About U-Care
U-Care is an innovative Erasmus+ project dedicated to studying and transforming urban ecosystems to enhance health across European cities with diverse climates. Our mission is to integrate urban health research, neighbourhood diagnostics, and participatory decision making into higher education, preparing the next generation of urban planners and public health professionals to address the impacts of climate change on urban areas.
U-Care is a collaboration among European universities, SMEs, and research start-ups, including Building Health Lab, Technische Universität Berlin, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Chalmers Tekniska Högskola, the University of Cyprus, and RESET.
Actions
Urban Health Indicator development
Mixed methods research on four sites (Gothenburg, Berlin, Florence, and Nicosia)
Decision-making workshops on urban health issues
U-Care Web Platform with comprehensive environmental and health impact assessment data
Creation of five databases (spatial inequity, urban heat, surface runoff, biotope loss, and users’ needs and preferences)
U-Care learning module configuration and piloting for academia
Target groups
Students
Students from the partner HEIs in fields of architecture, urban design, and planning, as well as public health, environmental sciences, social geography, public sector management, and related fields. Students will be the key beneficiaries of the implementation of the learning module through the development of their skills and knowledge, and the experience of cross-sectoral collaboration & decision-making processes.
Academic staff
Teachers & researchers in the same fields (participating during the project or across EU HEIs after culmination), by developing skills & capacities in cross-sectoral collaboration, as well as being the recipients of the teaching materialsproduced during the project for long-term use & re-implementation.
Local governments
Local governments, NGOs, and civil society are interested in urban health and environmental issues and want to contribute to solutions, in particular local stakeholders around the case studies. Residents will be potential indirect beneficiaries of improved urban conditions in the long term whenever solutions are implemented or the knowledge gained through activities is applied.
CItizens
Citizen science participants especially from vulnerable groups as the project is aiming to attend outdoor spatial inequities for special needs and disabilities.
Policymakers
Policymakers and decision-makers; this group will be involved in the project activities (workshops) and will contribute to the design of the learning module. It will participate in the design of environmental solutions based on the evidence ensuing from the students’ research and fieldwork on the case studies. They will also be the recipients of most project scientificresults (WP2, WP3), fostering the implementation of agreed environmental solutions.
Methodology
The UrbanCare methodology provides a structured approach to transforming urban public spaces by addressing key environmental and health challenges. It delivers an actionable, evidence-based work plan to guide each site’s development, ensuring healthier and more resilient urban spaces.
Site selection: Identify sites that represent larger urban areas, focusing on prominent and replicable issues in outdoor public spaces.
Quantitative studies: Conduct studies on walkability, stormwater runoff, urban heat, and biotope loss.
Data modelling: Transform quantitative data into an immersive model to facilitate easy understanding for a wide audience.
Qualitative surveys: Use the models to conduct surveys targeting vulnerable populations.
Integrated planning model: Combine the mixed data into a comprehensive planning and design model, guiding decision-making workshops focused on health, environmental, and economic goals.
Case Studies
UrbanCare’s three-phase methodology will be applied to case studies across four European cities characterised by different climates:
- Oceanic climate: Gothenburg, Sweden
- Continental-humid climate: Berlin, Germany
- Mediterranean climate: Florence, Italy
- Semi-arid climate: Nicosia, Cyprus
At each site, we examine walkability, urban heat, surface runoff, biotope loss, and users’ needs and requirements to identify spatial inequities. This approach results in the creation of five databases per site. The insights gained in this initial research phase will be integrated into the U-Care Platform and developed into U-Care learning modules for higher education.
