Improving urban population health

By 2030 more than 80% of Europe’s population will live and interact with a complex urban environment, consisting of a mixture of social and environmental factors. Individually or collectively these factors, known as the Urban Exposome, have an often modifiable impact on our health and provide important targets to improve population health.

EXPANSE will address one of the most pertinent questions for urban planners, policy makers, and inhabitants in Europe: “How to maximize one’s health in a modern urban environment?”

The Ethical Aspects of Exposome Research: A Systematic Review

Exposome research has emerged as a cutting-edge field for investigating human health and disease using big-data techniques, smart sensors, and multi-omics technologies. However, despite its potential benefits, the ethical considerations surrounding exposome research have not been widely discussed in the literature.

A healthy environment encourages people to adopt healthier behaviours

Our living environment affects our health. The place we live, what we eat, how much we exercise, the kind of work we do and the people we interact with – all these environmental factors play a role. But how important are they in terms of our health and how are they all connected?

Air quality mapped in detail by Project Air View

Google donated two Project Air View cars to Utrecht University a year ago. With these ‘Air View’ cars, the quality of air in cities can be mapped down to street level. Jules Kerckhoffs of Utrecht University coordinates these projects and is responsible for processing the data. He talks about his experiences.

Google Street View Car measurements result in hyperlocal map of air quality in Copenhagen

In celebration of EU Green Week, Google Project Air View, in collaboration with the City of Copenhagen, Utrecht University and Aarhus University, shares a new air quality map for Copenhagen, which citizens can also study. The new measurements of air pollution show that the pollution with the so-called ultrafine particles is worst on streets with a lot of car traffic.