Asbury Park Complete Streets Coalition x Monmouth University Graduate Students led by Prof. Stojanov
https://apcompletestreets.org/apcsc-and-monmouth-university-grad-students-digital-design-for-asbury-park/
From https://www.monmouth.edu/news/prof-stojanov-leads-graduate-students-in-apcsc-partnership/“Graduate students in the communication program, with an interactive digital media concentration, recently partnered with the Asbury Park Complete Streets Coalition (APCSC), under the guidance of Amanda Stojanov, MFA, assistant professor of digital media, to create digital storytelling projects advocating for safer mobility practices throughout Asbury Park.
The students, including Skylar Smith, Stella Clark, Gianna Acquavella, Abby Brooks, AJ Benfante, Idalis Maldonado, and Nicole Totland, created multimedia campaigns featuring traffic-related facts and advocacy language supporting pedestrians, bicyclists, and other commuters, while promoting multiple forms of alternative transportation.
Their work expanded on the need for safer streets based on their firsthand experiences as pedestrians, bicyclists, and scooterists in Asbury Park and elaborated on the benefits of micromobility, the use of electronic scooters and bikes to travel shorter distances around cities.
They also studied the infrastructure of traffic circles and bike lanes, worked alongside APCSC Founder Polli Schildge, and promoted the recently enacted NJ Safe Passing Law and the Vision Zero initiative.
The passing law that went into effect on March 1, requires drivers to create a 4-foot safety zone while passing those sharing the road and details how to pass people on foot, bicycles, scooters, wheelchairs, or in other legally permitted ways to travel other than motor vehicles. Vision Zero is a strategy gaining momentum in American cities, to eliminate all traffic fatalities and severe injuries, increasing safe, healthy, and equitable mobility for all.
The APCSC is focused on providing pedestrians the opportunity to move freely and safely from place to place and has worked with Monmouth students in the past, during fall 2021, on a community information design project.
Digital storytelling projects by Monmouth University graduate students include:
Video by Skylar Smith and Stella Clark
Video by Gianna Acquavella
Video by Idalis Maldonado and Nicole Totland
Visual Narrative by AJ Benfante
Non-linear storyline by Abby Brooks”
Recognition:
This project was featured on Asbury Park TV in 2022. The APTV Committee aired their videos starting on 4/23 on the APTV cable stations and on the streaming apps. They aired at 8am and 7pm from 4/23-4/29 on FiOS 28 and Optimum 77. They could also be viewed anywhere on APTV Apple TV and Roku apps. After 4/29 they ran as PSAs in between programing breaks.
In 2023 this project won a Gold Hermes Creative Award for the category of Electronic Media / Social Media / Interactive Media I Digital Publications/Messaging I Video PSA for digital outlets or broadcast and interactive work for educational purposes
Video by Gianna Acquavella
Video by Idalis Maldonado & Nicole Totland
AJ Benfante’s project is a visual narrative in a storybook format.
Explore the project here: https://editor.p5js.org/AJB322/full/KkqVutBFX
Abby Brooks envisioned a non-linear storyline.
Explore the project here: https://editor.p5js.org/AbbyBrooks/full/AAqNVCwUx