Community-Centered Modeling of Housing Related Health Disparities

Climate change affects us all, but not equally. People who are already marginalized, such as low-income communities, the elderly, and those with pre-existing health conditions, are more vulnerable to extreme weather events like heatwaves, storms, and flooding. One key factor influencing this vulnerability is housing. Poor housing conditions can make people more exposed to health risks, especially respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. The ComDisp project investigates these risks by developing a new way to study housing-related health disparities. Instead of relying only on traditional scientific models, we focus on community-centered research. We work directly with local residents, health organizations, and policymakers to create models that predict how climate change will impact health in different housing conditions. By involving communities in the research process, we ensure that the solutions we develop are practical and useful for those most affected. Our research takes place in four countries: the USA, Vietnam, Turkey, and Ecuador, but the insights we gain will be relevant worldwide. In each location, we partner with local governments, housing and health organizations, and climate action advocates to ensure that our work has a real impact. The project builds on a successful pilot study in Jacksonville, USA, where we initiated a community-driven modeling. This method will now be adapted and expanded in different regions, allowing us to compare how housing and climate change interact in diverse environments. Through this project, we are not only advancing scientific knowledge but also creating opportunities for communities to learn from each other. The ComDisp project includes partners from universities, local governments, and community organizations worldwide. By sharing experiences and solutions across borders, we aim to build stronger, healthier, and more resilient living environments for all.

Around the world, climate change impacts fall disproportionately on those already marginalized in society. Natural hazards are being modified by climate change (e.g. extreme heat, storms, flooding) and result in adverse impacts on human health, ecosystems and infrastructure. The homes that people inhabit contribute to their risk. Poor housing conditions combine with environmental phenomena to create chronic conditions of public health risk, manifesting as health disparities in respiratory and cardiovascular illnesses. The ComDisp consortium will undertake community-centered research that develops a collaborative, iterative process for grassroots modeling of health disparities with predictive capability across climate change scenarios. It responds to health disparities related to housing conditions in the USA, Vietnam, Turkey and Ecuador - with broad relevance in every global society - where living environments are shaped by historical and contemporary injustices. The project users are populations who live in housing situations with high risk of climate change impacts, especially elderly, children, low-income communities, and individuals with pre-existing health conditions. In each location, we will leverage existing partnerships with non-academic stakeholders to include local governments (land use, housing, public health), community health & housing organizations, and climate change action advocates. Although our project will undertake research in 4 countries, the case studies are strongly connected by a focus on how housing conditions are affected by climate change and impact on the health of inhabitants. Pilot research in Jacksonville, USA, has developed an initial process for community-centered modeling, to be adapted in each location. Consortium members will share our range of skills, resources and knowledge, and PhD students supported by the project will gain experience across the network while affected communities will learn from each other and grow together.