills and attitudes
so that children understand and can assume their share of responsibility for road safety. It is
therefore essential to introduce real traffic situations into theoretical lessons in order to ensure
practical, hands-on learning.
Best Practise – (Urban Troll – A Mobility Game for Children)
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The target group is children over nine years of age, for whom so far there has not been any
adequate course material available to use in teaching about “Mobility and Environment”
through play. This method provides teachers with an appropriate way of dealing with road
traffic and its effects.
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“You can change the traffic system! You have rights on the road, too!” are slogans from the
Urban Troll game that challenge the participants to question existing traffic conditions and think
of ways to change them.
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The first edition of the Urban Troll game (1,000 copies) was so successful that a newly adapted
version was introduced to schools in Austria in autumn 2003. The game contains traffic rules
and regulations in a language that children understand, and informs them about existing rules
and changes, illustrated via a series of pictures and photos. The second edition will contain a
comprehensive evaluation on two levels, firstly of how the game, idea and characters go down
with children, and secondly from a didactic point of view, namely how the game can be used
during a lesson and if it has proved to be worth using. The Austrian Ministry of Education made
the following qualitative comment about the first game: “This board game makes a valuable
contribution to modern methods of road safety education.”
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Factors of influence and criteria of success:
Professional design is a factor of great importance for the development of so-called “EcoGames”, as is the creation of characters that are suited to children and with which they are able
to identify.
Possible barriers:
Introducing the Urban Troll as the new character in road safety education and as a figure
representing road safety overall will not be entirely easy in Austria, as there is already a
character in existence – Helmi – whom children know from the media (TV, websites). This
character differs fundamentally in form and content from the Urban Troll, because it teaches
children to passively adapt to the existing road conditions rather than encouraging them to think
for themselves about how they should behave on the roads. It is essential that modern road
safety education should aim to replace the lecturing approach with one that teaches children to
make their own decisions.
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Working steps for introduction:
1.) Design an idea for the game (with advice from games and road safety education experts)
2.) Conduct test games with children belonging to the target group
3.) Make adjustments
4.) Production
5.) Organise distribution to schools (guaranteed by Ministry of Education)
6.) Follow-up (evaluation of the game by teachers and children)
Time of implementation:
At least 1.5 years.
Frequently asked questions:
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2,500 copies of the games “Urban Troll” and “Urban Troll 2 – The Traps of the Grey Gnome”
were produced and distributed to primary, secondary and grammar schools throughout Austria.
In addition, children and youth organisations as well as day care centres also received copies of
the game.
Further information can be obtained from Gudrun Uranitsch (German, French, English and
Portuguese), FGM-AMOR, Austrian Mobility Research; Schönaugasse 8a; A-8010 Graz,
Austria; phone: ++43 316 81 04 51 14; fax: ++43 316 81 04 51 75; e-mail: [email protected].
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Development, graphic design, production and distribution costs were approx. ¼)RU
road safety campaigns disseminated through the media (on the radio, etc.), costs are much
higher (e.g. the television advert “Don’t Drink and Drive” cost approx. ¼Wo develop).
As the children will identify with the Urban Troll character, the game can be expected to have a
far greater effect with regard to increasing the awareness of sustainable modes of transport from
early childhood onwards.
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Visit www.urbantroll.com to learn more about the principles of the game and to meet all of the
characters and materials that can be found in the world of the Urban Troll.
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