Short Abstract

Citizen science can help close urban monitoring data gaps, supporting more than two-thirds of UN-Habitat’s Global Urban Monitoring Framework (UMF) indicators.

Abstract

My research explores how citizen science can rewire how we monitor urban systems. Evidence shows it could contribute to nearly 70% of the indicators within UN-Habitat’s Urban Monitoring Framework (UMF), yet it remains peripheral. Our analysis of the UMF illustrates how citizen science could strengthen local reporting while providing national statistical systems with disaggregated, timely evidence. The real barrier is not measurement, but meaning: how do we design governance systems that recognise citizen evidence as legitimate, trusted, and actionable? At this roundtable, I want to explore how we move beyond isolated pilots and position citizen science as a routine and trusted pillar of resilient and inclusive data ecosystems.