Call for contributions - Special Issue - The Interplay Between Health, Housing and Planning: A New challenge?
The Interplay Between Health, Housing, Planning: A New challenge?
Guest editors:
Yaneira Wilson, Centre de Recherche sur l’Habitat LAVUE, ENSAPVS, Paris
Yankel Fijalkow, Centre de Recherche sur l’Habitat LAVUE, ENSAPVS, Paris
Description
The intricate connection between health and housing has been extensively documented in academic literature, revealing a multidimensional relationship influenced by environmental, social, and economic factors. Michel Foucault’s theory of biopolitics elucidates how political power is rationalised and exercised over populations via mechanisms including health governance, sanitation practices, reproductive rates, and population longevity. This conceptual framework provides a valuable lens for interrogating the intersections of housing and health, particularly amidst ongoing societal challenges such as poverty, demographic aging, the proliferation of remote work, and experiences of discrimination. Advancing future scholarship in this domain necessitates the integration of objective health metrics with the subjective well-being of individuals, underscoring the imperative to incorporate residents’ perspectives in the evaluation of healthy living environments.
Within this analytical review, the nexus between housing and health can be delineated according to three principal dimensions:
Domestic Environment and Bodily Experiences
Health is fundamentally intertwined with bodily experiences, sensory perceptions, and affective states. Manifestations of discomfort, such as noise and cold, are directly mediated by environmental technologies including soundproofing and thermal insulation. Practical considerations in this context encompass ventilation systems, space heating, and air conditioning infrastructure. Air quality constitutes a salient public health concern, functioning as both an objective technical metric and a subjective environmental phenomenon. In highly industrialised societies, where individuals spend approximately ninety percent of their lives within residential and occupational settings, the quality of the built environment represents a critical determinant of health outcomes and a catalyst for health promotion initiatives.
Residential stress and local policy interventions
There is a growing area of concern in contemporary urban environments, where health-related housing issues manifest as both spatial and political challenges within private architectural contexts. Widespread urbanisation and global risk factors have contributed to rising rates of loneliness, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder, underscoring the decisive influence of the built environment on mental health, as illustrated during the COVID-19 pandemic. The critical question is how communities can leverage local resources to construct resilience and rethink models of care. Engaging citizens in participatory urban planning holds significant transformative potential, particularly as health-oriented approaches can reinforce public engagement and participatory processes in city development. How can the theme of health strengthen the participatory approach to urban planning?
Public Policies and Health
A further dimension of this inquiry focuses on the preventive function of health within residential settings, exemplified by the emergence of health-promoting housing policies spearheaded by municipalities and developers. These initiatives typically target vulnerable groups—including the elderly, individuals with reduced mobility, and the homeless—by integrating physical and mental health considerations and introducing innovative design solutions such as green spaces and noise management strategies. The integration of health-promoting features in neighbourhood and housing design demonstrates the capacity of urban planning to positively influence healthy aging, mental well-being, and the general quality of life for diverse age groups. In summary, participatory urban planning that foregrounds public health can serve as an effective means of fostering resilience, empowering communities, and producing inclusive environments conducive to well-being across populations.
Types of contributions: We welcome standard research articles (6000 words). Submissions that bridge theory and practice are particularly welcome. Articles should include a review of existing literature, a presentation of the issue, and the methodology.
Expression of interest: Interested authors should contact the editors with a brief abstract (200-300 words) outlining their proposed focus and analytical approach. Contact details: Yaneira Wilson, yaneira.wilson@paris-valdeseine.archi.fr and Yankel Fijalkow, yankel.fijalkow@paris-valdeseine.archi.fr
Abstract submission deadline: 15th December 2025
30th January 2026: Decision on selection of abstracts
30th March 2026: Submission deadline for full papers (6000 words)
March-June 2026: Peer review and revisions
June/July 2026:Planned Special session/roundtable at World Planning Schools Congress, Helsinki, Suomi.
