What if access to health-enabling, climate-resilient environments in cities was the central pillar of all urban development? What if young people led the way in reimagining cities as places that protect health? And what if Africa, as the fastest-urbanising continent with the youngest population, led the world in harnessing urban development for health and climate resilience?

I believe three ingredients are needed to achieve this transformational change in how we build cities:

First, we must aspire to shift the norms of what we consider a good city from one that increases illness risk and climate vulnerability to one that prioritises health creation and climate resilience in all urban development and infrastructure decisions. 

Imagine, for example, a city that asks, “How does this new development project we are being asked to approve impact the health of the population?”; “Can this initiative be an opportunity to create health?”; and “Can this new infrastructure prevent climate vulnerability for all (and not just the wealthy)?”

Second, we need localised data to understand how city surroundings affect health and promote health accountability. It is critical that everyday people have such data. Imagine a healthy, climate-resilient city that aligns urban initiatives for health. Imagine if citizens of that city could obtain real-time air quality data to identify air pollution sources, and use this information to mitigate air pollution. In this example, such data could inspire action and advocacy for clean air.

Last, because this is a Herculean task, we will need all of society to work together. We will need to build and mobilise a community of people, from civil society and the public and private sectors, who conspire and work together to increase the demand for and the supply of healthy, sustainable places. 

This is the essence of the UrbanBetter Cityzens initiative. We:

• ASPIRE… for an urban reality where access to health-enabling, climate-resilient environments in cities is the central guiding principle of all urban development;
• INSPIRE… through the use of participatory data on urban environments and health to inform activism, shape advocacy and guide prioritisation and accountability around the impact of urban infrastructure development on health and climate risk; and
• CONSPIRE… by building a vibrant movement of citizen scientists across the African continent who are impatient for impact, and relentlessly drive demand for healthy, climate-resilient public spaces.

 And because 70% of Africans are under 30 years old, our focus is on them.

The Cityzens4CleanAir campaign

The first UrbanBetter Cityzens initiative is the #Cityzens4CleanAir campaign, which amplifies young voices with advocacy on air pollution, climate and health using citizen-scientist data generated by young people.

Between June and November 2022, we designed running experiments in Lagos, Accra and Cape Town with young people from each city. The 27 run leaders recruited more than 300 other runners to assess air quality with wearable sensors. 

These “Cityzen scientists” used a custom UrbanBetter Cityzens smartphone app to geocode multimedia data – using picture, audio, video and text – on health-related built environment features and perceived air pollution sources seen throughout the runs. The Cityzens interactive data platform displayed sensor and app data from running environments. 

Read in Daily Maverick: “Researchers head to COP27 with Africa-specific ways to tackle the climate crisis” 

A few weeks later, inspired by their findings, the run leaders met again for a one-day workshop to brainstorm and craft crucial evidence-informed advocacy messaging for COP27. South American cities are also engaging with this initiative. The advocacy effort aims to demonstrate how air quality data may inspire public and private-sector players to proactively create health through urban infrastructure.

Three of the young citizen scientists who took part in the running experiments in Lagos, Accra and Cape Town will represent the initiative at COP27 in Egypt. Between 10 and 12 November, an interactive exhibit will feature citizen scientists, their advocacy messages, data story results and campaign policy proposals. 

Two citizen scientists discussed air pollution leadership and intergenerational action at the Youth Pavilion at 1.35pm (Egyptian time) on 9 November. We addressed this campaign in a discussion on young people and research in African city resilience on 10 November at the Multilevel Action Pavilion.

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On 10 November, COP27’s youth and science day, we are undertaking a global social media campaign to promote this effort, in addition to the October and November clean-air runs. This day will emphasise the need to measure and treat air pollution for health and climate action. To this end, we have built an advocacy toolkit to allow any person to join this mobilisation from anywhere in the world, and improve the urban environment one breath at a time.

Africa has the potential to lead the world in institutionalising innovative, participatory processes that harness and mainstream the power of young people. By sharing this work on a global platform, we are demonstrating the feasibility (and as yet untapped potential) of engaging them in participatory measurement and decision-making for healthy climate-resilient cities. 

Read in Daily Maverick: “Ten things to watch for at COP27 in Egypt”

The Africa Union’s Agenda 2063 goals include health and inclusive sustainable cities. This requires city building transformation. The extent of system change necessary means that urgent, immediate action must be taken today, to realign urban systems for health and sustainability, and achieve the Agenda 2063 goals in the next 40 years.

Close your eyes and imagine Cityzens4CleanAir scaled out across the continent, with citizen scientists monitoring their local air quality and comparing it with other parts of their city, or in other cities around the world. Imagine if this participatory measurement mobilised the majority demographic and municipal government actors to build participatory mechanisms for young people, so that the latter could plan and evaluate interventions that shape the urban environment for health and climate resilience.

Open your eyes – we’re genuine. Aspire, inspire and conspire with us to create the Africa we want and deserve. DM/MC

Dr Tolullah Oni is the Clinical Director of Research in Global Health (professor) at the University of Cambridge’s MRC Epidemiology Unit, an Extraordinary Professor and Chair in Architecture at Innovation Africa@UP, University of Pretoria, and founder of UrbanBetter.