Cities are facing the
double challenge of
accelerating and aggravating global changes
and
shortages in financial means to address them
systemich health potential
We help cities unlock their
What we can do for and with you:
Start a conversation about the systemic health of cities between science and cities
As a network we can come up with novel solutions which no individual genius can come up with by making use of connective intelligence.
Case supervisions: online consultations with specialized experts from our network; tailor-made for the urban health case your urban community is confronted with
Holistic systems modelling and training workshops. Detailed systemic diagnosis of an urban community’s health condition.
Seminars and trainings with experts from the partnership.
Urban systemic health capacity assessments, adaptation strategies and plans; aligned with WHO’s urban health capacity assessment.
Communication and awareness raising: presenting your case on social media, showcasing at conferences, considering your story as film, applying for competitions; publishing
Networking: Connecting city and science networks globally
Voice: Amplifying the voice of urban residents and local governments
Speakers: You can request experts from our partnership as speakers
How we work
We are a global interdisciplinary network of experts from science, policy and practice. The partnership is steadily growing and you, as individual or as organisation, can join. The larger the network, the larger the pool of collective knowledge and connective intelligence you have access to.
We are not just a service provider but more like a self-help organisation. We help urban communities to help themselves and they share their experiences again with others. Some knowledge transactions involve a fee which keeps the network economically viable.
We believe in knowledge as common global good from which all who contribute to, can also benefit from.
As individual, urban community, town, village, neighbourhood, you can approach us with the urban challenges you are confronted with. We will take on your case, select the right group of experts from our global network and provide you with tailor-made advice.
Cities perform
supporting, provisioning, regulating, and cultural functions.
There are adaptation challenges in all functional domains.
Which challenges are cities facing?
If not addressed systemically, they lead to unintended side-effects, exploitation of people and nature, externalities, and cascading effects across all functional domains, potentially triggering public health hazards, social tensions, and detrimental affects on the quality of life and environmental quality.
Read more about urban system functions:
Resilience Management for
Healthy Cities
in a Changing Climate
Thomas Elmquist, Franz Gatzweiler, et al. 2019
Common urban health challenges
in pictures
Culture
Action situation
for cities and urban communities coping with the global change challenges
Urban communities need to cope with the double challenge of lacking financial, knowledge and personnel resources and the pressures from climate, demographic and environmental changes. Actionable solutions (not quick fixes) are created by unleashing a community’s urban systemic health capacity.
The GLOBAL URBAN SYSTEMIC HEALTH PARTNERSHIP can help by measuring and assessing a city’s systemic health condition, identifying levers for change and innovation which create co-benefits and synergies, by means of sharing knowledge and applying participatory holistic systems modelling methods: by unleashing an urban community’s urban systemic health capacity.
Addressing multiple urban health issues individually, in isolation from others, or one after another is not an option. It is too expensive and it takes too long. The costs of non-action, wrong-action, or delayed action are a burden to society and the environment.
Understanding the urban systemic health capacity of a city by taking a systems approach to urban health is the solution. Co-benefits and synergy effects become visible.
Co-benefits
Example:
Germany
Since 1. July 2024 the federal climate adaptation act applies for all federal states in Germany. Federal states are now required develop climate adaptation strategies.
The 2021 climate impact and risk analysis study confirmed over 100 impacts of climate change in Germany, which are interconnected.
The complexity requires a systemic and strategic approach to identify synergies and co-benefits. That is what urban systemic health is about. It strengthens the immunocompetence of cities and urban communities.
Coordinated and mainstreamed action in preparing climate adaptation strategies among federal states can reduce costs, increase co-learning, and be more effective.
The financial stress of cities to stem the new responsibilities of climate adaptation is significantly reduced by strengthening their urban systemic health capacity.
Understanding urban systemic health can unlock hidden systemic potentials.