The contents are structured around three main thematic axes plus an introductory axis and discussion panels:
1. Introduction and discussions
- Session 1Public Health and Cities. Dr. Augusto Quispe (Faculty of Medicine, University of Piura). In this introductory lecture, Dr. Quispe defines public health and highlights the relationship between it and the state of the cities where we live, reviewing diseases that originate directly from deficiencies in the urban environment.
- Session 2The city makes us sick. Urban determinants (Dr. Ester Higueras). In this session, Professor Higueras discusses the most common health problems in cities; urban determinants; global challenges, SDGs and the Urban Agenda; and existing tools for planning healthy neighborhoods.
- Panel discussion 1Moderated by David Resano (The panel reflects on constructive and technical aspects related to energy efficiency in buildings, construction systems, and building installations). The discussion panel includes time for students to share their reflections.
- Panel discussion 2Moderated by Paula Kapstein (The panel reflects on aspects related to city planning, urban mobility in healthy cities, and some of the parameters or indicators for the design of healthy neighborhoods). The discussion includes time for students to share their reflections.
2. Urbanism and planning
- Session 1Urban Mobility and Health (Dr. Juan José Pons). In this session, Dr. Pons defines sustainable urban mobility by presenting real-world examples of its implementation, and then reflects on the importance of sustainable urban mobility and its effects on health.
- Session 2“GIS and citizen participation for the identification and characterization of vulnerable areas from a health perspective in the Basque Country” (Dr. Emilia Román). The class focuses on the objectives of the project “Comprehensive Urban Action Plan for Health and Well-being in Vulnerable Neighborhoods of the Basque Country,” teaching how to define strategic lines based on the methodological structure, and then moving on to the tools developed in the project, based on Geographic Information Technologies.
- Session 3Guidelines for planning healthy neighborhoods (Dr. Ester Higueras). This class describes health planning guidelines, reviewing the most relevant and innovative ones published by international organizations, then outlining the strategic lines that coincide among them and defining the components of a Health Action Plan for a consolidated city.
- Session 4City and Nature: The Case of Urban Riverfronts (Dr. Karen Andersen). This is the first of four sessions exploring the relationship between the city and its natural environment. This session presents a methodology for analyzing the deterioration of riverfronts in Valdivia, Chile, to identify a series of indicators related to their restoration.
- Session 5City and Nature. Agro-urban Transfers: Fertile Heritage as the Origin of Green Infrastructure. The Case of Vega de las Lamias (Bilbao). (Dr. Jon Arcaraz). This lecture describes the transformation process of the Bilbao estuary at its mouth, contextualizing the recent discovery in 2021 that has led to a green infrastructure project in Vega de las Lamias. The lecture highlights the potential of green infrastructure systems to connect a metropolitan area with urban centers undergoing significant transformation.
- Session 6City and Nature. Green Infrastructure Corridors and Urban Regeneration: A Methodological Proposal for Valparaíso (Dr. Paula Kapstein). This lecture presents a strategic methodology for developing a green infrastructure system, which aims to connect and regenerate the peripheral land strip of the cities of Viña del Mar and Valparaíso, highlighting the urban-ecological recovery of some hilltops and ravines as public spaces and green areas.
- Session 7City and Nature: Landscape Infrastructure as a Strategy for Climate Adaptation: A Multi-Scale Approach in the Chancay-Lambayeque Sub-basin (Ms. Cristina Wong). This lecture focuses on the strategic development and design of multifunctional green and blue infrastructure, using the Chancay-Lambayeque sub-basin as a case study. This study arises from the need to mitigate the damage caused by natural disasters in the region, such as El Niño. Furthermore, the disconnection between landscape patterns in the region represents a potential opportunity for building a sustainable urban dimension.
- Session 8: Health Action Plans (Dr. Ester Higueras). This class aims to present examples of Health Action Plans, as well as to explain the methodology and results of two thesis projects from the Architecture program at the Polytechnic University of Madrid, whose development is based on the regeneration of deteriorated or vulnerable neighborhoods with the determinants of a healthy city.
- Session 9Urban Sustainability and Citizen Participation (Dr. Viviana Fernández). The relationship between urban sustainability and citizen participation is close. This presentation explains how this relationship is structured, supported by various international documents and legal frameworks. It also defines what it means for a city to have participatory planning, in terms of developing appropriate institutions and instruments. Case studies of good participatory urban practices in Peru are reviewed.
- Session 10Present Perspectives for Future Cities: Climate Change (Architect Gisella Hernández). The growth of the world's population and cities has physical and environmental consequences, such as climate change. In response to the associated problems, various agreements have been established, including the New Urban Agenda and the Paris Agreement. Within the framework of these agreements, various climate action strategies and plans have been developed, which are detailed in the class; in addition to conducting a brief critical review of Peruvian planning instruments.
- Session 11Architecture and urban design for the walkable-healthy city (Dr. Francisco Lamíquiz). The presentation begins by reflecting on the walkable city, considering that it is possible to change mobility habits in cities through the design of more humane cities with adequate networks of public spaces; several cases of good practices in urban mobility are also reviewed.
3. Architecture
- Session 1Architectural design of educational facilities (Dr. Jorge Losada). This paper reviews the requirements established in response to usage and site needs in the case of three university projects in Lima, designed by the Losada Rodríguez architectural firm. The buildings presented are exemplary in their response to both the urban and natural environments.
4. Construction and passive conditioning techniques
- Session 1On the urban heat island effect and comfort in cities (Dr. Claudio Carrasco). The class defines a series of concepts associated with the urban heat island effect and thermal comfort in cities: urban metabolism, ecological footprint, ecosystem services, Human Development Index (HDI), biocapacity, etc. Based on this, the relationship with urbanization and its impact on urban warming is explored, for which different case studies of cities in Chile and Peru are reviewed.
- Session 2Environmental factors interacting in inhabited spaces (Ms. Andrea Lobato). Epidemiological events such as the Covid-19 pandemic have demonstrated the impact that indoor spaces with poor environmental conditions can have. Definitions, mechanisms of action, and regulatory documents are identified. In this way, the class aims to generate a constructive dialogue to improve the quality of inhabited spaces, using environmental factors as the main focus. It also encourages a systemic perspective at different scales.
- Session 3High-Impact Construction Systems for the Health of Contemporary Buildings - I (Dr. David Resano). This class presents basic concepts, parameters, and regulations for health in buildings (2 hours). It explains building envelope systems and components that contribute to improving urban health conditions, primarily related to noise, air and soil pollutants, and climate.
- Session 4Energy Efficiency in Buildings (Dr. Massimo Palme). This class introduces the concepts of energy efficiency, thermal comfort, and passive architecture. These concepts are applied to the study of key architectural solutions for Peru's diverse macroclimates using psychrometric charts of representative locations. Finally, relevant examples of contemporary Peruvian architecture that prioritizes climate, comfort, and user health are critically examined.
- Session 5Environmental Conditions and Health in Residences (Ms. Andrea Lobato). Climatic variables modify the environment inside residences and can compromise the health of the occupants. This study analyzes influenza morbidity and its association with conditions inside social housing in Ecuador. The methodology applied is detailed, using recorded cases of respiratory illnesses and the temperature and relative humidity inside the dwellings.
- Session 6High-Impact Construction Systems for the Health of Contemporary Buildings - II (Dr. David Resano). This class complements the previous one regarding innovative construction systems for building envelopes in contact with urban space and develops concepts, materials, and construction solutions aimed at optimizing health inside buildings.