Tackling air pollution is therefore key to improving public health, especially for children given the associated risks of developing asthma and respiratory problems."
Dr Yijing Li, Interim Director of CUSP London
20 November 2024
Student project helps reduce car use around schools in London borough
King’s students, in partnership with Westminster City Council, have helped achieve a 22% reduction in car use around Westminster schools, leading to CO₂ savings of about 3.5 tonnes.
As part of their MSc Urban Informatics placement module, students analysed air quality data, focusing on neighbourhoods surrounding schools. They then created data visualisations that clearly illustrated the environmental impact of car use around schools, which formed a key part of the Council’s awareness campaign aimed at reducing car use.
The students’ work helped shape communications from the Council to raise awareness of air pollution among pupils and their parents at the participating schools. This led to a reduction in car journeys for school drop offs. In 2019/2020, 26.15% of pupils at pilot schools travelled to school by personal car. Following the campaign, this percentage had dropped by 21.6% in 2021/2022. Meanwhile, car use at non-pilot schools remained steady.
Dr Yijing Li, Interim Director of CUSP London said, “We know from research led by King's, that almost 9,500 people die every year in London due to long-term exposure to air pollution.
“Tackling air pollution is therefore key to improving public health, especially for children given the associated risks of developing asthma and respiratory problems.
“Data visualisation enables us to communicate the stark realities of poor air pollution in neighbourhoods across London, including around schools, which can be far more effective than simply sharing the figures. As we’ve seen, this technique has led to real behavioural change which is improving air quality and keeping communities safer and healthier.”
Data visualisation enables us to communicate the stark realities of poor air pollution in neighbourhoods across London.
Dr Yijing Li, Interim Director of CUSP London
Since the pilot project, Westminster City Council has expanded the initiative from three to six schools in the borough. The initiative also earned recognition as a finalist in the Local Government Chronicle Awards in the Technology Category and the Digital Leaders Greentech Initiative of the Year.
The Centre for Urban Science and Progress London (CUSP) London, which founded then partners with the MSc in Urban Informatics at King’s, brings together researchers, businesses, and government agencies to apply data science and visual analytics to urban challenges.
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AEP Senior Lecturer in Urban Informatics