Through the Cityzens for Clean Air Campaign, UrbanBetter organized youth voices to build awareness and advocacy about the issue of air pollution in African cities.

Through the Cityzens for Clean Air Campaign, UrbanBetter organised youth voices to build awareness and advocacy about the issue of air pollution in African cities. In Cape Town, Accra, and Lagos, young people trained as citizen scientists known as Run Leaders, who each designed a 5-10 km running route through areas with diverse socioeconomic conditions. Between July and September 2022, these runs brought together more than 200 community members and doubled as data collection efforts; with Run Leaders and co-runners gathering air quality data and using the evidence to advocate for healthier urban spaces.

Since 2022, Cityzens Clean Air Runs have brought together over 11,000 participants across five Cityzens Hubs: Lagos, Nigeria; Accra, Ghana; Cape Town, South Africa; Nairobi, Kenya; and Bogota, Colombia. These hubs form the backbone of a growing youth-led movement for healthier cities and a rapidly expanding dataset on urban air quality. The Clean Air Runs serve a dual purpose, first as data collection and then as civic action, with youth turning lived experience into science and science into advocacy.

A key tool in this movement was the AirBeam, HabitatMap’s portable air quality monitor. UrbanBetter selected AirBeam during their pilot phase because it was easy to use, lightweight, and accessible for participants to carry while running. This portability meant youth leaders could gather data in real time across diverse neighborhoods ranging from quiet residential areas with low pollution levels to congested, high-traffic corridors with poor air quality.

By putting numbers to something otherwise invisible, AirBeam made the science of air pollution tangible to community members. Participants often remarked how surprising it was to see stark differences in air quality across short distances in their own cities. That visibility became a powerful motivator, connecting lived experience to scientific evidence.

UrbanBetter intentionally centers young people, recognizing that Africa’s largest demographic should play a role in shaping decisions that impact their future. Through locally hosted hubs operated by trusted organizations whose mission aligns with UrbanBetter’s mission to accelerate healthy urban transformation; young people are equipped with digital infrastructure, such as the AirBeam, trained and given access to networks that help turn daily experiences into evidence and action for healthier, more climate-resilient cities. With AirBeam in hand, these youth leaders don’t just run; they produce credible, shareable data that allows them to highlight gaps in official air quality monitoring and advocate for policy change.

Data collected with AirBeam and other tools are integrated into the Cityzens platform, where participants analyzed results and identified inequities in access to clean air. This data-driven approach, called the UrbanBetter Precision Advocacy Model, has led to public-facing campaigns including clean air runs, community events, and social media days of action, reaching more than 100,000 people digitally. Cityzens have also engaged over 29 policymakers across different cities, contributing to tangible policy influence, such as integrating citizen science into planning processes and commitments towards climate and health resilience.

By combining the portability of AirBeam with youth-led energy and advocacy, the Cityzens movement is showcasing the power of citizen science. Young people keep demonstrating that they can gather meaningful evidence, make it relatable to their communities, and bring it to the global stage. These young clean air activists have presented their findings at the most recent United Nations Climate Change Conference, as well as TED Countdown, COP28, the WHO Air Pollution & Health Conference, and the Clean Air Forum.

The Cityzens for Clean Air initiative illustrates how AirBeam enables communities not just to measure pollution, but to use data as a foundation for organizing, advocacy, and change. UrbanBetter’s Cityzens for Clean Air initiative is becoming a flagship pillar for citizen-led advocacy, and UrbanBetter is currently expanding and offering opportunities for others to host Cityzen Hubs. If your organisation works at the intersection of health, climate, and urban transformation, you can apply to host a Cityzens Hub in your city here. If you’re interested in getting involved, get in touch.