Go Jauntly and Tranquil City reveal urban walks with one quarter less pollution & double the greenery
New data has revealed the positive effects of more scenic, cleaner, and less congested walking routes - and how to find them. Rather than choosing the most direct route, Go Jauntly and environmental researchers Tranquil City have collaborated to release cleaner commute alternatives in London to counter traditional routing apps, hereby promoting active travel and healthy walks in urban spaces. Despite the news that one quarter of London parks break limits on filthy air, this collaboration proves that green spaces are still better than the surrounding roads.
This joint venture marks the first phase of the Go Jauntly and Tranquil City collaboration and this data provides bitesize information on the environmental quality of the ‘Beat the Commute’ routes. These were designed to help commuters incorporate walking into their daily journeys, curated by Go Jauntly in partnership with Transport for London. For example:
Walking Shoreditch to Liverpool Street
Exposed to around 24% less air pollution and noise than the most direct route. Five times more green space and trees than the most direct route
London Bridge to London Liverpool St
Exposed to around 15% less air pollution and noise than the most direct route 20 times more trees and 5 times more green space than the most direct route
Walking Barbican Station to St Paul's
Exposed to around 15% less air pollution and noise than the most direct route
Route offers the soothing presence of water as well as 46% more green space and trees than the most direct route.
“More people than ever want to live sustainably and reduce their own carbon emissions or air pollution. Enabling walking in tranquil, green and healthy spaces is fundamental to everything we’re doing at Go Jauntly. Collaborating with like-minded organisations such as Tranquil City is the best way to effect urgent and immediate change.”
-Hana Sutch, Go Jauntly Co-Founder
Walks have been chosen for ‘tranquillity’ factors, which include: noise pollution, greenness and air pollution levels. The collaboration explains how these qualities are good for your health and wellbeing in a number of ways, such as reducing stress levels and boosting positivity. The Go Jauntly and Tranquil City’s approach is that by associating walking healthier routes with a boost in wellbeing, people are more likely to sustain this positive behaviour change, in contrast to only avoiding the risks of air pollution.
This approach is founded on industry-renowned research and guidance such as the New Economics Foundation’s Five Ways to Wellbeing and The Behaviour Change Wheel method authored by Professor Susan Michie of University College London. Spending at least 2 hours a week in nature has recently been proven to significantly boost health, according to nature.com, and as transportation makes up 27% of Europe’s greenhouse gas emissions, promoting the tangible benefits and appeal of walking and cycling is a fundamental part of promoting behaviour changes that combat the Climate Emergency.
A recently published map of the air pollution levels of London parks led by Imperial College London has caused alarm that Central London green spaces are exposed to pollution levels exceeding World Health Organisation guidelines. However, the map excludes the significant comparative benefit of avoiding main highly polluted roads and travelling through these green spaces, and Tranquil City’s research using the same pollution level data (the London Atmospheric Emissions Inventory (LAEI) produced by the Greater London Authority London) shows that tranquil spaces crowdsourced by the public generally have lower average pollution levels that their more ‘non-tranquil’ counterparts, such as road intersections, shopping streets, city squares and pedestrianised markets.
Since 2017, Tranquil City has been innovating with public engagement and environmental quality data to calculate healthier walks that avoid pollution and pass through restorative spaces:
“We hope our collaboration will enable more people to understand how getting outside and exploring their city can improve their own health and wellbeing, as well as contributing to a healthier future for London.”
- Grant Waters, Tranquil City.
This is just the beginning of a long-term collaboration, which aims to offer solutions to modern day stresses and avoid high pollution exposure. The next phase will integrate the Tranquil City Index API (which allows app developers access to their dataset for the first time) across all routes so that users can understand the relative environmental quality and benefits of every Go Jauntly walk. This integration could lead to a simple and effective way to calculate healthier, more appealing walking and cycling routes across the city, thus condensing multiple environmental factors into one simple indicator.
Get in touch with the team to find out more.
Check out the rest of the amazing alternative commute routes!
