GoKawiilCambridge epidemiologist builds citizen networks to diagnose unhealthy cities
Tolullah Oni, a public-health researcher at the University of Cambridge who calls herself an urban epidemiologist, treats cities as patients by tracking factors like air quality and heat that affect residents' health. In 2019 she founded the non-profit UrbanBetter, which trains local citizens and researchers to collect and analyze their own urban data. The group's civic arm, Cityzens Hubs, now operates in 11 African cities plus Bogotá and Bangkok, alongside a research centre in Cambridge.
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Oni's approach suggests that improving urban health may depend less on external experts alone and more on equipping residents to generate their own evidence for advocacy. This model could reshape how global health interventions are designed, shifting power toward local communities who understand their own environments. It also points to a broader push to connect scientific data with grassroots political pressure in rapidly urbanizing regions.
- Tolullah Oni treats cities as patients, studying variables like air quality and temperature.
- She founded UrbanBetter in 2019 to train citizens and local researchers in data collection.
- Cityzens Hubs now operates in 11 African cities plus Bogotá and Bangkok.
Source: nature.com — Wild, 2026-10-21
Published there as: “To heal sick cities, scientists and residents must work together”
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