Optimising Nudges in Public Space: Identifying and Tackling Barriers to Design and Implementation

This paper explores how applying psychological and cognitive theories in nudge design can increase the effectiveness of nudging public space. Nudges are those policy instruments that alter human behaviour by exploiting biases/heuristics, without limiting choice set. Based on interviews with Dutch urban planners, barriers such behavioural identified. These relate both to planners’ inexperience organisational societal context which nudges designed. A framework is presented optimise helping planners identify when where feasible.