GreenCare4Health - Climate Action Research Environment for Health Improvement

• Grant number: 25/03565-6
• Support Opportunities: Research Projects - Thematic Grants
• Start date: January 01, 2026
• End date: December 31, 2030
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Medicine - Pathological Anatomy and Clinical Pathology
• Agreement: Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO)
• Principal Investigator: Luiz Fernando Ferraz da Silva
• Grantee: Luiz Fernando Ferraz da Silva
• Principal researcher abroad: Marielle A Beenackers
• Institution abroad: Erasmus Medical Center ,
• Principal researcher abroad: Victor Munoz Sanz
• Institution abroad: Delft University of Technology ,
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina (FM). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• City of the host institution: São Paulo
• Principal investigators: Paulo Hilário Nascimento Saldiva
• Associated researchers: Catia Martinez Minto ; Daniela Maiullari ; Deepti Adlakha ; Eliana Sousa Silva ; Lieke Oldenhof ; Paulina Alejandra Achurra Burgos ; Robert Borst ; Roland Bal

Abstract

GreenCare4Health addresses the critical lack of healthy green spaces in highly dense, socially disadvantaged urban areas. The project focuses on the vulnerability to extreme heat events and the resulting negative impacts on human health, particularly for groups whose great exposure to heat due to social and economic circumstances remains largely unexplored, namely children, young adults, and young families. Our primary goal is to develop, test and implement a scalable model and toolkits for self-sustaining urban green commons-Communities of Green Care-that improve health and reduce the demand for health services during periods of extreme heat while promoting citizenship and inclusive livelihoods. GreenCare4Health employs a mixed-methods, multi-scale approach. At the macro-scale, we will use quantitative analysis of environmental pathology and quality of life to assess the health impact of greening strategies on urban heat stress and mortality. This involves analyzing and modeling towards the future/prospectively existing health data and environmental data to identify correlations and patterns and potential impacts of macro-level greening strategies. Moreover, we will study how current urban healthcare governance is structured in relation to green initiatives for heat mitigation. At the micro-scale, we will co-develop and test toolkits for microclimate design and green urban governance with local stakeholders and citizens, using schools and their spaces as primary nodes for climate adaptation. Methods include surveys, focus groups, collaborative design workshops in Dutch and Brazilian cases to ensure community needs are met and urban local context is included. Intervention-based participatory action research and placemaking are carried out in a pilot Community of Green Care in Heliópolis, São Paulo, supported by health and climate monitoring. The project will deliver: a comparative macro-level health impact assessment of greening strategies on urban heat stress and heat-related mortality; a tested and assessed context-sensitive Urban Living Lab methods for cross-sectoral cooperation in urban green governance and heat resilient green interventions; a transferrable and scalable implementation framework, with toolkits, protocols and prototypes, for engaging citizens, NGOs, and municipalities in creating permanent communities of green care; empowered residents, particularly children, young adults, and young families, acting as stewards of healthy Communities of Green Care.GreenCare4Health moves away from the conventional approach of simply planting trees, emphasizing instead the need for healthy urban places and sustained community involvement. Its originality lies in the integration of environmental pathology, social urbanism, microclimate design, public health, and healthcare governance to address urban heat vulnerability. The project's value is in its potential to develop knowledge and implementation instruments to reduce health inequalities, decrease the burden on health systems, and foster inclusive livelihoods. By empowering vulnerable populations to become active participants in creating and maintaining green spaces, the project aims to create lasting, positive change in vulnerable urban environments. The project's impact will be demonstrated through reduced heat-related illnesses, increased community engagement, and the successful implementation of the Communities of Green Care model in other urban contexts. (AU)