GALLANT Community Collaboration Research

GALLANT stands for Glasgow as a Living Lab Accelerating Novel Transformation. It is a five-year project running from 2022 to 2027. The project is led by the University of Glasgow and funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC).

The project aims to design and test new, experimental ways for the city to adapt to climate change. It involves working closely with local communities. The goal is to shape a just and sustainable future.

The work is structured around five focus areas:

• Flood Risk
• Biodiversity Loss
• Vacant and Derelict Land
• Active Travel and Inclusive Mobility
• Sustainable Energy

Since 2023, our research team has been working collaboratively with communities across Glasgow to shape and develop community science projects that matter to them. We began by listening – through interviews and focus groups, casual conversations and community events – to understand what kinds of research questions local people genuinely wanted to explore. From those conversations came 77 questions, grouped by theme and research area. After a community-wide voting process, we launched our first three projects, and now have six active initiatives. Each project is co-designed with community partners and rooted in their own priorities, creating research that helps them understand and improve the places they live.

Welcome to communiMap, the place to discover your local area in a new way and tune in to the nature of Glasgow! Take the time to notice the daily rhythms around you and share what makes your neighbourhood unique.

Whether you’re walking, wheeling, admiring local trees, or composting at home, communiMap is here to help you pause, reflect, and share your discoveries.

Come explore, share, and help us build a vibrant map together. We’re so glad you’re here!

What is communiMap?

communiMap is an easy-to-use community science app developed by the GALLANT project at the University of Glasgow. It helps people of all ages notice, record, and share what they see in their neighbourhoods , from urban trees and hidden wildlife to water events, local energy projects, and compost heaps.

With communiMap, you can:

communiMap is flexible: record a single observation on a walk, run a school project over weeks, or just use it to notice new things about your place. Every “Spot” adds to a bigger, collective story about people and places across Glasgow and beyond.

Why does it matter?

We created communiMap to help people record what they notice, share what they see, and take action together.

From climate change to local flooding to tree planting, how we notice and understand our surroundings shapes what happens next.

When you add your spots, you help:

• Build local knowledge that supports climate-ready streets and neighbourhoods.
• Spot patterns and changes that matter for wildlife, green spaces, and our own community wellbeing.
• Start conversations in your family, community group, or school about how to look after the places we all care about.

Whether you’re a family on a walk, a resident group looking after a park, or a teacher helping pupils connect learning to the real world, communiMap is for you

GALLANT and Friends of the River Kelvin have teamed up to facilitate Nature Co-Lab and Tree Co-Lab walkshops, exploring the diverse flora and fauna along the River Kelvin. Together, we’ve been uncovering and documenting the rich biodiversity that thrives along the river’s edge.

Friends of the River Kelvin work to protect and enhance the River Kelvin and its natural surroundings. Through volunteer action, advocacy, and collaboration, they:

• Protect and restore habitats for wildlife and people
• Champion access to nature along the river
• Support local communities to learn about and care for their environment

FORK regards the River Kelvin as a valuable and precious natural resource. The River Kelvin provides a unique environment in Glasgow – which continuously needs to be protected, preserved and improved.

We are a founding member of the Kelvin Biodiversity Network and we work in partnership with other organisations who share our aims. These include: The Conservation Volunteers, Glasgow City Council departments, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), RSPB, local businesses, schools and colleges.