Connecting Cities and Universities: Libraries' Role in Citizen Science Pilots of Urban Sustainability

Libraries’ role as community hubs positions them as important nodes of urban transformation, citizens’ activity and – focussing on research libraries in particular – as nodes of open science and open innovation. Aiming to commend these prospects of libraries as urban institutions, Citizen Science (CS) is employed as a mode of research for the participation of citizens in science projects, and in particular projects of urban sustainability that contribute both to a deeper understanding as well as a better future for the development of the natural, built and social environment of cities. Based on work conducted through the OPUSH (Open Urban Sustainabilty Hubs) project, this proposal will argue for the potential of libraries as: a) starting points for the information, communication, and engagement of citizens in CS pilots due to their inter- and transdisciplinary networks, communication channels and expertise; and b) facilitators for raising awareness on matters of urban sustainability and the encouragement of citizens in co-creating pilots that deal with their surroundings.

Building upon the unique position of research libraries as a universities’ main contact point to the higher education community as well as to the neighbourhood OPUSH CS activities demonstrate universities’ third mission and their endeavors for a democratization of research and knowledge production. Especially in the field of urban innovation, research libraries have yet to unfold their full potential as a third place. The opening up to the non-academic public by sharing infrastructures as well as knowledge and offering training for citizens can incubate processes of urban commoning and social justice.

In addition to the focus on activating the dormant potentials we see in research libraries’ abilities to foster societal engagement for urban sustainability, this proposal will give a demonstration of two case studies of Citizen Science methodologies on urban sustainability pilots. The CS pilot “Urban Heat Stories” carried out by the TU Wien library together with the future.lab Research Center at the Faculty of Architecture and Planning investigates on the interdependency of urban heat islands and socio-spatial parameters in Vienna. Citizens as co-researchers share their experiences with urban heat and their expertise about their neighborhood. The data collected by Citizen Scientists provides a valuable source focusing on the social dimension of urban heat. The findings are then integrated in current urban development projects conducted by the city administration. The CS pilot “Energy Transition” instigated by TU Delft Library’s Open Science group deals with energy surveying of monument houses of Delft and brings together researchers of TU Delft’s Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment with a volunteer group of energy-coaches from Delft, as well as residents of monument houses.

These pilots were developed in collaboration with research libraries in the framework of the OPUSH project which was presented at LIBER 2023 in Budapest. In summary our presentation highlights the potentials of societal engagement of research libraries by enabling CS activities through the opening of infrastructures and knowledge production to communities and thereby kick-starting processes of urban innovation for a better future.