Boosting behavioral change and citizens’ engagement in cities through technology: the DivAirCity project approach

Cities are complex vivid structures that are affected by multiple factors, such as economic activity, climate change, and social inclusion which affect people living in them. Air pollution and climate resilience are key factors affecting people’s health and well-being in urban areas. Their impact is more pronounced in the most deprived and vulnerable parts of the population, living in poorer urban areas. DivAirCity is a H2020 project that aims to address these challenges by embracing human diversity to shape innovative urban services and models and Nature-Based Solutions (NBS), fostering culturally driven green cities. The project also introduces two key digital tools to facilitate its objectives: a blockchain-based application (dApp) and a federated data system, both designed to support participatory decision-making, behavioral change and citizens’ engagement through the collection and visualization of air quality data, tokenization and rewarding. In addition to promoting urban sustainability, these tools and their outcome can provide valuable resources for students of engineering, developers, and social engagement stakeholders.