Samenvatting

In the Netherlands, citizens often experience concerns or annoyance due to industrial and logistics activities in their immediate living environment. They typically turn to their municipalities as the responsible authorities to address and improve the situation. However, municipalities often perceive no grounds, legal or otherwise, to intervene. For example, because existing environmental standards or granted permits are not being violated. This may lead to distrust of the government, as well as of the science underlying these standards. In response, citizens sometimes initiate their own projects to measure aspects of their environment, also known as citizen science. Despite stemming from frustration or mistrust, these initiatives can provide opportunities for constructive dialogue among stakeholders. In two citizen science cases, ‘Farmers and Neighbours’ and ‘Citizen Measurement Network Rail America’, five elements crucial for trust have emerged, namely: collaboration between scientists and citizens, joint and public data collection, Complementing calculations with measurements, linking sensor/measurement with experiential data, and an involved local government. In this way, citizen science may bridge the gap between citizens, science, and local policy regarding issues in the living environment. To maintain the trust built, it is essential that results of citizen science research are considered in decision-making and policy.