Leveraging Green Space for Climate and Public Health Resilience: A GIS-Based Study in Enschede

Urban areas are at the forefront of the climate crisis, facing mounting challenges as global temperatures rise and urbanization accelerates. By 2050, cities are expected to house 70% of the world’s population, intensifying the impacts of extreme weather events like flash floods and exacerbating health burdens, including non-communicable diseases and mental health conditions. These intertwined crises are compounded by socioeconomic inequalities and inadequate access to health-promoting green spaces, underscoring the urgent need for nature-based solutions that integrate environmental resilience with human well-being. This study investigates the potential of green spaces as dual-purpose interventions to address flood risks and improve public health in Enschede, a city in the eastern Netherlands frequently affected by flash floods. The research objectives are to: (1) Identify neighbourhoods most susceptible to urban flooding; (2) Assess areas with the highest socioeconomic, physical, and mental health vulnerabilities; and (3) Explore opportunities to optimize green spaces in high-risk areas to enhance resilience.

 

Geographic Information System (GIS) tools are employed to evaluate flood risks, green space distribution, and health metrics, using open data sources. Health data (physical, mental, and socioeconomic) are derived from RIVM and CBS respectively, green space data from HUGSI, and flood risk predictions from the Fastflood model. The data are analyzed to produce three key outputs:

• Flood Resilience Map: Neighbourhoods are categorized into four levels, from low to high resilience, based on their capacity to cope with flooding. This capacity is determined by the presence and quality of green spaces, which facilitate water absorption and reduce the impacts of flash floods.
• Health Resilience Map: Using the WHO’s 3-30-300 guideline—30% tree cover and green space access within 300 meters— to evaluate their ability to promote physical and mental well-being. Resilience levels reflect neighbourhoods’ capacity to support health outcomes, with higher resilience indicating better access to green spaces that foster well-being.
• Vulnerability Map: Neighbourhoods are analyzed to identify socioeconomic and health vulnerabilities, focusing on the prevalence of poor mental and physical health. Vulnerable neighbourhoods are categorized into four levels.

These outputs are combined to identify high-risk neighbourhoos of experiencing adverse impacts from flooding and poor health outcomes. A correlation analysis further examines the interplay between environmental vulnerability, health resilience, and the effectiveness of nature-based solutions.

 

 The results highlight neighbourhoods with elevated health risks, pinpointing areas where interventions are most needed. These outputs equip municipalities with actionable insights to optimize green spaces and implement targeted nature-based solutions in high-risk zones. By providing a replicable framework, this multidisciplinary approach facilitates evidence-based urban planning and fosters the development of inclusive, sustainable, and resilient urban environments. Moreover, the framework’s adaptability ensures its applicability to diverse geographic contexts, offering a scalable solution to global urban challenges.