LSE Cities today co-hosted a research seminar on the health effects of urban pollution at ETSAM in Madrid. In collaboration with Nerea Calvillo, “Urban Pollution and Health Effects: What Can Cities Do?” was the fourth and final event in the foresight seminar series run by LSE Cities as part of the New Urban Governance programme supported by the MacArthur Foundation. The series of seminars has sought to discuss the notion that ever more complex and interrelated urban challenges as well as technological change will require city institutions to adapt; focusing, in particular, on the role of big data and real-time information which in many cities have already led to the establishment of new urban governance processes and structures.
This final seminar included a general debate on the policies that may alleviate pollution in cities and what are or should be the roles of local governments, citizens, as well as private and third sector actors in facing the problem and shaping these policies. It also explored questions surrounding which innovations may assist Madrid and other cities in facing current environmental and health challenges.