- Bupa, C40 Cities, and the Norman Foster Foundation launch second edition of Healthy and Climate-Resilient Cities report
- The report details what is needed to help the next generation of city leaders and urban designers develop a new model for cities, that puts health at the centre of design to better support people in a changing climate
- The learnings will be incorporated in Bupa’s Healthy Cities initiative in 2025 which aims to make cities healthier and climate resilient
Bupa, C40 Cities, the Norman Foster Foundation and supporting partners1 have today released the second edition of their Healthy and Climate-Resilient Cities report which details what city leaders of the future need so that they can put health at the heart of urban environments’ design. This edition builds on the recommendations of the 2023 report which included the creation and resourcing of multisectoral city leadership groups and embedding a health-centred, climate-resilient approach to urban redesign.
2024 was the hottest year in recorded history with unprecedented heatwaves scorching land across continents, extreme weather events becoming more frequent in every continent, ocean temperatures reaching record-breaking levels, and atmospheric CO₂ continuing to soar.
And yet, despite the alarm being raised globally to heed these warning signs, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have continued to grow, and cities continue to be exposed to extreme heat, flooding, toxic air pollution, rising sea levels and wildfires. In under thirty years’ time, over 1.6 billion city residents will face extreme heat, 800 million will be at risk from flooding and 650 million will experience increased freshwater insecurity.2
In this context, city leaders and urban designers of the future will need to be equipped with the knowledge and skills to protect the population from the devastating impacts of climate change, while continuing to substantially reduce GHG emissions. To achieve this, the report calls for city leaders to prioritise health-focused urban design including:
- Regard health as the foundation for equitable and just climate-resilient city planning
- Drive sustainable city interventions that support people’s health
- Prioritise health and prevention as a driver of climate action
- Accelerate adaptation efforts that will build city resilience and health resilience to climate change
The report also outlines the support that future city leaders and urban designers need to realise this new model of cities. This includes:
- Support to develop detailed methodologies that calculate impact, cost-benefits and return of investment of health-focused urban interventions
- Better understanding of the data available to city leaders and designers to help them make assessments of these interventions
- A clear overview of the incentives available to ensure long-term healthy sustainable change and how they could be unlocked to prioritise health-focused urban interventions
- Training on how to assess community needs and engage with those using spaces to encourage active mobility, create vibrant social public spaces and mixed-use land areas
- More in-depth insights and examples of how healthcare works and can play an active role in driving preventative health interventions
Nigel Sullivan, Chief Sustainability and People Officer, Bupa said: “At Bupa, we believe healthcare can no longer be thought of as something confined solely to clinical provision such as hospitals. Our approach to health must be woven into the fabric of our cities, support healthier lifestyles for citizens and improve accessibility to healthcare for more people through digital solutions. This report reinforces our commitment to upskilling the leaders of tomorrow so that they create urban environments that foster healthier lives and harness technology to meet demand in ways that are sustainable and equitable for all. By reimagining cities with health at the centre, we can lead the way in a new era of healthcare that doesn’t just treat illness but helps communities thrive."
Norman Foster, President of the Norman Foster Foundation, said: “The Norman Foster Institute's Programme on Sustainable Cities is empowering the next generation of urban leaders to place the health and wellbeing of city dwellers at the heart of their designs. By fostering a holistic approach to urban interventions, we can not only create healthier, more vibrant cities but also drive meaningful progress towards our global climate goals. The report underscores the critical importance of interdisciplinary collaboration, bringing together knowledge and innovation to address the complex challenges of modern urban living. Through such efforts, we are paving the way for cities that are healthier, resilient and sustainable for generations to come.”
Dr. Kevin Austin, Deputy Executive Director, C40 Cities, said: “City mayors are essential in driving collaboration and scaling climate action globally. By sharing best practices, innovative solutions and institutional knowledge across different urban contexts, cities accelerate the adoption of effective climate solutions. City leadership is key to fostering innovation and building resilience, ensuring that impactful solutions are implemented faster, contributing to healthier, fairer, and more resilient cities worldwide. Together, cities are leading the way in creating models of local leadership and global collaboration in what is fast emerging as one of the most effective responses in tackling the biggest crisis of our times - climate breakdown.”
The report coincides with the close of the first year of the Norman Foster Institute’s Sustainable Cities Master’s programme, where 24 international post-graduate students, from architecture, urban design and policy backgrounds, engage in one year of practical learning to upskill them to create sustainable, healthy and climate resilient urban environments. As the health partner of the programme, Bupa convened leading cross-sectoral experts, including public and urban health specialists, climate and health campaigners, sustainability professionals and clinicians to debate, explore and discuss with the students how to practically prioritise health-focused urban design to support people in a changing climate. This knowledge exchange between cross-sectoral experts and students forms the basis of the second edition of the Healthy and Climate-Resilient Cities report.
The insights from Bupa’s collaboration with the Norman Foster Foundation will also be incorporated in Bupa’s global Healthy Cities programme, which encourages people to do things that keep them and the planet healthy, such as being active. In return, Bupa funds urban nature projects in partnership with local authorities and NGOs.
Download the full second edition of the Healthy and Climate-Resilient Cities report (PDF, 11.9Mb).
1 London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, International Society of Urban Health, and Global Climate and Health Alliance
Media enquiries
Molly Morgan, Group External Communications Director: [email protected]
About Bupa
Established in 1947, Bupa's purpose is helping people live longer, healthier, happier lives and making a better world. We are an international healthcare company serving over 50 million10 customers worldwide. With no shareholders, we reinvest profits into providing more and better healthcare for the benefit of current and future customers. Bupa has businesses around the world, principally in the UK, Australia, Spain, Chile, Poland, New Zealand, Hong Kong SAR, Türkiye, Brazil, Mexico and India. We also have associate businesses in Saudi Arabia.
Read more about Bupa's sustainability strategy.
About C40 Cities
C40 is a network of nearly 100 mayors of the world’s leading cities working to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis and create a future where everyone, everywhere, can thrive. Mayors of C40 cities are committed to using a science-based and people-focused approach to help the world limit global heating to 1.5°C and build healthy, equitable and resilient communities. They work alongside a broad coalition of representatives from labour, business, the youth climate movement and civil society to support mayors to halve emissions by 2030 and help phase out fossil use while increasing urban climate resilience and equity.
The current co-chairs of C40 are Mayor Sadiq Khan of London, United Kingdom, and Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr of Freetown, Sierra Leone; three-term Mayor of New York City Michael R. Bloomberg serves as President of the Board. C40’s work is made possible by three strategic funders: Bloomberg Philanthropies, Children’s Investment Fund Foundation and Realdania.
To learn more about the work of C40 and its cities, please visit c40.org or follow them on X, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.
About the Norman Foster Foundation
Founded in London in 1999, and with its Headquarter operations in Madrid launched in 2017, The Norman Foster Foundation promotes interdisciplinary thinking and research to help new generations anticipate the future. Central to its work is Norman Foster’s enduring philosophy that architecture, infrastructure and urbanism directly impact the quality of our lives as new cities are created and existing ones evolve. Since its launch, the Foundation’s education programmes - comprising workshops, forums and fellowships - have encouraged new thinking and research to help those who will create and lead our cities in the future to prepare for the challenges they will face, based on data rather than fashion. Those programmes and principles led to the creation of the Norman Foster Institute which launched its first Master’s Course on Sustainable Cities January 2024.
For more information please contact [email protected], visit normanfosterfoundation.org or follow them on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Vimeo.
