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DivAirCity Project

Citizen Sensing for Clean Air in Cities

 

DivAirCity is an urban initiative that addresses a pressing global issue – air quality – and its impact on citizens. The project strives to combat air pollution but also actively engages citizens in its mission, making it a prime example of citizen engagement in urban development. Citizen sensing, or the collection of air quality data through and by citizens, is a core element of the engagement strategy, which contributes to local data and environmental literacy as well as identifying areas of poor air quality to encourage municipal actions. 

DivAirCity recognizes that citizen engagement is essential for its success. Through comprehensive public awareness campaigns, which have been distributed through television, radio, social media, and community events, citizens are educated about the significance of air quality and the project’s goals. DivAirCity organizes community workshops and town hall meetings where citizens can voice concerns, provide input, and actively shape project decisions. These participatory sessions foster open dialogue and empower individuals to have a direct impact on their urban environment.  

In addition to traditional communication channels, DivAirCity leverages technology by developing interactive websites and mobile apps. These platforms offer real-time air quality data, project updates, and information about local pollution sources, enabling residents to monitor air quality in their neighborhoods and stay informed about progress.  

The project is funded by the European Union to develop replicable solutions for monitoring air quality based on the experiences gained in the core European cities Aarhus (Denmark), Bucharest (Romania), Orvieto (Italy), Potsdam (Germany), and Castellon (Spain). 

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InfraPublics Lesson

Involving citizens in the collection of envrionmental data (citizen sensing) is becoming a new way of engagement for issues of urban development and sustainability. It is important to note that the collection and analysis of data through non-experts requires dedicated training and outreach strategies, and that such data collection can also be a component of community-building. Different sources of data may lead to different insights and action priorities, which is itself a process of public deliberation through and with data. Such data collections can also complement municipal monitoring or journalistic reporting. 

Literature:

D’Ignazio, Catherine; Zuckerman, Ethan. (2017). “Are We Citizen Scientists, Citizen Sensors or Something Else Entirely?” International Handbook of Media Literacy Education, edited by Belinha S. De Abreu; Paul Mihailidis; Alice Y. L. Lee; Jad Melki; Julian McDougall, 193-210. New York, NY: Routledge, 2017.: Routledge. https://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9781315628110-17

Raetzsch, Christoph; Hamm, Andrea; Shibuya, Yuya (2023). “Mainstreaming Civic Tech and Citizen Sensing: A Research Agenda on Co-Creation Methods, Data Interfaces, and Impact Pathways.” Frontiers in Environmental Science 11. https://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2023.122848

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Revised 30.01.2024