Measuring the Tranquil City: a toolkit for equitable urban wellbeing
Dr Eleanor Ratcliffe, a Senior Lecturer in Environmental Psychology and Fellow of the Institute for Sustainability at the University of Surrey, has been awarded a British Academy Innovation Fellowship.
The Fellowship will enable Dr Ratcliffe to collaborate with Tranquil City and develop an Impact Assessment Toolkit (IAT) to measure urban wellbeing. Tranquil City is a small-medium enterprise that works with communities, campaigners and volunteers in London to show how city life can be healthy, mindful, slow and environmentally responsible.
The IAT has two main aims.
- To demonstrate the benefits of active travel and green space interventions for wellbeing and sustainable behaviour, especially for communities at risk of health inequalities.
- To communicate those benefits to public, private, and third sector stakeholders, driving the adoption of sustainable development and lifestyle practices at city levels.
These aims will be achieved through the 12-month Fellowship in four phases:
- Understanding community, policy, and business stakeholder needs and priorities in urban development to respond to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),
- Co-designing of the IAT with stakeholders,
- Testing and validating the tools in wider communities,
- Integrating the IAT into Tranquil City’s business model.
The project addresses UN SDG3 (good health and wellbeing), SDG11 (sustainable cities and communities) and SDG17 (partnerships for the goals).
Related sustainable development goals
