This blog provides a reflective review of the “Citizen Science” Workshop on Urban Gardening, held in Chinatown, London, on 16 June 2022. The primary aim of the workshop was to highlight the vital role of sustainable development in the context of city garden construction.
There are two main reasons why this topic was chosen for the workshop. First, city gardens can function as green infrastructure, reducing reliance on artificial systems, thereby lowering resource and energy consumption (McDonald et al., 2023). Additionally, city gardens contribute to improving urban ecological environments—such as mitigating the heat island effect and enhancing air quality—which aligns closely with Sustainable Development Goal 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) (SDG 11), particularly Target 11.7 (Figure 1) (Lorenzo-Sáez et al., 2021).
Figure 1. The key concepts of SDG 11 and Target 11.7 (Source:Prins, 2021)
Second, as cities in different countries implement smart city projects, there is often a stronger focus on scientific and economic goals, with environmental considerations potentially being overlooked (Shamsuzzoha et al., 2021). City gardens have the potential to serve as unique spaces that bridge society and the environment. They provide tangible environmental solutions that align with the goals of smart cities, such as improving health and well-being and addressing climate change, while emphasising social equity, a core principle of Urban Political Ecology (UPE) theory (Angelo and Wachsmuth, 2014; Bibri, 2019).
Figure 2. Key concepts of UPE framework (Source: Anh et al., 2020)
Since the promotion of this workshop was conducted entirely offline, only six people attended. However, the participants thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The workshop lasted three hours and was inspired by the Master’s course “Introduction to Citizen Science and Scientific Crowdsourcing,” convened by Professor Muki Haklay at UCL Geography. It combined both theoretical and practical components.
The first hour focused on theoretical guidance delivered by Dr. Zhang Yaqian. The session covered the concept of urban gardens, their significance for urban greening, the challenges involved in constructing residential community gardens, and proposed strategies for improvement (Figure 3).
Figure 3. Theoretical session delivered by Dr. Zhang Yaqian (Credit: Sihan)
The remaining two hours were dedicated to creating city garden scrapbooks. Dr. Jian Chen (UCL Geography), assisted by Sihan Ma (a first-year undergraduate student at UCL Geography), began with a 15-minute introduction to the tools needed for scrapbook-making, including scissors, stickers, and cardboard. The task involved each participant writing the name of their favourite city on a piece of cardboard. Participants then selected stickers depicting elements such as trees, flowers, fountains, birds, and fish, cut them out, designed their own landscapes, and pasted them onto the cardboard.
In the final 40 minutes, each participant presented their work. They introduced the climate characteristics of their chosen city, explained their choice of city, and discussed the functions of the city garden they designed for it (Figure 4).
Figure 4. Photos from the practical session (Credit: Xueyuan)
Overall, while the project concluded with a successful presentation, its significance, combined with the ongoing work of our Extreme Citizen Science research group in the field, highlights three key lessons for reflection and improvement, which could serve as valuable references for future workshops on similar themes.
First of all, the project was originally intended as a citizen science activity, but because it was the first time to carry out activities in a new indoor venue outside of the school, although the actual process involved discussions on urban garden monitoring, the whole process was more like an educational project, and no substantial data was generated for the monitoring or implementation of SDG 11.
Future research may consider adjusting the practical content, adding more outdoor activities and data collection sessions, so that the entire workshop conforms to the design concept of citizen science. The sensory notation tool, developed by Professor Saffron Woodcraft of the UCL Prosperity Institute in collaboration with the Manchester University team, could be considered for adoption in future projects. Guided by Lucas’s Sensory Notation theory, participants can utilise their senses to evaluate the environment of a specific city garden, assessing whether the current park meets the public’s welfare needs (Lucas, 2009). This citizen science approach can provide valuable references and suggestions for related design projects and community government initiatives (Figure 5).
In addition, even for such a low-difficulty activity, the preparation stage is often the most difficult, because of the need to transport equipment and the possibility of unpredictable situations when setting up the venue, so it is necessary to reserve sufficient preparation time in advance.
Figure 5. Key to Sensory Notation (Source: Lucas, 2009)
Secondly, there were shortcomings in participant recruitment, primarily due to insufficient preparation. We failed to fully utilise social media for advance publicity and did not provide clear instructions to potential participants. For future activities, it would be advisable to begin publicity at least a month in advance. However, the challenge of effectively using social media to recruit for formal citizen science projects remains a significant concern and a broader issue that needs to be addressed within the field.
For example, research conducted during 2013–2014 by The Conservation Volunteers (TCV) as part of the Counting Scotland project highlighted several key findings regarding the use of social media in citizen science projects. While social media proved highly effective at recruiting participants, it was less successful in maintaining long-term engagement. Volunteers often reported feeling a lack of direct interaction with organisers or other participants, particularly in geographically dispersed projects. Additionally, social media campaigns frequently lacked clear objectives and failed to align with participants’ specific needs, reducing their overall effectiveness.
Future research could consider studying the impact of different social media communication forms and their role in specific phases of the research cycle on participant retention and satisfaction.
Finally, the practical component of the city garden project could benefit from further scientific and data-driven enhancements in the future. For instance, incorporating molds into activities could create a more three-dimensional and interactive experience compared to the current collage method.
Additionally, as previously mentioned, the workshop lacks a strong focus on data contribution, which sets it apart from the traditional model of citizen science projects. It is therefore worth exploring ways to enhance data collection in future iterations. For example, many cities worldwide have implemented urban tree monitoring programs, where volunteers gather data on tree species, size, health, and location, aiding urban planners in managing urban forests and optimising their benefits. Our research team’s Sapelli app could be considered as an option to help collect tree species information by customising its data collection interface, especially in communities that need to overcome language or literacy barriers (Moustard et al., 2021). Alternatively, biodiversity apps like iNaturalist can be used to organise outdoor urban garden tours, enabling participants to gather valuable data on plants and animals (iNaturalist, 2019).
In summary, this workshop offered a valuable learning experience on the role of urban gardens in sustainable development. Although attendance was limited due to insufficient offline promotion, participants enjoyed the workshop and gained a deeper understanding of urban garden construction and its significance. The event highlighted the importance of thorough preparation, active participant recruitment, enhancing the practical component, and placing greater emphasis on data collection. We look forward to future opportunities for individuals and teams to develop more educational or citizen science projects aligned with the SDG 11 theme.
（This blog is co-authored by Yaqian Zhang, Sihan Ma, and Jian Chen.)
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