3 - NATURE4ALL
Inclusive urban natures for the resilient and healthy city
Objectives
Providing novel evidence on urban nature access, preferences, perceived health benefits and usage patterns with a focus on socially vulnerable groups (children, elderly, people with disabilities) through the lens of environmental, health and climate justice, assessing access/exposure to urban green from foundational social amenities, and integrating GIS-based and field studies.
- Task 3.1: Geospatial analysis of access to urban nature and related benefits among socially vulnerable groups from the perspective of foundational social amenities (e.g. schools, care home residences, healthcare centers, etc.).
- Task 3.2: Analysis of potential inequities in the access/exposure to urban nature benefits by socio-economic and socio-demographic characteristics.
- Task 3.3: Map-based survey on preferences, perceived health benefits (and disservices), and actual use of urban nature by socially vulnerable groups.
- Task 3.4: Semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders for the identification of best practices related to inclusive urban nature projects for vulnerable groups with the potential for upscaling at the city level (also with CESIE contribution about co-creation and policy making).
Expected Results
- Spatial patterns of access to urban nature benefits and spatially explicit knowledge on inequalities in access to urban nature benefits among socially vulnerable groups.
- Insights into the relation between perceived health/wellbeing benefits and preferences, use and access to urban nature among vulnerable groups.
- Best practices for inclusive urban nature-based solutions.
Video Pill
NATURE4ALL Survey
Hot days and green spaces in Brussels: VUB and Sciensano invite older adults (65+) to share their experiences
For many older people, increasing temperatures can affect daily routines, comfort, and well-being.
Green spaces such as parks, forests, gardens and cemeteries help cool our cities. They also provide places for social and daily activities.
Are you 65 years or older and living in the Brussels-Capital Region?
Then you are warmly invited to complete our questionnaire and share your experiences with green spaces in daily life, especially during hot weather.
The survey takes about 15 minutes and can be completed on a computer, tablet, or smartphone.
Your participation contributes to research and public discussions on how Brussels can remain liveable, healthy, and inclusive as the population ages and the climate warms.
What is this survey about?
The survey aims to better understand older adults’ use of green spaces in Brussels and how it may relate to their feelings on hot days. In particular, it looks at:
- How they visit and use green spaces in daily life;
- How this use may change during hot weather;
- How they feel physically and emotionally on hot days.
The survey also explores other aspects that matter for older people, such as their views on neighbourhood greening and how they cope with heat at home or outdoors.
Why is your participation important?
Older adults’ everyday experiences are not always well represented in discussions about green spaces and climate change. By sharing your experience, you help make older people’s voices more visible. Your answers also help researchers and policymakers better understand the impact of hot weather on older adults and the role of green spaces in warming cities.
There are no right or wrong answers — we are simply interested in your personal experiences and feelings. Your answers are completely anonymous.
Who initiated this study?
This survey is conducted by Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) and Sciensano as part of NATURE4ALL PhD research project on inclusive urban green spaces for older adults in Brussels. The research is funded by the European Union research project GreeNexUS (https://greenexus.unibo.it/).
GreeNexUS aims to promote sustainable solutions for greener, healthier, safer and accessible urban areas.
If you have any questions or experience a technical problem, you can contact the PhD researcher, Yuxin Pu (yuxin.pu@vub.be).
The survey is available in 3 languages:
Version française
Nederlandstalige versie
English version
PROTECTION OF YOUR DATA AND RIGHTS
Participation is completely voluntary and you can decide to discontinue your participation at any time. The information you provide via the questionnaire will only be used for scientific purposes. Only the aggregated results (combined information from all participants) will be published in scientific publications and made public. Individual responses will never be shared.
The data will be stored securely in encrypted form at Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) and retained in accordance with legal and institutional requirements. In accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), you have the right to access, correct and erase your data, where applicable, during this period. You can request this by contacting the VUB Data Protection Officer (dpo@vub.be). If you choose to provide your email address for the aggregated results, your email address will only be stored separately from your questionnaire responses so that your answers cannot be traced back to you. The email address will be deleted at the end of the research project.
This study has been reviewed and approved by an independent ethics committee (VUB Ethics Commission for Human Sciences).
QUESTIONS OR COMPLAINTS ABOUT DATA PROTECTION?
If you have any question about data protection, please contact VUB Data Protection Officer (dpo@vub.be). If you have a complaint about how your data is being processed, you can contact the Belgian data protection authority: Drukpersstraat 35 — 1000 Brussels — Tel.: 02/274 48 00 — e-mail: contact@apd-gba.be.
Host Institution
Vrije Universiteit Brussel VUB
Doctoral Candidate
Yuxin Pu – DC03
Supervisors
Frank Canters, Francesc Baró, Sylvie Gadeyne – VUB, Belgium
Eva De Clercq, Claire Demoury, Raf Aerts – SCIENSANO, Belgium
Karolina Doughty – WU, The Netherlands
Jelena Mazaj – CESIE, Italy
Address
Vrije Universiteit Brussel VUB
Pleinlaan 2, Brussel 1050, Belgium
Contacts