- The partnership will equip the next generation of architects with education and training to design cities that support people's health
- Bupa will support Norman Foster Institute scholars carrying out new research on climate resilience and health in cities
- Bupa and the Norman Foster Foundation will mobilise wider cross-sector stakeholders to take action on this agenda
Bupa, the global healthcare company, and the Norman Foster Foundation, which promotes interdisciplinary thinking and research to help new generations of architects, designers and urbanists anticipate the future, are joining forces to create greener and climate-resilient cities that benefit people and planet health.
The Norman Foster Institute for Sustainable Cities programme, which the Norman Foster Foundation is launching in January 2024, aims to equip graduates and professionals with the tools and skills to improve the quality of life in cities. As the exclusive health partner of the programme, Bupa will bring a clinical voice to the curriculum, helping to educate scholars on the health impacts of climate change on urban populations and highlighting interventions that can mitigate health issues.
In addition to a week-long workshop focusing specifically on health, the scholars will have opportunities to simulate different health interventions focusing on, for example, nature, healthy buildings, walkability, and sanitation, in the Norman Foster Institute lab, to better understand the impact within city environments.
The aim is to enable a new generation of architects and planners to design cities that can help keep people healthy. Bupa will use its clinical expertise to support students each year who will research the health issues affecting living standards in three European Cities1 and engage with urban planners on the challenges and opportunities for change. At the end of the first year of the programme, students will present their findings and solutions to city mayors and local stakeholders to catalyse action.
The focus of the programme will expand to other continents in 2025 and 2026. Iñaki Ereño, Group CEO at Bupa, said: “Bupa serves 43 million customers around the world and a great deal of those people live in towns and cities. And it's here that we're witnessing the very real impact of climate change on urban populations, particularly in vulnerable communities.
“To help keep people healthy in cities, we need to look at how urban environments can encourage healthier lifestyles, promote wellbeing and prevent avoidable illnesses.
Our clinical and patient perspective is only one part of the story. That's why we're excited to be partnering with experts in architecture and urban design at the Norman Foster Foundation to accelerate progress towards climate resilient cities that enable people to live longer, healthier and happier lives.”
The partnership will also involve Bupa and the Norman Foster Foundation working with the Lancet Countdown and C402, on research looking at the health hazards facing urban populations as a result of climate change, and effective multisectoral solutions that can play a significant role in addressing these. The key principles of the paper, which will launch at COP283, will be applied to the Norman Foster Institute for Sustainable Cities programme, and findings will be incorporated into Bupa's Healthy Cities initiative in 2024, a global physical activity challenge which unlocks investment in regenerating the natural environment.
Norman Foster, President of the Norman Foster Foundation and Founder and Executive Chairman of Foster and Partners: “In the context of a worsening climate crisis, we believe our design projects must also encompass the health and wellbeing of our communities. This has been a central theme of our work for more than six decades, and our partnership with Bupa further strengthens our ongoing efforts to find innovative solutions that improve the health of people and the planet.
“By bringing Bupa's clinical expertise into the education of architects, engineers, and planners who are reimagining the future of cities, and joining forces to mobilise broader stakeholders, we hope to shift the dial on the crisis facing cities and help their residents enjoy better health.”
This partnership builds on work already underway by the Norman Foster Foundation and Sanitas, Bupa's business in Spain, who have joined forces to promote scientific research which can help create cities and buildings that have a positive impact on people and planet health. This involves hosting public debates with leading specialists that can generate insights on the future of cities and the need for urban regeneration.
Notes to editors
1 The selection of Athens, Bilbao, and San Marino for the first year of the program was a strategic decision based on a combination of factors.
These cities, while geographically diverse, share common challenges related to urbanization, sustainability, and public health. Athens, as a historic city facing contemporary urban issues, offers insights into the intersection of cultural heritage and modern development.
Bilbao, known for its revitalization through architecture, presents an opportunity to explore urban transformation and the role of design in enhancing well-being.
San Marino, being a microstate, provides unique perspectives on sustainable urban living. This diverse selection allows for a comprehensive exploration of shared challenges and innovative solutions, contributing to the program's global relevance.
Future courses will address cities beyond Europe - formal and informal.
2 C40 is a global network of mayors from the world's leading cities that are united in action to confront the climate crisis.
3 COP28 is the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference or Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC. It will be held from 30 November until 12 December 2023 in Dubai.
About Bupa
Bupa's purpose is helping people live longer, healthier, happier lives and making a better world. We are an international healthcare company serving over 43 million customers worldwide. With no shareholders, we reinvest profits into providing more and better healthcare for the benefit of current and future customers. We directly employ around 82,000 people, principally in the UK, Australia, Spain, Chile, Poland, New Zealand, Hong Kong SAR, Türkiye, Brazil, Mexico, the US, Middle East and Ireland. We also have associate businesses in Saudi Arabia and India.
Our sustainability strategy
As a healthcare company we have an important role in addressing climate change, and a responsibility to act now. In 2021, sustainability was included in our corporate strategy, and in 2022, we launched our sustainability strategy, outlining our ambition to help tackle this challenge, and ‘making a better world’ for colleagues, customers, communities and wider society.
Our strategy has a clear net zero goal by 2040 underpinned by 1.5 degree aligned Science Based Targets (SBT) validated by the SBT initiative (SBTi), and an interim scope 1&2 2025 target. To set credible and ambitious targets we joined the UN-backed Race to Zero campaign, aligning our plans to tackle emissions with the Paris Agreement.
Read more about our sustainability strategy.
About the Norman Foster Foundation
The Norman Foster Foundation promotes interdisciplinary thinking and research to help new generations anticipate the future. The first mission of the Norman Foster Foundation is to make visible the centrality of architecture, infrastructure and urbanism for the betterment of society. To this end, the second mission is to encourage new thinking and research across traditional boundaries in order to help younger generations anticipate the challenges of future change. In particular, the Foundation speaks to those professionals who are concerned with the environment — architects, engineers, designers, urbanists, civic leaders, planners and artists. This is at the heart of the Foundation's holistic approach to design and is ever more relevant as populations shift to cities. With the implications of climate change, robotics and artificial intelligence, sustainable design is not about fashion but about survival.
The Norman Foster Foundation operates from the United Kingdom, the United States and Spain with its headquarters based in Madrid.
About the Norman Foster Institute
The Norman Foster Institute (NFI) is an initiative of the Norman Foster Foundation (NFF) addressed to those who wish, through practice or education, to improve the quality of life in cities worldwide. The creation of the NFI follows from the success of the NFF's programme of workshops, bringing together experts from academia, practice and consulting to engage with top graduates from around the world. The NFI is aimed at unconventional thinkers seeking a holistic and multidisciplinary approach to the most pressing issues affecting our urban landscapes today.
