In Pursuit of Breathable Cities

Nothing is more fundamental to human health and wellbeing than the air we breathe. Yet the World Health Organizationfinds that more than 9 in 10 people globally live in places with high pollutant levels, and air pollution causes 7 million premature deaths annually. The record-breaking 2020 US wildfire seasonraised an acute sense of urgency about air quality, as 52,113 wildfires burned 9 million acres and caused historic levels of pollution in cities up and down America’s west coast.

As centers of commerce, production, and transportation, cities face especially high stakes for air quality due to higher density and human exposure. Because harmful pollutants aren’t always visible, however, urban dwellers and public officials aren’t necessarily aware of air quality risks and how to address them.

Air quality monitoring isn’t new, but traditional data collection and public engagement have fallen short of generating the level of awareness and resolve that are needed for meaningful action. For decades, US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has measured air quality in cities, but expensive research-grade equipment is best suited to measuring long-term regional pollution levels. Data gaps have impeded air quality analysis over time (in Illinois, for example, lab errors invalidated particulate matter datafrom 2011-2014 and made it impossible to measure compliance with National Ambient Air Quality Standards), and existing regional sensors don’t necessarily capture neighborhood-level conditions (which can vary greatly from block-to-block). Although EPA’s data are available to the public, it’s unclear how accessible and relevant those data are for people outside of research and regulation. Under the Trump Administration, the federal government failed to update Clean Air Act standardsdespite widespread recognition that air quality disproportionately affects the health, educational, and economic prospects of low-income residents and communities of color. All of these factors complicate local efforts to understand air quality risks and work together to address them.

Chicago has a unique opportunity to lead on urban air quality monitoring while also serving as a model for other cities. Chicago is not without air quality challenges, but local leaders and residents are increasingly aware of the need for action. In absolute terms, air quality in Chicago has improved over time, but the region has risen in recent American Lung Association (ALA) rankings of America’s most polluted cities. ALA’s 2020 State of the Airreport gave Chicago an “F” for ozone pollution. In the summer of 2020, the City of Chicago released a new Air Quality & Health Report, Index, and Reform Agendato improve health and support equitable economic growth. Chicago also as an engaged civic stakeholder community and a compelling history of air quality monitoring and advocacy – including Air Quality Chicago(a coalition of 20+ local organizations that have conducted block-by-block monitoring using mobile handheld sensors) and Shared Air / Shared Action(a 4-year EPA-funded project to investigate community-led air quality research).

A new generation of lower cost, more readily deployable air quality sensors (including AirBeam, PurpleAir, and Microsoft’s Project Eclipse) holds great potential to reduce air quality blindspots and equip cities to better understand and address air pollution. But technology alone can’t solve this problem. Accurate, localized data are essential but not sufficient to transform concerned residents and public officials into empowered problem solvers; for these new solutions to be effective, both stakeholders and residents must be included in the design, development, and deployment.

In December 2020, City Tech Collaborative convened a virtual Breathable Cities Roundtable with government leaders, environmental advocates, and corporate leaders with the goal of connecting Chicago-area air quality efforts and coordinating new air quality sensor deployment. City Tech’s Healthy Cities Initiativeseeks to use data and analytics to strengthen cities’ capacity to meet resident needs and improve community health outcomes. Chicago has been a leader in urban air quality monitoring and advocacy, but COVID-19 has taken a toll on environmental collaboration among cross-sector stakeholders.

The roundtable highlighted opportunities to connect related projects, share data, engage residents, and coordinate air quality advocacy to drive better insights, reduce air pollution, and improve public health in Chicago, while providing an actionable model to other cities. Discussion also made a strong case for broadening air quality discussions to include residents and community organizations and for grassroots-level funding to support these efforts, validating City Tech’s belief that successful public-facing solutions rely upon direct resident engagement and community-focused design.

In parallel with the Roundtable, City Tech worked with a team interested in deploying a more hyperlocal, accessible, and public-facing air quality sensing platform and related website to view the collected data. In January 2021, City Tech utilized our resident engagement program to provide input on the efforts; the program utilizes Civic User Testing best practices to offer guidance, convenes residents, and conducts specialized user testing to support the development and roll-out of digital tools, websites, technology plans, and civic programs.

To better understand resident interest in air quality and provide input on the sensing platform, City Tech engaged members of our ~1,600 member Civic User Testing group (CUTgroup) , a diverse civic engagement program that invites residents to contribute to emerging technology, to provide input on air quality sensing platform and related efforts. Strikingly, 95% of the residents we spoke with were very engaged in the space, stating that they were concerned about air quality in their environment; however, many did not know how to find information about their concerns, underscoring the importance of these local data and a site to access them in real time.

Along with the sensing platform, the team wanted to develop a website where users could view and understand the data collected from the sensors as well as report their own feedback about the air quality in the area. Residents were excited about the these efforts, with 85% of testers reporting they were interested in using the website. In addition, many residents also found the opportunity to contribute their own air quality data a reason to engage and recommend the site to others. Testers valued the data access, which was not surprising given their interest in air quality, but many preferred to have more context available on the site such about the platform’s founders, purpose, and data privacy, as well as direction on how to use the data to make more informed choices in their daily environmental habits and goals. Prioritizing these additional details would allow platform users to feel better connected with air quality data and enable them to take actionable next steps towards improving the environment.

As reflected by local and national efforts as well as City Tech’s recent roundtable and resident engagement activities, cities and their residents are ready to take action to improve the quality of the air we breathe. As we develop new tech-enabled, public-facing solutions, it is imperative to remember who they will serve; engaging all stakeholders throughout the process – governmental officials, community organizations, tech- and subject-matter experts, and residents – creates more accessible and user-friendly final products. We shouldn’t just create solutions and hope they succeed. We must empower our residents and public officials to understand and utilize air quality information to take lasting action.

About the Authors:

Jamie Ponce is the Director of Strategic Partnerships at City Tech Collaborative where he works to drive breakthrough solutions to critical city challenges using technology, data analytics, and collaboration. He previously served as Director of Innovation with the Environmental Law & Policy Center, a public interest and environmental advocacy group focused on clean energy, transportation, air, and water throughout the US Midwest. From 2012-16, Jamie was the Chicago Director of Energy and Climate Innovation with the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, where he led initiatives on energy efficiency, sustainable development, food, and climate in the office of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and across a network of global megacities. Prior to these roles, Jamie spent 10 years with global management consulting firm A.T. Kearney, specializing in corporate strategy, economic development, and resource efficiency. Jamie holds a bachelor’s degree from Indiana University, a Master in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School, and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Meera Raja is the Senior Manager of Solution Design & Program Development at City Tech Collaborative. In this role, Meera works as a member of the City Solutions team to design and execute new programs and services. Meera also leads City Tech's 1,600+ member Civic User Testing Group (CUTgroup) in Chicago and coordinates expansion of the CUTgroup model to additional cities across North America. Prior to joining the City Tech team, Meera was the Associate Director of Research Innovation at University of Chicago, where she developed strategies to advance nascent and complex research. Meera was previously a consultant for ZS Associates, working on data-driven solutions for the pharmaceutical space. Meera completed her Ph.D. and Postdoc in Chemistry from Northwestern University and received her undergraduate degree in the same field from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign.

About City Tech Collaborative (City Tech): City Tech is an urban solutions accelerator that tackles problems too big for any single sector or organization to solve alone. City Tech’s work uses IoT sensing networks, advanced analytics, and urban design to create scalable, market ready solutions. Current initiatives address advanced mobility, healthy cities, connected infrastructure, and emerging growth opportunities. City Tech was born and raised in Chicago, and every city is a potential partner. Visit www.CityTech.org and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

About CUTgroup: City Tech's Civic User Testing group (CUTgroup) is a 1,600+ member civic engagement program that invites Chicago residents to contribute to emerging technology while providing public, private, and social sector partners with feedback to improve product design and deployment. Learn more at www.CityTech.org/CUTgroup.