The CUSP London Data Dive continues to highlight the talent and dedication of participating students as they uncover meaningful insights from urban data in sustainability. The event’s international nature ensures an exchange of diverse perspectives, fostering innovative approaches to complex urban challenges.”
Dr Yijing Li, Acting Director for CUSP London
03 March 2025
Students from around the world develop solutions for greener cities in data competition
Students use data to tackle urban sustainability challenges at CUSP London Data Dive 2025
Students from eight universities, spanning four time zones, came together for the annual CUSP London Data Dive, with the mission to use urban data to tackle pressing sustainability challenges in cities.
Now in its tenth year, the event run by the Centre for Urban Science and Progress (CUSP) London brought together over 80 students from King’s, UCL, University of Warwick, University of Glasgow, University of Greenwich, NYU (United States), NYUAD (United Arab Emirates) and Peking University (China) for the four-day themed challenge. Participants analysed publicly available multi-sourced data on air quality, transport, biodiversity, economic status, health and green infrastructure – such as parks, tree canopy and waterways, to find innovative solutions to real-world urban issues.
On the final day, 12 teams presented their findings to a panel of judges, including experts and partners from the Crown Estate, Geolytix, the British Red Cross, the London Ambulance Service, WSP UK, Wilders, GreenTalk Labs, AccuCities and Westminster City Council.
The five challenges addressed by participants included:
- Are buildings' energy efficiency performance affected by certain features, or any other exogenous environment factors?
- Are urban parks or trees really playing a role promoting citizens' health?
- How the climate risks affect urban liveability? Could greenspace or trees help out?
- How can the urban transportation modes better support sustainable economy development in metropolitan cities?
- How does the urban waste management contribute to cities' sustainability goals towards 2030 and 2050?
The ‘Best Overall’ award went to a team that analysed data on fuel poverty and discovered that urban challenges disproportionately impact low-income communities, with suggested policy-informing evidence for tailored approaches and schemes against regional profiles.
This experience allows students to apply their learnt skills in a real-world setting, enhancing their data analysis, problem-solving and teamwork abilities. It also provides valuable industry exposure, networking opportunities and a strong addition to their CV.
I’ve learned a lot from my team about various software and datasets. It was valuable to experience a different learning approach and understand how to delegate tasks effectively.”
Data Dive 2025 participant
CUSP London is hosted in the Faculty of Natural, Mathematical & Engineering Science (NMES) and is a part of an international network of multidisciplinary institutes led by CUSP New York from the NYU Tandon School of Engineering.
The centre brings together researchers, businesses and government agencies, to apply data science and visual analytics to challenges in and for London.
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AEP Senior Lecturer in Urban Informatics