Professor Berman and former lab manager/incoming doctoral student Kathryn Schertz are among the summer 2017 winners of the UChicago App Challenge, which will allow them to receive assistance in developing an app called ReTUNE, which stands for “Restoring Through Urban Nature Experience.” This app will create routes that lead pedestrians to their destinations, but these routes will be based on naturalness, along with factors like length of walk and number of street crossings. Routes will be designed in order to provide the most restorative walking experience while still accomplishing each pedestrian’s goals, rather than simply creating the most direct route to a given destination. Ultimately, the goal of this app is to improve the mental and physical health of pedestrians, particularly in heavily urban areas. To view the UChicago Social Science Division’s announcement regarding ReTUNE, click here. To see a more in-depth profile of ReTUNE on the UChicago App Challenge website, click here.
Psychology Department’s Marc Berman and Kate Schertz win first stage of the UChicago App Challenge for ReTUNE, an app which will improve daily pedestrian experience
