Collectively recognizing the need to adapt our environments in the face of global warming

Heat waves are intensifying in terms of extreme temperatures, frequency, and duration across all regions (IPCC report, March 2023). Climate change has direct effects on health, particularly with an increase in heat wave-related mortality. The summer of 2025 saw more than 24,000 emergency care visits and 5,700 heat-related deaths, and was ranked as the third-hottest summer since 1900, according to the latest “heat and health” report published by Santé publique France. While older adults remain the most vulnerable, one-third of heat-related deaths occurred among people aged 45 to 75. More broadly, between 2017 and 2025, nearly 40,000 deaths were attributed to heat, while more than 175,000 emergency room visits and 37,000 consultations with SOS Médecins were recorded during the summers of 2014 to 2025. These impacts vary depending on the population’s age, health status, vulnerability, geographic location, socioeconomic status, or place of residence (overheated housing or neighborhoods, highly urbanized cities), as demonstrated by various studies from Santé publique France. They are evident every summer despite the preventive and management measures put in place, whose effectiveness remains limited. 

Although scientific data on the health impacts of extreme heat are available, their adoption and integration into the implementation of urban planning, development, or building construction/renovation projects could be strengthened. Furthermore, their practical integration into planning, construction, or renovation projects may face major obstacles: costs, standards, expertise, timelines…

In this context, a workshop was held on March 30, 2026, at Santé publique France, marking the official launch of the “heat-health-buildings-urban planning” network. This event brought together various organizations involved in training and raising awareness among project managers and building owners of such projects to address on-the-ground realities and needs and to explore actions that will help achieve a common goal: protecting the public from extreme heat.

Why this network?

The challenge for Santé publique France and its partners is for members of the “heat-health-buildings-urban planning” network to promote and support evidence-based approaches using the resources made available so that, ultimately, project managers and clients in the sectors of urban planning or building construction/renovation (elected officials, local government employees, architects, urban planners, developers, social housing providers, engineers, and real estate developers) integrate health considerations even more fully into their projects. Greater ownership of public health issues will thus encourage decisions that better protect health, whereas currently it is primarily summer comfort that is considered when addressing energy-inefficient buildings. This is an important criterion but insufficient to ensure a healthy living environment during heat waves.

The goal is to contribute to the construction of buildings and cities that are resilient to heat, complementing prevention, health promotion, and management efforts.

• The Heat-Health-Buildings-Urban Planning network is based on four pillars:
• Providing accessible and up-to-date data on heat, health, buildings, and urban planning
• Defining criteria for achieving the common goal to assess the effectiveness of the actions taken
• Creating and strengthening the link between stakeholders in health and the built environment/urban planning
• Developing joint initiatives to supplement existing data 

The Network’s Origins: A Gradual Collaboration

In 2023, Santé publique France launched a pilot initiative aimed at promoting the integration of scientific data on heat-related public health issues, with the goal of increasing its adoption by project managers and clients. An initial workshop on June 20, 2024, helped identify the needs and action points required to train, raise awareness, and inform stakeholders about public health issues related to climate change.

Following these workshops, Santé publique France produced a summary of the discussions, 13 educational fact sheets on the impacts of heat, and short video clips to facilitate the understanding and use of the data. 

In 2025, partnerships were formalized with the Scientific and Technical Center for Building (CSTB), the French Environment and Energy Management Agency (Ademe), and the School of Advanced Studies in Public Health (EHESP), with each organization contributing its technical, environmental, or methodological expertise to the epidemiological expertise of Santé publique France. This collaboration led to the creation of a network operating charter in which each member commits to promoting the dissemination of available data and to sharing their expertise and experiences.

The network’s outlook: toward cities and buildings adapted to climate challenges

On March 30, 2026, the stakeholders present developed common indicators to shift professional practices toward projects that are more resilient to heat. Leverage points were identified to overcome the challenges encountered in the field. Through this network, the challenge now is to: 

• continue collaboration with stakeholders and partners, 
• promote the adoption of data by professionals in the targeted sectors 
• implement concrete short- and long-term actions aligned with the theme of health-promoting urban planning. 

The goal is to support public urban planning policies and urban development projects to limit risks (pollution, noise, heat, isolation) and promote factors conducive to health (active mobility, access to healthcare and green spaces, access to cool places) while reducing social and territorial inequalities. 

This network is part of a broader approach to health-promoting urban planning (UFS), exemplified by the “Health-Promoting Urban Planning” booster event on May 26 and 27, 2025, which helped strengthen the collaborative dynamic among stakeholders to adapt urban environments to heat waves.