Resilient and Sustainable Design Strategies for Future Urban and Architectural Systems: Mitigating Health Impacts for Climate Extremes

The increasing frequency and intensity of climate extremes, such as heatwaves, cold surges, heavy rainfall, and severe storms, pose threats to human health and well-being through their interaction with the built environment. The very infrastructure designed to protect us can amplify these risks, leading to consequences that range from direct physical harm to complex, systemic challenges. These include compromised indoor air quality, the spread of vector-borne diseases, and chronic stress resulting from displacement and power outages.

This reality exposes a pressing research gap: the need for an integrated, multi-scale approach that proactively enhances the resilience of our buildings, neighborhoods, and cities. Addressing this requires converging knowledge from architecture, engineering, urban planning, and public health to develop adaptive strategies that not only withstand climate shocks but also ensure the sustained health and well-being of occupants.

This Research Topic aims to advance integrative and evidence-based approaches that strengthen the resilience of the built environment under future climate conditions. We seek contributions that explore innovative strategies at the building, neighborhood, and urban scales to enhance resilience and sustainability while safeguarding occupant health.

It addresses the urgent need to protect human health and well-being amid the escalating impacts of climate extremes on the built environment. It aims to identify and promote resilient and sustainable design strategies that mitigate health risks from extreme climate events and deteriorating indoor conditions. By integrating recent advances in adaptive building design, nature-based solutions, green materials, and smart constructions, and health-centered planning frameworks, this collection seeks to foster cross-disciplinary collaboration among architecture, engineering, urban design, and public health to build future-ready environments that remain safe, comfortable, and sustainable under changing climates.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

1. Climate-adaptive and Resilient Building Design
-Development of passive and active architectural strategies that maintain comfort and safety under extreme weather conditions.
-Integration of adaptable facade, shading systems, and ventilation solutions to reduce heat stress and indoor health risks.

2. Resilient Energy Systems for Health Security
-Design of decentralized renewable energy systems and microgrids to ensure uninterrupted power for critical health-supporting services (cooling, medical devices) during climate-induced grid failures.
-Co-benefits of resilient, renewable energy integration for both carbon mitigation and public health protection during extreme events.

3. Nature-based Solutions for Urban Microclimate Mediation
-Capacity of green roofs, permeable pavements, and urban trees to mitigate flood risk, reduce the UHI effects, and improve mental well-being.
-Integrated design frameworks that optimize blue-green infrastructure for simultaneous climate adaptation and health co-benefits.

4. Adaptive Building Codes and Policy for Public Health
-Propose updates to building codes and standards that mandate resilience measures against climate extremes to protect occupant health as a fundamental requirement.
-Evaluation of the cost-effectiveness and equity implications of health-protective building policies for future climate scenarios.

Manuscripts may include original research, reviews, case studies, or methodological papers. Contributions exploring modelling techniques, performance assessments, and policy frameworks that connect climate adaptation with occupant health and well-being are particularly encouraged.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Systematic Review

Keywords: Climate change, Urban heat mitigation, Climate resilience, Green and low-carbon materials, Nature-based solutions, Public health

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.