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Location-Based GamesCouncil-procured

Beat the Street (Intelligent Health)

Civic walking/cycling game with physical Beat Box sensors · UK-origin, deployed in 200+ towns globally (Edmonton/Enfield, South Derbyshire, Pendle, East Kilbride, Reading, Birmingham, NYC pilot) · Founded 2013; 2024 deployments in Edmonton (Jun-Jul 2024), South Derbyshire, East Kilbride, Birmingham, Pendle

Physical 'Beat Box' RFID sensors mounted on lampposts across a town. Walkers/cyclists/wheelers tap them with a card or phone app to earn points for themselves and their team. Each deployment is town-wide and time-boxed (~6 weeks). 5,000+ schools have participated; reached 2 million people in 200+ places.

Areas compete

Within each town deployment, schools, workplaces, and community teams (often organized by neighborhood/ward) appear on dual leaderboards (total points AND average per member). Public team-vs-team rankings drive playground-level rivalry between schools - Colne Christ Church School topping the Pendle leaderboard was a local-press story.

People support each other

Each school/community team rallies its members (pupils, parents, staff, neighbors) around a shared total. Cards and apps tally individual contributions that roll up to the team. Prizes (book vouchers, sports equipment, trees) go to the team, not the individual, forcing cooperative behavior.

Why this is worth knowing

A rare LBG that is commissioned by councils as a public-health intervention - the geographic stakes are real (ward funding, school recognition), not just leaderboard ego. Perfectly fits BelongHub's 'compete between areas, collaborate within' brief and is widely under-mentioned in the AR/games discourse.

Statusactive
YearFounded 2013; 2024 deployments in Edmonton (Jun-Jul 2024), South Derbyshire, East Kilbride, Birmingham, Pendle
WhereUK-origin, deployed in 200+ towns globally (Edmonton/Enfield, South Derbyshire, Pendle, East Kilbride, Reading, Birmingham, NYC pilot)
Effort to start a local versionCouncil-procured
LanguageEnglish
Verificationhigh confidence
Adjacent

Others in the same family

Beat the Street

Academic Research · UK (Reading-born; deployed Hammersmith, Burnley, Salford, Lambeth, Sunderland, Edmonton, etc.)

Town-wide gamified active travel intervention created by GP Dr William Bird (Intelligent Health Ltd) where residents tap RFID 'Beat Boxes' on lampposts while walking/cycling/wheeling between them within an hour windows to score team points. Runs as 6-week community-wide tournaments. 1.9M+ participants across UK and abroad. Multiple peer-reviewed pilot evaluations (Coombes & Jones 2018, Harris et al. 2023 in Health Promotion Practice).

Beat the Street

Health & Public Good · UK (Reading-based, deployed in 100+ towns globally)

Free 6-week town-wide walking/cycling game where residents tap RFID 'Beat Boxes' on lampposts. A whole town's beat-the-street game pits schools, workplaces and community groups in that town against each other on dual leaderboards (total points and average points). Each game becomes a town/borough-wide health intervention commissioned by NHS ICBs, councils, or active-travel partners (e.g, Reading Borough Council, Hammersmith & Fulham, South Derbyshire, Wokingham). Over 1.9m participants across 5,000+ schools in 10 years.

Beat the Street

Hyperlocal Platforms · UK (200+ communities), Intelligent Health

A whole-town real-life game turning lamp-posts into 'Beat Boxes' (RFID sensors). Players tap cards at boxes while walking/cycling to score points. Run as time-limited campaigns (4-6 weeks) covering an entire town or city zone. Over 2 million participants across 200 communities.

Beat the Street

Youth & Schools · UK + spreading (Edmonton, Reading, Bridgwater, Alfreton, Tilbury, etc.)

Towns are turned into giant 6-week games. Contactless Beat Boxes on lamp-posts give points when players tap a card; teams (schools, workplaces, community groups) compete on live leaderboards. Over 1.9M players, 5,000+ schools, 116 towns.

Beat the Street

Civic Gamification · UK (50+ towns/cities) and international

Free 6-7 week walking and cycling game played across a town. Contactless RFID Beat Boxes are mounted on lamp posts across the playing area; players (children, families, workplaces, voluntary groups) tap cards on boxes to score points. Over 1.9 million participants have played in 5,000+ schools to date.

Beat the Street

Fitness & Movement · UK (200+ towns) + international

Intelligent Health turns a whole town into a 6-week board game. ~60 contactless 'Beat Box' sensors are mounted on lampposts; residents tap an RFID card/fob between boxes (must be within 1 hour) to score points. 1.9-2M players to date across 200+ places; £321.80/adult social value (2025).