Sustainability that leaves visible traces.
Sembly is a behavior change intervention that motivates people to adopt more sustainable mobility habits in urban environments.
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For Germany to reach its CO₂ targets, citizens need to adapt their behavior. Mobility offers particularly high potential for savings, meaning that even small changes in everyday routines can lead to significant emission reductions. Design for Behavior Change does not rely on laws or prohibitions, but achieves transformation through smart design and psychological incentives.
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Users collect XP by choosing sustainable modes of transport and completing challenges along the way. Through gamification, the shift in mobility behavior becomes a playful experience.
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Greater impact can be achieved together, so no one acts alone. Neighbors collaborate to transform their community. Within the app, friends can be invited, and collective progress can be tracked.
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The app displays the current project progress as well as information about its effect on the neighborhood. The larger the community, the stronger the behavioral change—and the greater the impact.
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Once the community goal is reached, the neighborhood earns so-called plots. These transform parking spaces into vibrant places of togetherness.
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Participants actively shape their neighborhood and decide how the plots will be used.
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Banners serve as communication tools to explain the origin of each plot.
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Each plot is designed to be as sustainable and locally beneficial as possible. Built from low-complexity wooden elements, they form a simple and adaptable design system that can be tailored to local needs. Commissioned by the city, the plots are crafted by local carpenters using locally sourced wood.
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The modern city is not only shaped by large political plans but also by the daily, collective actions of its residents. Sembly represents a vision of how sustainable transformation can emerge through the joy of co-creation and collective action.
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