In April 2022, the interdisciplinary research project Integrated Indicator Set Urban Health started in the Department of Social Epidemiology of the Institute of Public Health and Nursing Research. The aim of the project is to develop an urban monitoring system that integrates sub-city data on the environmental, health and social situation of the population and records any changes relevant to health. To achieve this goal, Prof. Dr. Gabriele Bolte and Dr. Jacqueline Hamilton (public health expertise) are cooperating with BPW Stadtplanung (expertise in sustainable urban development). The project is funded by the German Federal Environmental Foundation (Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt) as part of the funding line "Planetary Health.”
A standardized set of evidence-based indicators for urban health has been lacking in Germany. The new project aims to close this gap. In a first step, existing indicator sets and tools from other countries will be analysed regarding their applicability to urban sub-city areas in Germany, the data availability in different cities in Germany will be investigated, and indicators will be selected or developed further. Subsequently, a prototype for an interactive tool for the presentation of the indicators as well as guidance for municipalities on the practical implementation of the indicator set will be developed. In several phases of the project, feedback will be sought from experts from urban planning offices and consultancies as well as from relevant departments of selected cities.
This project builds on the results of the project: „A stress test for resilient neighbourhoods: The impact of epidemics on neighbourhoods and strategies to increase their resilience - the example of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in German cities.”
Further information on this completed project can be found here:
https://www.ipp.uni-bremen.de/departments/social-epidemiology/projects/en/?proj=826
Further information on the Department of Social Epidemiology’s research focus Urban Health can be found here:
https://www.ipp.uni-bremen.de/departments/social-epidemiology/research-focuses/
Contact:
Prof. Dr. Gabriele Bolte
Department of Social Epidemiology
Institute of Public Health and Nursing Research
gabriele.bolte@uni-bremen.de