As part of the HORUS project, the Healthy Cities’ team designed and tested an innovative approach for engaging citizens around urban health. With the aim of exploring how citizens’ urban environments can shape their lifestyle to adopt healthier habits, a series of workshops were held in the three project pilot cities, Rijeka, Rotterdam and Valencia.
Workshops followed a narrative-driven approach, engaging participants through the lens of fictional characters to analyse their environment. A series of in-depth interviews were also conducted to focus on participants’ habits and routines concerning urban space usage, facilities, and services.
Key Findings:
- Discrepancies between technical and citizen assessments: residents’ lived experiences often differed from previous quantitative data-driven assessments. Noticeably, green coverage was rated lower by neighbourhood residents, despite a high ratio of green space per inhabitant in the areas.
- Social connections are crucial: social connections play a vital role in leading a healthy urban lifestyle. Community initiatives and gathering spaces foster social cohesion, highlighting the need for social infrastructure to be considered alongside physical infrastructure.
- Activation of existing spaces: despite the presence of sports facilities and green spaces, physical inactivity remains a common issue, availability does not always translate into use. Cities should focus on activation strategies to encourage residents to utilise green spaces and sports facilities. Targeted improvements include events, better signposting, and inclusive design.
Learnings from this experience will be incorporated in the development of an online tool for health-focused citizen engagement. This tool will streamline the process of gathering citizens’ perceptions and support informed decision-making. As a result, this project’s output aims to facilitate the integration of health into citizen engagement processes in cities around Europe, accelerating the creation of health-enhancing urban environments.
