Healthy Urban Living and Ageing in Place: Physical Activity, Built Environment and Knowledge Exchange in Brazilian Cities (HULAP)

Duration: 01/16 – 01/19

With one of the most rapidly ageing populations in the world, Brazil now faces an emerging health crisis as non-communicable conditions such as obesity affect growing numbers of older urban residents. However, while the built environment has at times reinforced these problems, effective urban design can also alleviate these problems by promoting physical activity.

Healthy Urban Living and Ageing in Place: Physical Activity, Built Environment and Knowledge Exchange in Brazilian Cities (HULAP) brings together a multidisciplinary team of British and Brazilian researchers to explore these issues through a comparative study of Curitiba (Brazil) and Belfast (Northern Ireland). The project will examine a range of built environment factors that could influence determining mobility and physical activity among the older urban population.

The findings will be invaluable for academics, policy makers and other stakeholders seeking to promote healthy ageing in cities in Brazil, the UK and other national contexts.