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The health potential of urban water : Future scenarios on local risks and opportunities
Wuijts, Susanne de Vries, Marit Zijlema, Wilma Hin, Judith Elliott, Lewis R. Dirven-van Breemen, Liesbet Scoccimarro, Enrico de Roda Husman, Ana Külvik, Mart Frydas, Ilias S.
Wuijts, Susanne
de Vries, Marit
Zijlema, Wilma
Hin, Judith
Elliott, Lewis R.
Dirven-van Breemen, Liesbet
Scoccimarro, Enrico
de Roda Husman, Ana
Külvik, Mart
Frydas, Ilias S.
Abstract
Although cities can be characterised as sources of economic, environmental and social challenges, they can also be part of the solution for healthy and sustainable societies. While most cities are situated close to water, whether inland waterways, lakes, or the sea, these blue spaces are not integrated into urban planning to their full potential and their public health impacts are not always recognised by planning authorities. Furthermore, cities face future challenges regarding climate change, socio-economic developments like tourism, urbanization, and rising social inequalities. The development of healthy blue spaces can support cities in their pursuit of ways to confront these challenges. Interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary analyses of the local impacts of these trends and promising interventions have been scarce to date. This study explores the use of such methodology by presenting experiences related to five European cities: Amsterdam, Barcelona, Plymouth, Tallinn and Thessaloniki, using an interactive and participative approach with local experts and stakeholders. Future scenarios have been developed based on the question: How can blue spaces contribute to a healthier city population, given the long term trends? The results highlight the importance of addressing the local context when seeking sustainable solutions for cities. The future scenarios deliver information that could serve as useful input for local planning processes.
Keywords
blue spaces, global trends, local impacts, scenarios for long term interdisciplinary policy planning, benefits to health and well-being, participatory approach, health in all policies
Date
2022
Type
Journal article
Journal
Cities
Book
Volume
125
Issue
Page Range
1-9
Article Number
Article 103639
ACU Department
Mary MacKillop Institute for Health Research
Faculty of Health Sciences
Faculty of Health Sciences
Collections
Relation URI
Source URL
Event URL
Open Access Status
Published as ‘gold’ (paid) open access
License
CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
File Access
Open