OpenBenchOpen dataset on urban accessibility.
Citizen photos plus an open dataset, mapping how accessibility infrastructure is actually used in cities.
Why this exists
Why citizen data
Most accessibility "audits" in cities rely on outdated maps and assume that "accessible on paper" means "accessible in practice." Anyone who's pushed a stroller, used a cane, or rolled a wheelchair through their neighborhood knows the gap.
OpenBench asks citizens to send a photo and a 1-line note when accessibility infrastructure isn't working — a curb cut blocked by a scooter, a tactile strip painted over, a ramp that ends at a step. Photos get tagged, geocoded, and posted to an open dataset.
What we're building
- A 5-tap submission flow — open the page, take a photo, pick a category, drop a pin, send. No login.
- An open dataset — JSON + CSV, updated nightly. Free for researchers, journalists, and city planners.
- A weekly digest — for each pilot city, a one-page summary of the week's submissions, sent to the relevant ward office.
We're explicit about one thing: we don't fix the problems. We make them legible. The fixing is the city's job — our job is to make sure they can no longer say "we didn't know."
Pilot cities
Eight cities in the pilot. Currently active in: Shanghai (Hongkou), Chengdu (Wuhou), Wuhan (Jiangan). Three more onboarding in Q2.
How it's going
- Q4 2024OpenBench idea pitched at a Novawerk open day. First collaborators commit a Saturday afternoon.
- Q1 2025Validation conversations with target users. Scope cut on purpose; the smaller version turns out to be the one people actually want.
- Q2 2025First measurable result: Open dataset on urban accessibility.. The team writes the playbook so others can replicate.
- Q4 2026Working with a partner organization to extend reach without losing the qualitative care that made it work.
“We didn't want a product launch. We wanted something that would still be here in three years — without us.”
Team & roles
Coordinates direction, runs weekly retros, talks to partners.
Owns the artifact — code, hardware, or the printed thing — depending on the week.
Shows up in person where the work meets the world.
Documentation, retros, community check-ins. Looking for someone.
Get involved
If anything in here resonates — even just one paragraph — that's enough to start a conversation. Lightweight contribution is welcome. So is sitting in on a retro before you decide.
