Project in Brief
IN-HABIT is an EU Horizon 2020 project that aims to foster Inclusive Health and Wellbeing in four peripheral small and medium size cities (SMSCs): Cordoba (Spain), Riga (Latvia), Lucca (Italy), and Nitra (Slovakia). In each city, the project will mobilise existing undervalued resources (culture, food, human-animal bonds and environment) to increase IHW, with a focus on gender and diversity. The integrated approach will combine technological, digital, nature-based, cultural, and social innovations in selected urban public spaces. These solutions will be co-designed, co-deployed and co-managed with and by local stakeholders.
Context
With more than 80% of the European population expected to live in urban areas by 2030, cities play a pivotal role in steering the transition towards a sustainable society, and in promoting, preventing and mitigating socioeconomic inequalities in the access to health and wellbeing among urban dwellers.
In Europe, the largest proportion (65%) of the urban population live in cities with fewer than 500,000 inhabitants. However, most urban research and innovation (R&I) and resources are located in Central and Nordic countries and in large cities, while the most pressing urban challenges tend to be found in the periphery and in SMSCs. Europe thus faces important R&I gaps to cater for the needs of these smaller cities.
Impact
IN-HABIT will advance knowledge on the health and wellbeing R&I needs of peripheral SMSCs, define frameworks for the collection of data at city-level, and elaborate data to monitor both the city-level evolutionary trajectories and the impact of policy actions. The results will enhance our understanding of how peripheral SMSCs work in practice.
Moreover, the project will boost IHW in the four pilot cities, delivering high quality, multifunctional, public spaces able to integrate digital, social, cultural and nature-based innovation to enhance health and wellbeing. IN-HABIT will use participatory approaches in re-designing and transforming public spaces to increase health and wellbeing in cities through innovative public-private-people partnerships. It will help European cities become world ambassadors of sustainable lifestyles, providing universal access to greener, safe, inclusive and accessible public spaces.
Cities
Cordoba (Spain)
Cordoba (325,916 inhabitants) is located in the South of Spain. The city has a long history and cultural background dating back to the Roman times and was the city capital of the Al-Andalus Arab Empire (8th-13th centuries). Yet despite its overwhelming cultural heritage – Cordoba is the first city to hold four inscriptions in the World Heritage List – the city scores poorly in most of the socio-economic rankings at country level (net income per inhabitant: 9,992€ and 33.16% unemployment rate). Furthermore, three out of the fifteen more marginal neighbourhoods in Spain are located in Cordoba.
The project will focus on one of these quarters, located between the city and Medina Azahara UNESCO site.
The objective is to enhance IHW – particularly social and labour inclusion, as well as healthy habits – of marginalised people living in the Las Palmeras neighbourhood by creating a happiness zero emission corridor connecting Las Palmeras with Medina Azahara and transforming the district’s central square into a green and creative area.
Riga (Latvia)
Riga is the capital city and the largest city of Latvia, with a population of 638,000 inhabitants that is steadily declining. It is also the most economically developed and vibrant city in Latvia (the per capita GDP is 20,551€, and the city accounts for over half of the national GDP; in 2017 the unemployment rate was 7.9%).
The project will focus on Āgenskalns, a district located on the left bank of the river Daugava. The objective is to promote inclusive healthy lifestyles and wellbeing among local inhabitants of Agenskalns neighbourhood by creating a multifunctional food hub in the area of the local market.
Lucca (Italy)
Lucca is a small city in Tuscany, central Italy, with a population of about 88,000 inhabitants. It is a relatively wealthy city with an average income of 21,895€ and an unemployment rate of 10%. Tourism and creativity are cornerstones of the Lucca economy, with Lucca Comics or Lucca Summer Festival attracting international attention. The city in turn presents important ageing problems due to its worrying 203.5% old age index.
The objective is to promote inclusive mental health, social and relational wellbeing among local inhabitants in the city of Lucca by creating the first Human-animal (Hum-an) smart city in Europe.
Nitra (Slovakia)
Nitra is a small city with 77,048 inhabitants in the Slovak Republic. With the arrival of large employers, such as the Jaguar Land Rover firm, it has experienced an increase in foreign immigration. Foreign investments have brought wealth to the city (the 2018 unemployment rate in Nitra district was 2.26%, with a net average income of 13,116€), but also important challenges linked to the health and wellbeing of its inhabitants. Dražovce, one of the districts most affected by this expansion, is to a large degree disjointed from the main city, having been a separate municipality until 1975.
The project will focus on an 8 km cycle track that is underway, linking the Industrial Park and Dražovce district with the main city. The objective is to improve healthy lifestyles, social inclusion of migrants, social cohesion and relational wellbeing among local inhabitants of the Dražovce neighbourhood and with the rest of the city by creating a Reversible Multifunctional Open-source Urban Landscape along the 8 km cycle road.
Partners
- UNIVERSIDAD DE CORDOBA (UCO)
- AYUNTAMIENTO DE CORDOBA (CORD)
- ASOCIACION VECINAL UNION Y ESPERANZA DE LAS PALMERAS (AVUE)
- NODIBINAJUMS BALTIC STUDIES CENTRE (BSC)
- RIGAS PLANOSANAS REGIONS (RPR)
- SABIEDRIBA AR IEROBEZOTU ATBILDIBUBC MANUFAKTURA (KQ)
- UNIVERSITÀ DI PISA (UNIPI)
- COMUNE DI LUCCA (LUCCA)
- LUCCA CREA SRL (LCREA)
- SLOVENSKA POLNOHOSPODARSKA UNIVERZITA V NITRE (SUA)
- MESTO NITRA (NITRA)
- TRIPTYCH (HIDE)
- THE UNIVERSITY OF READING (UREAD)
- ISIMPACT (ISIM)
- COLINI-TRIPODI GBR (TSR)
- BRIDGE FOR BILLIONS SL (B4B)
- DESIGN FOR CHANGE ESPANA (DFC)
- BOOK ON A TREE LTD (BOT)
- BELGISCH LABORATORIUM VAN DE ELEKTRICITEITSINDUSTRIE LABORELEC CVBA (LABORELEC)
- WELLNESS TELECOM SL (WTG)
- PONTIFICIA UNIVERSIDAD JAVERIANA (PUJ)
