Urban interventions for climate change adaptation and mitigation and urban health promotion (CLIMACTIONS)

Promote measures to adapt to and mitigate the effects of heat waves in urban settings in favor of health and livability. Urban green indicators integrated with population and land use data are, in fact, an indispensable tool for fostering a cultural change that is useful for more effectively countering environmental risks, as well as achieving greater awareness in people.

The project aims to create innovative tools to support the decision-making process in large urban areas, resulting from the integration through GIS techniques of the risk associated with the urban heat island phenomenon, the vulnerability of the population and other relevant local factors (structure of buildings, type of materials) in some large Italian cities, with fine spatial and temporal level of detail. In particular, population (e.g., metropolitan longitudinal studies), environmental and health data will be integrated.  

Health outcomes considered include non-fatal health outcomes, as well-managed urban greenery is part of the urban planning interventions that can help improve environmental quality and ensure people's well-being.

A cohort of residents in the city of Bari was constructed, which was then georeferenced at the census section level (Istat 2011). People in the cohort were associated with the date of death, if any, and the cause, if available. 

Future activities include the association between environmental pollutants and each person in the cohort and the use of the Health Impact Assessment (HIA) model to estimate health benefits, considering different mitigation scenarios.  

Training and communication activities are also planned.

CLIMACTIONS is a project approved under the program of activities of the National Center for Disease Prevention and Control (CCM year 2019) funded by the Ministry of Health coordinated by DEPLAZIO in which the Istituto Superiore di Sanità (ISS), the University of Roma Tre - Faculty of Architecture, the ASLTO3 Superzonal Service of Epidemiology, the Liguria Region, the Regional Health Service of Emilia Romagna, the Institute of Translational Pharmacology of the CNR - Palermo Section, and the Sicily Region also participate.

Lucia Bisceglia is Scientific Head.