Sustainable Systems for Environmental and Health Resilience using Global Integrated Analytics (SYNERGIA)

Start date: 1 December 2025
End date: 28 February 2028
Funder: Horizons Institute

Project title

Description

SYNERGIA

SYNERGIA is a participatory research project led by the University of the Witwatersrand and the University of Leeds that integrates environmental monitoring, citizen participation, and data-driven learning to better understand the relationships among pollution, health, and urban life. The Horizons Institute funds the project and forms part of a wider international collaboration exploring how communities can use environmental data to support healthier and more sustainable cities.

SYNERGIA aims to understand the connections between pollution, health, and cities by combining low-cost sensors, citizen participation, and an equitable approach to data.

To achieve this goal, the project is building a network of environmental sensors across Leeds, installed in homes, schools, and community locations. These sensors collect information on air quality, including particulate matter, gases, and volatile organic compounds. Future phases of the project will also expand monitoring to include noise. By creating a citywide network, SYNERGIA seeks to develop a richer understanding of how environmental conditions vary across neighbourhoods and how these differences may affect people's well-being.

However, SYNERGIA is about much more than technology. The project places people at the centre of environmental monitoring. Participants are invited to contribute their local knowledge, explore environmental data, discuss links between pollution and health, and identify actions that could improve conditions in their communities. Through workshops, focus groups, interviews, and collaborative discussions, residents, Leeds city councillors, and researchers work together to interpret data and develop evidence-based approaches for positive change.

By ensuring representation from across Leeds and promoting open access to environmental information, SYNERGIA seeks to make environmental data more accessible, inclusive, and useful for everyone. Ultimately, the project aims to empower communities with the knowledge, tools, and networks needed to support healthier neighbourhoods and contribute to a more sustainable future for Leeds.

Get Involved

There are several ways to take part in SYNERGIA:

Homes and schools can contribute by hosting environmental sensors and helping to build a citywide network for monitoring air quality and noise.

Leeds residents can become more actively involved by hosting a sensor, participating in three workshops, a focus group, and a questionnaire. These activities explore environmental data, health implications, and community actions to improve wellbeing across Leeds.

Leeds City Councillors are invited to contribute through an interview and questionnaire, helping the project understand policy perspectives and opportunities to support healthier and more sustainable neighbourhoods.

Interested residents, schools, and councillors can contact Carolina Montoya Pachongo at C.MontoyaPachongo@leeds.ac.uk to find out more or register their interest.