Asset Publisher

Duration
2016-2020
Coordinator
Lora Fleming (European Centre for Environment & Human Health - University of Exeter)
Funded by
European Comission (Horizon 2020)

The majority of Europe’s population lives in cities which have either developed along major rivers, been founded on the banks of inland lakes, or grown on the continent’s extensive coastline. These ‘blue’ environments have played a major role in both the historical and modern evolution of our urban areas. They have been used for supplying drinking water, transportation, industry, fisheries, energy generation and sewage treatment. Recently, a growing body of evidence has suggested that this utilitarian network of urban ‘blue infrastructure’ might also be able to provide a number of health and wellbeing benefits.

Research has shown these environments might allow us to tackle major public health challenges such as obesity, physical inactivity and mental health disorders, and that these benefits may be most important for vulnerable populations. However, so far there has been no concerted attempt to characterise and quantify these effects.

To address this, BlueHealth has brought together experts from across Europe to systematically explore the impact urban waterways can have on health and wellbeing. Through a number of surveys, reviews, experiments and interventions, it is investigating whether the careful design and implementation of urban blue infrastructures can deliver benefits to public health and prevent disease. Genuine two-way communication lies at the very heart of BlueHealth, which is working with representatives from public and patient groups, health care providers, planners, engineers, policy makers and the commercial sectors to ensure its methods are driven by real-world challenges.

With much of Europe’s vast network of waterways spanning national boundaries, a key part of the programme’s focus is also ensuring its findings will be used to inform government policies, particularly as both climates and environments change across the EU. By the project’s culmination in 2019, the team are hoping to be able to make direct recommendations on how both existing and new blue infrastructures can be designed to promote good health and wellbeing across Europe’s cities.

ISGlobal is leading the Work Package 3, in which we will evaluate the impact of both ‘natural experiments’ and randomised individual-level interventions with innovative technologies around the benefits and risks of transport and environmental blue stressors, physical activity, and recreational use of blue infrastructure in different social groups/individuals. You can find information on each case-study here.

Total funding

5,998,671.25 €

 

Our Team

Principal Investigator (PI)

  • Marius Joannes Nieuwenhuijsen
    Marius Joannes Nieuwenhuijsen

ISGlobal Team

Other projects

See Past Projects

CHAI

Cardiovascular Health effects of Air pollution in Andhra Pradesh, India

EARLY-ADAPT

Signs of Early Adaptation to Climate Change

ACTIVID

Impact of the health crisis due to COVID-19 on Physical Activity and Mental Health in Spain

REMEDHY

Researching Environments that Magnify Health Everyday

ELHNA

Exposures to light pollution and heat, and neurodevelopment in adolescents. Project Code: PI20/01695

ONES

Fine Particle Matter, Fetal Growth, and Neurodevelopment: Examining Critical Windows of Susceptibility

RECETAS

Re-imagining Environments for Connection and Engagement: Testing Actions for Social Prescribing in Natural Spaces

CATALYSE

Climate Action To Advance HeaLthY Societies in Europe

TwinAir

Digital Twins Enabled Indoor Air Quality Management for Healthy Living

INTERCAMBIO

Interventions to promote mental and physical health in changing working environments due to climate change, sustainable work practices, and in green jobs