LKY CIC Brown Bag Lunchtime Talk: “Using citizen science for a deeper understanding of the urban built environment”
LKY CIC Brown Bag Lunchtime Talk: “Using citizen science for a deeper understanding of the urban built environment”
8 Somapah Road 487372
Synopsis
This presentation explores the use of citizen science; highlighting the potential for this underutilised methodology to create better, data driven, outcomes for the design and planning of our cities and communities.
Local neighbourhoods have major impacts on the quality of life of those who use and live in them. The WHO and UN have developed clear guidelines for achieving cities or communities that support health and wellbeing. Design and delivery of quality public spaces that meet these guidelines should promote health and wellbeing, social engagement with others, and engagement with the natural environment but little data is currently collected about how residents perceive or use these urban public spaces. Daily experiences, often over long periods of time, mean residents have acquired intimate first-hand knowledge of their neighbourhoods, and thus, may be more qualified than experts to assess the qualities of neighbourhood public spaces.
A citizen science approach addresses this need for a deeper understanding of how public spaces are used and viewed. Through multiple citizen science projects over the past five years, Dr Barrie and colleagues have co-designed and trialed a citizen science approach to auditing and evaluating various aspects of the urban built environment – from engagement with green spaces to use of mixed-use high rise buildings. Our research shows that citizen science allows for richer, deeper qualitative, quantitative and longitudinal data that incorporates lived experience perspectives; produces better project designs and outcomes; develops a cohort of residents interested and engaged in research and engages and trains people to apply a critical perspective to their neighbourhoods and communities enabling them to be future change agents.
Speaker
Dr Helen Barrie is a Senior Research Fellow in the Centre for Markets, Values and Inclusion at the University of South Australia. She is also affiliated with the International Longevity Centre Global Alliance, the Life Institute at the University of Ottawa, is a Fellow of the Royal Geographic Society UK, and Life Member and Past President of the Australian Association of Gerontology. Helen has a PhD in human geography and a background in social policy. As a social gerontologist and human geographer, Helen’s research has a focus on our changing and ageing populations and the implications of this for society and communities. Much of this work involves an examination of the interaction between older people and the built environment; including age friendly cities, innovative models of housing, community connectedness and social networks, frailty and wellbeing.
Booking
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