We are proud and excited to announce that DSICity will host two sessions at the international conference EUGEO 2025 “Geographies of a Changing Europe”.
- When? 8 – 11 September 2025
- Where? Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna (Austria)
- Who? Venere Stefania Sanna, Cristina Capineri, Michela Teobaldi, Giacomo-Maria Salerno, Francesco Di Grazia
More about the session “Collaborating on Changing Cities: Citizen Science as an Urban Planning Ally”:
Over the past decade the field of Citizen Science (CS) has progressed significantly through a combination of EU-funded projects, national, regional, and local initiatives, and the use of new digital technologies.
CS, defined by the European Commission as “the voluntary participation of non-professional scientists in research and innovation at different stages of the process and at different levels of engagement, from shaping research agendas and policies, to gathering, processing and analysing data, and assessing the outcomes of research” (EC, 2020), has existed since the early 20th century.
Initially its application was rooted in the natural sciences. In recent years, however, the digital turn (Ash et al., 2018), advancements in information technology (IT), new ways of collecting data such as crowdsourcing, digital sharing, online projects and social networks (Vohland et al., 2021) have enabled the proliferation of CS applications and projects in other fields of study (Hacklay 2015, Hecker et al., 2018) with prominent examples in urban planning (Karvonen & Van Heur 2014), and sustainable urban development (Cappa et al., 2022).
Our changing cities are experimenting with new policies, methodologies, and tools that engage citizens in problem solving, “hackathons” and co-design activities, demonstrating innovative approaches to urban challenges. Current research shows that the direct involvement of citizens in activities of data collection and analysis, and crowdsourced monitoring can generate a powerful tool to fill information gaps, raise social and environmental awareness, enhance public trust in science, and improve the influence of communities on planning activities and policies (Shade 2021). However, CS activities also face challenges related to accessibility, justice, equity, inclusion, etc. (Cooper et al., 2021) and, at the same time, have untapped potential to be explored.
To this end, this session aims to explore and critically examine the role and potential of CS uses in urban environments by addressing aspects such as community engagement; data collection and analysis; evidence-based policy development; crowdsourced monitoring; co-design, co-creation, collaboration and partnerships; local knowledge; public awareness and advocacy; and inclusivity and diversity.
On Smart Engagement: Questions about Techno-Social Praxis on Inclusive Place-Based Smart City Planning Process for Climate Resilient City
by Jin-Kyu Jung – University of Washington, United States of AmericaWhat would be forms of collaborative democracy and inclusive citizen participation in smart city planning? To what extent can smart city planning respond and address inequality, justice, and the social and digital divide? How can we create community- and place-based climate-resilient urban planning with the smart? The paper aims to answer these questions by exploring new visions, facets, methods, practices, and tools for enabling smart engagement. It explores alternative possibilities for just and participatory forms of citizen science grounded in community and place-based resources and priorities. It connects these possibilities to ongoing debates and experiments with smart engagement by closely working with local communities in Busan, Korea (e.g., Ami-Dong district, historically poor and built on a graveyard using the tombstones), particularly in the discussion of climate resilient smart cities.The project raises thorny issues related to data production and gathering; knowledge, power, and narrative; relationships between people, places, resources, and collective processes; participatory work and university-community collaborations; and community self-determination versus enclosure and/or erasure. The question this paper advances: In a techno-social moment where more and more people, occurrences, and things are becoming data-producing and data-gathering, how could such datafication processes be made active, critical, and collectively public rather than passive, individualized, and/or driven by narrow private and corporate interest. This paper offers “smart engagement” as a placeholder term that approaches and situates this question in relation to existing possibilities already established in adjacent works on citizen science and digital participatory planning, including critiques of the limitations of those concepts.
Bi-directional connection between citizens and public authorities through citizen science
by Tom Paul E Goosse – UGent, Belgium
Urban planning struggles since decades to endeavour plans closer to citizen’s everyday reality. The contemporary demands and needs for large-scale transformations question the established citizen-government relationships and the public-led participatory arrangements. Citizen science offers promising ways to sense and frame citizens’ environment through the collection of either quantitative or qualitative data. It enables various possible working arrangements between citizens, public authorities and academics to study societal issues. Citizen science can be applied in multiple contexts, feature a wide set of characteristics and can be both public- or civic-led. This research examines how citizen science enables new types of connections between citizens and public authorities based on a comparative analysis of 3 Belgian and 3 Dutch citizen science projects. These six projects are selected to cover a wide set of identified key-characteristics such as the addressed issue, the type of initiator, the drivers and intentions of the project. The research explores how existing connections evolved through these civic- and public-led citizen science practices. It regards how those projects set the path for new working arrangements and communicative practices between citizens and public authorities. It relies on an analysis of public documents, articles from local and national newspapers and scientific publications, in addition to field visits and semi-structured interviews of the key-stakeholders. The research focuses on both actors positioning, underlying argumentation, mutual trust and consideration of the issue addressed by the citizen science practice. The analysis of the cases identifies a number of challenges related to existing antagonistic positions between actors. It also contextualizes the enduring difficulty regarding the inclusion of diverse citizens in the citizen science practice to influence planning activities. The cases also demonstrate the potential of citizen science not only to sense multiple aspects of space from citizens’ viewpoint but also to influence planning interventions and significantly transform working arrangements between public authorities and civil society.
‘We Will Be Protagonists’: Perspectives from the Global South on Citizen-Generated Data (CGD)
by Tainã Farias (1), Lalita Kraus (1), Tomás Donadio (1), and Gilberto Viera (2)
(1) Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
(2) The Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná
In recent decades, the technological revolution has fostered new participatory models, such as citizen-generated data (CGD), which encourages citizens to produce data to monitor issues that impact their lives. Initially disseminated in Europe and supported by the UN, CGD has gained prominence in the Global South, where vulnerable populations use this approach to highlight local problems, challenge state statistical quantifications, and construct narratives that empower their communities.
In the Global South, citizen-generated data becomes a tool to combat socio-spatial inequalities. This perspective adds new dimensions to CGD, promoting the creation of a citizen-driven methodology aimed at overcoming the historical processes of violence and oppression in peripheral territories and populations. In this context, the present study discusses the innovation and potential of peripheral CGD in the Global South to foster participation and build a more just and inclusive urban planning focused on the common good. The case study will focus on analyzing the initiative of the Citizen-Generated Data Network in Rio de Janeiro.
Grounded in the approach of Data Justice, we demonstrate that the mapping and evaluation of everyday life promoted by CGD revitalize an ancestral resistance for life and the commons, strengthening belonging, care, and collective action — key elements for new practices of justice, democracy, and the right to the city.
From a methodological perspective, we conducted field research with participant observation and interviews with organizations identifying themselves as part of CGD, alongside an analysis of documentary materials. Preliminary results indicate that the citizen-generated data network in Rio de Janeiro proposes a replicable approach in any context, where each stage of data collection and monitoring is conducted in collaboration with individuals from the territory. These individuals not only have deep knowledge of their specificities but are also engaged in the struggle for social justice through data. Additionally, new sociopolitical dynamics have been promoted in the country, creating productive tensions that challenge state hegemony in territorial planning and expand citizen participation in deliberative processes.
University societal outreach and citizen science: open challenges
by Carolina Pacchi – Politecnico di Milano, Italy
The Polisocial programme by Politecnico di Milano is a social engagement and responsibility initiative that aims to foster academic social responsibility and societal outreach, by attempting to bridge the gap between academic research and societal needs. Polisocial promotes and encourages a new multidisciplinary approach to projects, considering human and social development and expanding educational, exchange and research opportunities. Citizen science has emerged as a crucial component of these projects, enabling broader public participation in scientific research and social innovation.
In Polisocial projects, citizen science serves multiple interconnected functions. First, it explores possibilities to democratize research processes by involving local communities as active participants rather than passive subjects on relevant issues such as urban equality and inclusion, circular economy, sustainable water management, etc. Citizens contribute their knowledge, experiences, and observations to help identify and address social challenges in their communities. This bottom-up approach ensures in principle that research priorities align with actual community needs.
The integration of citizen science also enhances data collection and analysis capabilities. By engaging citizens as researchers, Polisocial projects can gather a more comprehensive grasp od issues and problems across different knowledge domains than would be possible with traditional research methods alone. This is particularly valuable in projects focusing on environmental monitoring, urban development, and social welfare. The collaborative nature of citizen science also helps establish sustainable partnerships between Politecnico di Milano and various stakeholders, including local governments, NGOs, and community organizations. These partnerships facilitate knowledge exchange and resource sharing, ultimately increasing the impact and longevity of social innovation projects. By incorporating citizen science, Polisocial projects exemplify a participatory approach to addressing social challenges, one that recognizes and values the expertise and contributions of community members. At the same time, the interaction of different actors and knowledge production dynamics entails risks in both epistemological and political terms.
Moving from this background, the paper will critically discuss two Polisocial research projects, working on sustainable water management and on urban inclusion, highlighting opportunities as well as pitfalls (in terms of accessibility, power imbalances, etc.) of these ongoing experiences.
by Jonas Birke and Bernhard Köppen – University of Koblenz, GermanyToday’s cities are undergoing many changes that pose challenges to urban planning. These range from housing shortages in city centres to vacancy phenomena in small towns in rural areas. The vacancy problem is not a new phenomenon and has been well researched in Germany, especially in eastern Germany, since reunification. However, the focus is often on large cities and vacant dwellings. Other regions, especially smaller cities, and their problems with increasing retail vacancy rates have been little studied, and the data is diffuse and inadequate. As a result, there is often a lack of knowledge about the causes of vacancies, which makes it difficult to implement strategies to address them. In this context, it is helpful to draw on local knowledge, which is often difficult to access from outside. Involving citizens in research projects can be one solution.The Upper Middle Rhine Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is considered one of the most important cultural german landscapes. Despite this, the vacancy rate in the communities of this area is above the regional average. The most striking feature is the large number of unused or abandoned buildings in visually dominant locations in the city centre, creating a negative image. As part of a citizen science project, the problem of vacant buildings was investigated together with citizens from four selected small towns in the region. The project takes a holistic approach by combining the perspectives of research, urban planning, local politics and citizen participation. The participating citizens are considered as local experts and stakeholders and are involved in the whole research process. This includes the joint development of research questions, data collection in the form of vacancy mapping and surveys of vacancy owners, as well as data analysis and the development of solutions for specific vacancies.
The paper shows that citizen science is an appropriate approach to identify the causes of urban blight and to develop participatory solutions. We discuss barriers and success factors of citizen science projects in the context of urban development, as well as the general potential for innovative development of strategies to address the problem of vacancy.
From Local Challenges to Regional Impact: Engaging Teenagers in Citizen Science in Emilia-Romagna
by Catia Prandi (1) and Michela De Biasio (2)
(1) University of Bologna, Italy
(2) Agenda Digitale, Emilia Romagna Region, Italy
Citizen science initiatives offer several benefits to communities and their territory. This is particularly evident when teenagers participate in hands-on citizen science activities, which generate a threefold impact: (i) fostering new knowledge, (ii) creating learning opportunities, and (iii) promoting civic engagement. By working on projects that address relevant community and social issues, teenagers not only develop a deeper understanding of these challenges but also cultivate a sense of ownership and responsibility toward their local environment and territory.
Building on this idea, we designed an educational workshop that integrates three key approaches: (i) co-design, (ii) citizen science, and (iii) game thinking. This methodology aims to equip teenagers with conceptual and technological skills while fostering civic engagement and awareness. The workshop follows a structured five-step process: i) Introduction to key concepts and interactive quizzes; 2) Warm-up activity (an hand-on Citizen Sciene activity); 3) Co-design session (group creation of low-fidelity mockups); 4) Presentation of the co-designed mobile apps; 5) Evaluation (to collect students feedback and reflections). As a final outcome, participants co-design low-fidelity mockups of a citizen science mobile app to address a specific social issue within their city and territory, such as urban accessibility, environmental sustainability, biodiversity conservation, sustainable tourism and mobility.
We implemented and evaluated this initiative within the framework of “Citizer Science,” a project led by Agenda Digitale of the Emilia-Romagna Region, the department responsible for coordinating and promoting digital and technological development actions in the territory. This initiative intends to improve open data availability and application to policy making processes by promoting the adoption and expansion of citizen science practices across the region, following a shared conceptual framework tailored to its geographic context. By embedding our workshop within this broader effort, we engaged approximately 450 students, aged 12 to 18, across multiple cities in the region.
Our findings highlight two key outcomes. First, the experience had a significant impact on how teenagers perceive and engage in civic participation. Second, the co-design process provided valuable insights and original ideas for developing citizen science projects that actively involve young communities in initiatives that benefit their communities and local environment.
Integrating citizens into Digital Climate Health Technologies: A case study of air quality monitoring platforms
by Razieh Rezabeigisani and Sören Becker – Philipps Universität Marburg, Germany
Digital climate health technologies are increasingly recognized as emerging tools for reducing the negative impacts of climate change on public health. To enhance their effectiveness, these technologies need to adopt bottom-up and citizen-led approaches to integrate citizens as key actors and stakeholders throughout the design, development, and application processes. Air quality monitoring platforms are an example of digital technologies that are being widely utilized to visualize the patterns of air pollution and provide real-time warnings through a mix of stationary sensors, mobile applications, and online platforms. The field of air quality features citizen science tools enhancing public awareness and engagement on air quality issues while providing spatially distributed real-time data. Among these technologies, we analyze Claircity, a Horizon 2020 funded air pollution monitoring project aimed at improving air quality and reducing the carbon footprint in European cities. ClairCity integrates gamification technologies to actively involve citizens in air quality management and policymaking. Using a mixed-methods approach, including surveys and semi-structured interviews, we investigate the role of citizen science tools and innovative participatory methods such as gamification in fostering citizen engagement. The paper discusses the opportunities and challenges associated with user-centered design within the context of air quality monitoring platforms. Furthermore, it provides insights into effective user engagement methods and policies and offers recommendations for future practice in this field.
Critical reflections on the potential of citizen science in urban water quality investigations
by Adwoa Serwaa Ofori (1), Jeremy Auerbach (1), Suzanne Linnane (2), and Reza Tavangar (2)
(1) University College Dublin, Ireland
The quality of domestic water supply can be affected by lingering contaminants. One of such contaminants is lead, which may arise from lead piping systems in buildings constructed during or pre the 1970s. Notably, a lack of awareness around specific water issues can contribute to a lack of clarity around the scale. For Ireland, the extent of lead piping across the Republic is largely unknown in residential settings. This is in spite of random sampling undertaken in the past to determine lead pipe estimates. Even though a residential lead pipe replacement program exists, limited awareness and public trust are significant issues. This paper emerges from a research project which investigates challenges regarding water quality with a major focus on the presence of lead and how the urban lead pipe network can be addressed in Ireland. The project took a multifaceted approach via case studies of three Dublin communities – Dolphin House, Oliver Bond and Phibsboro Village – with the employment of Citizen Science Initiatives to inform on water quality issues. The paper thus investigates the methodologies utilised to ensure participation and encourage citizen science in the testing of domestic water supplies to ascertain the presence or not of lead and the way forward. The methods included 3 workshops and 46 household surveys over the three communities to inform on the knowledge gaps around the presence of lead in water. The methods also incorporated the roll out of a water testing programme where 51 households sampled their own water for testing. The paper is presented as a case study on the role of Citizen Science initiatives in examining domestic water quality issues and will critically reflect on the potential of a multifaceted citizen science approach with its especial value of unintrusive access in private settings.
