Extreme urban heat – a serious threat in cities and a contemporary health hazard

In the context of climate change, heatwaves are among the most dangerous of natural hazards for public health and city landscapes. SLU Urban Futures is now launching an article series called 'Urban Heat', that will run throughout the spring. In the first article we meet Professor Mark J Nieuwenhuijsen, Professor Anna Mavrogianni and Researcher Anders Larsson, and begin to examine the challenges connected to urban heat.

Read the article

New Seed Funding Call from Food&Cities

Researchers at SLU can now apply for seed funding from Food & Cities. The seed funding call aims to support cross-disciplinary research that explores the systemic relations of food systems and urban development and how these relationships influence the transformation toward sustainable societies. The deadline for the application is 26th March 2024.

March

Learn more and apply

Granted projects in the seed funding calls for critical living labs

SLU Urban Futures has granted funding to three interdisciplinary projects for 50,000 SEK each. The projects explore living labs or take a critical living lab approach to research. Learn more!

Student design competition in Umeå –
opening March 2024

SLU Urban Futures, in co-operation with Umeå municipality, will launch a student design competition in March 2024. Students in the field of Landscape Architecture and sustainable urban development will be given the opportunity to design processes of co-producing a multivalent urban landscape – shaping a unique urban setting of Umeå’s future. Learn more!

A woman cycling through a city, in the background there are two pedestrians. Photo: Waldemar, Unsplash.

Urban Health – Diverse perspectives on health in urban settings

How can we understand the term Urban Healthscapes? SLU Urban Futures and SLU Future One Health teamed up in an Urban Health webinar, aiming to bring together diverse perspectives on health in urban settings.

Did you miss our webinar? No worries, you can watch parts of the event here, when our keynote speakers present their reflections on urban health from their respective research fields.

Watch the keynote speeches (4x15 min)

Read the summary here

A group of about fifteen people, both women and men. The picture is taken outdoors with trees and greenery in the background. Image description: Participants from the 2023 research residency gathered on the grass in front of Philipssonska gården, where they bonded through a 'speed dating' exercise, getting to know each other better.

Open call: Researcher residency at Philipssonska gården 20-21 August 2024

For the third year in a row, SLU's Future Platforms invited SLU researchers to a research residency for discussions on interdisciplinary research. We will focus on the environment and sustainability in combination with forests, food, health and urban landscapes.

Quote from Rosario, who attended the 2023 researcher residency:

"It was quite an exercise to explain my research to colleagues from other fields and put it in the context of transdisciplinary research ideas. It was also interesting to learn how other colleagues think when they build new research ideas, which will surely inspire my future research applications," says Rosario Garcia Gil, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Forest Genetics and Plant Physiology.

Learn more and apply

Call for applications to SLU's Interdisciplinary Academy (IDA)

The third call for applications to SLU's Interdisciplinary Academy (IDA) is now open. Maximum 6 researchers, employed at SLU, regardless of faculty affiliation are welcome to submit proposals. The last day to apply to IDA 2024-2025 is May 22nd, 2023. Read more and apply!

An interdisciplinary approach to multifunctional landscapes

Our landscapes serve numerous vital purposes, including providing food and clean water, supporting biodiversity, producing timber, and offering spaces for recreation. As the demand for these ecosystem services continues to increase, it is more crucial than ever for scientists from various fields to collaborate. Read the article

OSTERSUND, SWEDEN - Jun 13, 2022: A mother moving her baby's cart in a Walking street has trees and colorful decoration in Ostersund, Sweden. Photo: Shutterstock.

SLU medverkar i nytt stort innovationsprogram som ska öka takten i den gröna omställningen

SLU medverkar i det nya stora strategiska innovationsprogrammet SustainGov, som beviljas medel från Vinnova, Formas och Energimyndigheten inom utlysningen Impact Innovation. Programmet ska bidra till att accelerera omställningen till ett hållbart samhälle.
Läs nyheten!

SLU-forskare bakom rapport om grönska och barns hälsa

Folkhälsomyndigheten har släppt en ny rapport om gröna miljöer och barns hälsa. Den sammanfattar forskning som sammantaget visar den stora betydelse som grönska har för hur barn mår och utvecklas. Bakom rapporten står forskare vid SLU samt Lunds universitet. Läs mer om rapporten och se presentation under Folkhälsomyndigheten webbinarium här!

Åtgärdsmål 12: Biologisk mångfald i städer

I rapporten från Mångfaldskonferensen 2023 kan man från sida 39 läsa om Åtgärdsmål 12: Biologisk mångfald i städer. Bland annat beskrivs den komplexa målbilden för tätorterna, där många olika mål ska uppnås samtidigt. När bostadsbyggandet ska öka, hållbara transportsystem ska skapas, folkhälsan och friluftslivet värnas och staden klimatanpassas, så hamnar ofta är biologisk mångfald ur fokus. Läs rapporten här!

Urbana mikrolabb för inkluderande naturbaserade lösningar

Ett nytt europeiskt forskningsprojekt vid SLU ska vidareutveckla befintliga naturbaserade lösningar i urbana områden genom samskapande, småskaliga och lokala initiativ. Läs artikeln

Energimyndigheten stödjer forskning om intermodala persontransportsystem.

Statens energimyndighet har beslutat att bevilja stöd i form av bidrag till SLU och Lunds universitet för genomförande av projektet ”Intermodalitet och resiliens i framtidens hållbara resor: risker, avvägningar och ansvar”. Läs artikeln

Använd trä vid lägenhetsbyggen – och minska boytan

Skippa betong vid byggen av flerfamiljshus och använd istället trä, med traditionella regelstommar. Och bygg mindre lägenheter än idag. Den kombinationen vore den mest klimatsmarta, enligt en studie från SLU. Läs artikeln

NORDGREEN handbook launch:

How can we plan, design, and manage healthy and green Nordic cities?
Watch the launch event of a new handbook that provides a toolbox of methods, models, and guidelines for delivering health-promoting urban green spaces. With Thomas Randrup, Helena Nordh, Anna Bengtsson, Anna Sunding from SLU.