BENIGN

The BluE and greeN Infrastructure desiGned to beat the urbaN heat (BENIGN) project aims to enhance our understanding of how blue and green infrastructure at the building and neighborhood scale influence urban healthy living conditions. Healthy living conditions are defined as the results of indoor and outdoor climate on physical and mental health, i.e. the effects of heat stress, changes in water quality and plant diversity on health. Living conditions and their effect on citizens’ health will be investigated as dependent variables of urban blue and green infrastructure. The main research question of this project is: What is the effect of urban blue and green infrastructure on living conditions (heat stress, water quality, plant pollen) and human health? We will perform real-life physical and social experiments in the Built Environment (BE) by co-designing and implementing blue and green interventions in a living lab setting together with three municipalities in the Netherlands (i.e. Leiden, Dordrecht, and Hilversum). BENIGN consists of seven interrelated Work Packages (WPs). The first three WPs focus on measuring the impact of climate change on heat stress (WP1), water quality (WP2), and plant diversity (WP3), all three in relation to citizens’ health. Vulnerability mapping and spatial modelling is employed to examine the relation between BE and heat stress in WP4, and to design, evaluate, and implement BE interventions (WP5, WP6). In WP7, the findings of this project are synthesized into a decision support system for policy makers. BENIGN employs a holistic approach by combining the disciplines of health with thermophysiology, water and plant ecology, spatial design, spatial planning and governance, behavioral and cognitive science and geo-information science. The consortium is strengthened by members of different parts of the knowledge chain: fundamental (RU, Radboudumc, WUR, VU), applied (Deltares, Cobra), practice-oriented (UUM) and civil society organizations (municipalities, Floron, GGD, citizens).

Projectinformatie

Type project	NWA
Looptijd	2022-2027
Status	Lopend
Onderzoeksgroep(en)	Metagenomics
Projectleiding	Radbout University
Partner(s)	LCAB, Wageningen University, VU, Naturalis, Deltares, Gemeenten Hilversum, Dordrecht en Leiden, Floron, Cobra Groeninzicht, Unlimited Urban Management