CECAN Fellowship: Evaluating community-led air quality monitoring: measuring behaviour change and policy influence from the Breathe London programme
The Breathe London programme deploys over 100 low-cost air quality monitors across London, enabling schools, hospitals, and community groups to access hyper-local pollution data. Funded by the Clean Air Fund, C40 and Bloomberg Philanthropies, this community-led model has been replicated globally in 14 other cities aiming to cut pollution and emissions by 30% by 2030. Yet, its evaluation from a behaviour change perspective remains underdeveloped.
Measuring the effectiveness of citizen-driven air quality monitoring is complex. Community access to data may empower behavioural change (e.g. travel decisions, advocacy, exposure reduction) and influence local or citywide policy. However, attributing outcomes to the programme is difficult e.g. influences from wider environmental initiatives and political will.
Using and testing applied behavioural science is not as common in Transport as in other sectors (Education and Health). I would like to address this gap through creating an efficient and robust evaluation framework to improve evaluation within the sector, contributing to address pressing Net Zero and cross-cutting challenges.
This Fellowship will explore how to evaluate the impact of community air quality monitoring at both the individual (behaviour change) and system (policy influence) levels. Developing a robust framework will support the GLA, funders (C40 Cities, Clean Cities), and international partners to understand how Breathe London creates value. Insights will also help cities worldwide deploy and evaluate similar programmes.
About Lauren
Lauren James is a behavioural science and engagement practitioner with over six years’ experience in air quality, public health, and sustainable transport. She is joining the Greater London Authority as Senior Policy and Programme Manager in the Air Quality team, where she will manage Breathe London, a community-led air quality monitoring network providing hyper-local pollution data for schools, hospitals, and communities. Funded by C40 Cities and Clean Cities, the programme has been replicated in more than 16 global cities.
Her Fellowship will explore the complex challenge of evaluating community-led monitoring initiatives, focusing on how access to local air quality data influences individual behaviour change (e.g. travel choices, awareness, advocacy) and how these grassroots programmes contribute to wider policy outcomes. She aims to develop a practical evaluation framework that captures both individual and systems-level impacts, providing transferable insights for global cities that have adapted similar models.
Lauren’s interest focuses on bringing together behavioural insights and practical evaluation approaches to build stronger evidence for complex, community-led interventions. Her professional background includes leading a team at MP Smarter Travel, a consultancy specialising in targeted engagement and behaviour change. She has experience applying behavioural frameworks, such as COM-B, to design and evaluate interventions to influence travel behaviour. For example, cargo bike delivery trials for small businesses, low-pollution school route maps, and travel plans for places of worship.
