Citizen as Sensors' Commitment in Urban Public Action

Abstract

Based on a case study in Rennes, the article presents how a group of urban public actors re-uses methods and technology from citizen sciences to raise the urban air quality issue in the public debate. The project gives a group of inhabitants the opportunity to follow air quality training and proceed PM2.5µm measurements. The authors question the impact of the ongoing hybridisation between citizen science and urban public action on participants' commitment. The authors present how the use of PM2.5-sensors during 11 weeks led to a disengagement phenomenon, even if the authors observe a strong participation to workshops. These results come from an interdisciplinary methodology using observations, interviews, and data analyses.

Citizens or Consumers? Air Quality Sensor Users and Their Involvement in Sensor.Community. Results from Qualitative Case Study

“…Both the reasons and data application scope were in most cases determined by two motives, health and family, with the overarching need for a sense of safety. The health-and family-related motives have already been explored as important factors of involvement in air quality monitoring [35]. While these values can shape a variety of practices, in the case of our respondents, they seem to contribute to the development of individualistic attitudes.…”

The Role of Community Science in Addressing Policy Change: A Critical Review of Air Pollution Literature

“…Workshops were used to recruit, engage, and train community members on the purpose and processes of conducting the research (12%, n=22). As an example, L'her et al [38] studied the perceptions and motivations of community scientists recruited by their local municipality fto participate in community air monitoring research through several workshops with participating community scientists. The workshops were conducted over the course of eight months, with each entailing two hours of training on utilizing low-cost air sensors as well as "mapping, viewing of films with debate, and data analysis" (p. 1).…”

Towards Smart City Governance. Case Study: Improving the Interpretation of Quantitative Traffic Measurement Data through Citizen Participation

“…Gil, Cortés-Cediel and Cantador [ 74 ] also discussed different forms of citizen participation in smart cities, with examples where citizens gather data to inform their government. Citizens as sensors encourage public participation in collective action, including taking inventories, making observations, and obtaining measurements that describe the urban environment [ 75 ]. Citizens can act as sensors by using their perceptions to detect and report problems [ 76 ].…”