Around the same time, another DPU Alumna (Daniela Muñoz) informed us of a consultancy requested by Mexico City's government to design a participatory process to build the new city's mobility strategy for the 2020-2024 period. So, we began working on this ambitious project with three other professional women and got an award to implement participatory processes that would enable citizens to be part of the mobility strategy in Mexico City. The participatory process involved different forms of engagements: two citizen participatory activities (one virtual and one face-to-face), four spaces for multi-sector dialogue, three internal sessions for strategic planning, and eleven semi-structured interviews with specialists. We interacted with over 5,000 citizens. An innovative part of the participatory process was using a methodology called SenseMaker that focuses on the analysis of personal stories to highlight what they experience during their journeys in the city's mobility system. Once the personal stories are recorded, and the survey questions are answered, the software then analyses the data to arrive at quantitative and qualitative conclusions. These conclusions allow us to reflect on and analyse actions related to strategies, concepts and visions. In general, terms, to design mobility policies based on the needs of the users. This methodology has been used around the world as a diagnostic tool that links experiences with actions.
This project was the beginning of our ongoing collaboration in SIA Development. This social development consultancy was founded by Anukie. SIA specialises in advising governments, organisations, and companies on the design, implementation and evaluation of people-centred projects that contribute to sustainable well-being. We have collaborated on a number of projects for clients such as Catholic Relief Services, USAID, the Center for Human Rights, Gender and Migration at the University of Washington in St. Louis, amongst others. We think that these are only the beginning of a life-long friendship that will take us to more social development adventures worldwide!