The pre-conference will be divided into four different activities as explained below:
10 – 10.30 am. Welcome, overview of the day and introduction to the urban health section and participants (30 min)
- Introduction and agenda for the day (5 min)
- Overview of the urban health section (10 min)
- Introduction to attendees (15 min)
10.30 – 11.15 am. Urban renewals and health (Scientific introduction) (45 min)
- Presentation by the section members with supporting slides (30 min). This will cover the basics of urban renewal and health projects, evaluation methodologies, maybe some examples we´ve been involved in…
- Q& A from participants and discussion (10 min).
11.15 – 11.30 am. 15-minute break
11.30 – 1 pm. Expert Panel discussion (1h 30 min).
Expert Panel Discussion with Q&A from participants. This panel will cover the following aspects: 1) overview of the field – international review of existing knowledge, 2) examples of two ongoing studies and their findings, and 3) future research needs from a policy perspective.
Structure: 4 presentations of 15 min each, plus a final 30-minute discussion with attendees
The chair of the session will be a member of the section.
List of panellists:
- Roshanak Mehdipanah – University of Michigan School of Public Health (https://sph.umich.edu/faculty-profiles/mehdipanah-roshanak.html)
- Moritz Oberndorfer – University of Helsinki (https://www.helsinki.fi/en/about-us/people/people-finder/moritz-oberndorfer-9475624)
- Leyre Gravina – University of the Basque Country: (https://ekoizpen-zientifikoa.ehu.eus/investigadores/130305/detalle)
- Pello Latasa – Director of Epidemiological Vigilance at the Department of Health of the Basque Government
1 – 2 pm. Lunch break (1h)
2 to 4.30pm. Guided visit to the urban regeneration sites (2h 30 min)
- Introduction of the two urban regeneration sites with pictures (15 min – 7.5min/site).
- Groups composition and instructions for the visits (15 mins)
Participants will be divided in two groups. Group 1 will visit “the riverside regeneration area” and Group 2 the “Zorrotzaurre intervention”. The walks will be led by local guides with expertise regarding the renovation project and urban health section members will assist when needed.
Riverside regeneration project
Converting a shipyard, port facilities and a railway line into a spacious promenade along the Estuary, a riverside park and a privileged residential, leisure and economic activity area, was the challenge given to BILBAO Ría 2000 to lead the urban transformation of an area in decline that required an emergency plan. Following the urban planning requirements of the Master Plan drawn up by the team formed by Cesar Pelli, Diana Balmori and Eugenio Aguinaga, winners of an International Competition for Ideas held for this purpose, the work began in 1998 and reached its first major milestone in 2003 with the simultaneous inauguration of the Abandoibarra Promenade, the Ribera del Nervión Park, the Pedro Arrupe footbridge and the updated Avenida de las Universidades. Works, buildings and equipment were gradually built until the action was completed in September 2011 with the opening of the park in the Campa de los Ingleses. By that time, Abandoibarra had already become an icon of Bilbao’s transformation and an essential meeting point for thousands of Bilbao residents and visitors.
Relevant links:
https://www.bilbaoria2000.org/en/
https://www.bilbaoria2000.org/en/actions/abandoibarra/
Zorrotzaurre regeneration project
Bilbao’s ‘Zorrotzaurre’ district is currently a degraded, flood-prone industrial peninsula. With increasing extreme precipitation predicted across the Basque country in the future due to climate change and a need for new housing to accommodate citizens of Bilbao, a major urban regeneration project has been put in place to redevelop Zorrotzaurre district into a new flood-proof residential quarter.
Relevant links:
https://www.bilbaoekintza.eus/en/project/zorrotzaurre-the-isle-of-bilbao
https://www.climate-chance.org/en/best-pratices/zorrotzaure-urban-regeneration-project/
To make the activity more interesting, we might give participants some materials or questions they need to think/observe/get information about the sites.
Given that the RIA 2000 project has been already conducted with no Health Impact Assessment, we could give the participants the following questions to work with:
- How did the site look before the intervention?
- What elements in the site could had been having an impact on population health?
- What did the intervention consist of?
- What changes in health-related aspects of the site were achieved?
- What impacts on population health could be linked to the intervention?
- How would you evaluate the impact on health of the RIA 2000 project?
- What could have been the implications of the project for health equity?
Given that the Zorrotzaurre project is yet to be implemented, the questions are framed differently:
- How does the site look like now?
- What elements in the site can be having an impact on population health?
- What does the planned intervention consist of?
- What changes in health-related aspects of the site will be achieved?
- What impacts on population health could be linked to the intervention?
- How would you evaluate the impact on health of the Zorrozaurre project?
- What could the implications of the project for health equity?
5:00 to 7:00. Wrap-up session and pintxos (2h).
The two groups will reunite in a local bar near the conference venue (TBA) where they will share their impressions and experience This group sharing and discussion activity will be organized around the questions given to participants (see previous epigraph). This way, participants could hear about the site they did not visit and think collectively about the two projects. During this activity, participants could enjoy some drinks and local pintxos (Basque version of the Spanish tapas).
Finally, the organizers will summarize the main learnings and points of discussion during the day, debrief the attendants on the urban health relevant aspects of the ECPH program and encourage them to join the section´s activities.
Objectives
We aim to share and discuss with interested EPH Conference attendants the public health research and policy field of urban regeneration and health for a full day of science and urban guided tours with active discussions.
