Throwback of the Winter School 2025 : Vulnerability and Inequalities: Comprehensive approaches from Environmental Sciences and Geography

Throwback of the Winter School 2025 : Vulnerability and Inequalities: Comprehensive approaches from Environmental Sciences and Geography

This article looks back at the Winter School 2025, which took place on February 5th at Cyclone Le Studio in Paris. The event focused on the theme of "Vulnerability and Inequalities: Environmental and Geographical Perspectives," a topic explored in one of our course SERIES dedicated to the adaptation of vulnerable populations, particularly in relation to urban access for aging populations, under the direction of Myriam Baron, a speaker at the seminar.

Urban Change and Health-Related Behaviors

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Organized by EUR LIVE, this day highlighted interdisciplinary research and fostered exchanges among participants. Experts and students from around the world gathered to explore and reflect on the issues addressed.

Winter School 2025: A Rich and Varied Program

The day began with a welcome session, followed by a presentation from Samuel Rufat, a professor at the University of Cergy, who introduced the themes of territories, populations, and vulnerabilities.

The morning continued with a talk by Myriam Baron, a professor at the University of Paris-Est Créteil and EUR LIVE, with a course series titled "Urban Change and Health-Related Behaviors." She addressed the issue of student health.

The morning concluded with discussions on climate justice and pollution, featuring presentations by Axel Gosseries, a professor at the Catholic University of Louvain, and Juliette Direur, a laureate of EUR LIVE.

The afternoon was dedicated to several presentations: Aaron Hanson on Sustainable Housing, Marcus Zepf on urban experimentation and co-creation, and Laura Minet on pollution exposure and public health in Canada. These talks were followed by discussions that delved deeper into the topics covered throughout the day.

Exchanges and Collaborations

The Winter School also provided an opportunity to network and exchange ideas. Beyond the presentations, the event provided an opportunity for networking and strengthened its role as a platform for scientific collaboration.

Learn more about the Winter School 2025 presentations.

Aaron Hanson - Sustainable Housing: A Systems Approach

Government policies often fall short of achieving the fairness and equality we would like to see in our cities and human habitats. The technology for better homes and buildings exists and the environmental science and impacts are clear, yet we see time and time again that the end result is financial inequality and negative public health impacts in our urban communities. Inefficient buildings abound and far too many communities are still dealing with environmental injustices. While there are some alternative financial mechanisms and ownership models available, such as inclusive energy financing and cooperatives, respectively, they are not pervasive enough to mitigate the bulk of the United States' housing ailments. So I leave the audience with the question, "How can we innovate financial mechanisms to value resilience, health & safety, and that mitgage negative environmental impacts?"