Throughout 2020, we continued to develop collaborations at the local, national and international level. We are participating in the national foresight exercise to promote sustainable, just and balanced territorial development in Spain. We are working with the Barcelona council and the Catalan government to develop tools that integrate health into public space and transport planning; and we published two books on the topic (1,2). Through our research and translational activities, we are expanding our links with international organizations such as WHO, ICLEI, UCLG, HEAL, ISEE and Transport and Environment. We have broadened our portfolio of urban health activities to include school environments, public space, and housing and health.

In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, we produced three policy briefs related to public space, mobility and COVID (3-5). We joined the initiative “El día después” as co-leaders of the debate on the transformation of cities, and we launched the ACTIVID study looking at the impact of COVID-19 on physical activity and mental health. We also published “COVID-19 and the City”, a compilation of blog posts written during the pandemic and that describe how cities can be transformed to provide a sustainable and healthy habitat (6).

  1. Nieuwenhuijsen M and Khreis H. (2020) Advances in Transportation and Health. 1st Edition. Tools, Technologies, Policies, and Developments. Elsevier ISBN: 9780128191361
  2. Khreis H, Nieuwenhuijsen M, Zietsman J and Ramani T (2020) Traffic-Related Air Pollution. Elsevier ISBN: 9780128181225
  3. Mobility & COVID-19: How Should We Redesign Transport for a New Future?
  4. Should We Allow Physical Activity During the Coronavirus Disease Pandemic?
  5. Should We Go Outside During the COVID-19 Confinement and Beyond
  6. Nieuwenhuijsen M. Covid19 and the City: The Covid19 Pandemic and the Transformation of the City. 2020

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