Citizen science is a broad field where members of the public work closely with researchers to advance scientific knowledge. It capitalises on people’s innate sense of curiosity, nurturing their desire to learn, question, contribute, and interact with others; whilst providing researchers with rich, in-depth knowledge. While citizen science is well established in the natural sciences, it remains under-utilised in social sciences. Yet, citizen science has much to offer, particularly in the fields of social gerontology, architecture, planning and service delivery.

Local neighbourhoods impact on the quality of life of those who use and live in them. The WHO and UN have developed clear guidelines for achieving communities that support health, wellbeing and ageing-in-place. As populations continuing to age, improving health, wellbeing, opportunities for social exchange, civic participation and connection to nature are critical. This necessitates an in-depth understanding of how older people use the built environment and engage with local community. Citizen science empowers older residents with the skills to assess their local environments and share their lived experiences, creating meaningful dialogue for change and opportunities for co-design.

This presentation draws on a series of national and international citizen science projects (2017-25). The flow-on impacts realised from localised, meaningful citizen science activities with older residents include building new knowledge and skill sets, strengthening social networks, improving wellbeing, and connecting residents with governing authorities to foster community change. Older residents as citizen scientists can become catalysts for change, encouraging and enhancing collaborations between communities, local authorities, services and business sectors.