Greening where possible and paving only where necessary with CityHealth®

Greening the Public Space with CityHealth®

UTRECHT – Climate and sustainability dominate the discussion. The question is, what will the coming years bring, and what should we be prepared for? Theoretical research has shown that the need to provide solutions is urgent. There are multiple perspectives to consider. For this reason, a method has been developed to serve as a tool for creating the healthy city.

MBI De Steenmeesters has seen various promising initiatives emerge to reduce the damage caused by climate change and increase livability, but most initiatives tend to focus on specific aspects, such as green roofs, biodiversity, or water management. Design challenges must always be viewed integrally, and solutions need to be realistically applicable. MBI recognizes the power of collaboration and thus calls on companies that complement one another to join forces and share their knowledge and expertise. This will accelerate innovations that are both realistic and achievable, providing proven added value for the city of the future. Under the supervision of landscape architect Bert Huls and other experts, an independent platform is being set up.

What is CityHealth®?

The CityHealth® platform is a community where experts and friends of CityHealth® share knowledge about the healthy city. The foundation of this community is a handbook with design principles for creating a healthy city.

CityHealth®'s mission is to create a healthy city together with its friends by increasing livability and reducing climate change-related damage. A healthy city with a positive impact on the environment and the well-being of all its users. The well-thought-out handbook includes design principles for all climate themes. It brings together the knowledge and expertise of all parties, assisting all experts in the field of environmental design.

Building a Healthy City Together

The platform is intended for clients/designers and experts who need clear guidelines to address the current and future challenges in public space design. This task is different for everyone. Consider themes such as waterlogging, heat stress, greening, air pollution, and soil depletion.

CityHealth® is initiated by MBI, but they are not doing this alone. Companies that complement each other and can contribute to the design principles can join forces and become friends of CityHealth®.

What are the Design Principles?

There are a total of seven climate themes that make up a healthy city. These themes are soil, water, temperature, air, light, biodiversity, and energy. Within CityHealth®, these climate themes are fully developed into sub-themes with various design principles. Each design principle presents the proposed solution in a summary, outlining the objectives, benefits, and applicable products. Some of these themes may have a direct impact on our health. Others are important for the climate resilience of the urban environment or provide additional opportunities to contribute to the improvement of urban ecology through ecosystem services. In some cases, design principles can even contribute to the city's energy-related goals in various forms.

Future-Oriented

Are you joining CityHealth®? Register via www.cityhealth.nu. Leave your email address to stay updated on the latest developments surrounding CityHealth®. For the present and future generations, it is essential that we build the healthy city together.

Contact person: Bert Huls | bert@berthuls.com