Healthy housing and regeneration

The topic of healthy built environments is now more actual than any other time. In the light of the pandem ic situation and the concept of the ‘New Normal’, the scientific community and international bodies are focused on optimizing solutions for crisis management and the post-pandemic future. The World Health Organization (WHO) identified a list of guidelines to reduce the spread of Covid-19 and protect commu nities. Parallelly the United Nations (UN) and the European Healthy Cities Network (EHCN) provided recommendations and measures to reduce the risk and mitigate some of the longer-term impacts in urban contexts. In a phase where cities act as centres of community transmission, EHCN and the United Nations (UN) provided examples of good practice and reports to share experiences and lessons learned, promote inclusivity, and underline key action areas for national, regional, and local bodies to rebuild urban set tings against pandemics, climate change, and socio-economic hazards. This article provides an overview of the WHO, EHCN, and UN response – through critical literature of the official published documents and reports- and evaluates their implications on the housing sector and the built environment. It provides guid ance to mitigate pandemic impacts and strengthen preparedness, and recovery in urban settings. The re sults support policymakers and actors of the built environment to regenerate healthy inclusive communities and resilient cities.