Enhancing Urban Air Quality Mapping through Novel Measurement and Modelling approaches, and Citizen Science: Actionable Insights from the RI-URBANS Project

Air Quality is among the most pressing environmental issues impacting upon urban populations. Traditional air quality networks can assess time trends and assess compliance to air quality regulations, but lack the spatial and temporal resolution to understand individual exposure to air pollution. The RI-URBANS project is a European initiative aiming to develop new strategies and enhance the existing tools to address the air quality challenges and societal needs in European cities. This paper presents an overview of the pilots of the RI-URBANS project associated with air quality mapping and pollution hotspot identification using modelling, novel measurement methodologies and mapping techniques. Special focus is given on the discussion of the novel measurement methodologies introduced with the use of low-cost sensors, mobile measurements and citizen participation in the data collection process. The findings highlight the significance of participatory science, technological advancements in air quality measurement, adoption of novel measurement and modelling strategies and the potential for policy integration. The project's outcomes suggest that integrating stationary sensor networks, mobile monitoring platforms, and citizen engagement can significantly enhance urban air quality management alongside traditional monitoring and modelling approaches. However, harmonisation of data collected using these different methods is essential to ensure comparable outcomes across projects, which was one of the primary aims of RI-URBANS. The project also highlights several practices that improve both data collection and citizen participation. In particular, it emphasises the importance of careful campaign design and clear, direct communication with citizen scientists throughout both the monitoring process and the dissemination of project outcomes. This study highlights the important work undertaken by the participating cities and the novel approaches used to disentangle the complicated air pollution patterns and improve the air quality for everyone, while making this crucial information easily obtainable.