Climate change and rapid population ageing pose challenges for communities and public policies. This systematic review aims to gather data from studies that present health indicators establishing the connection between climate change and the physical and mental health of the older population (≥ 65 years), who experience a heightened vulnerability to the impacts of climate change when compared to other age cohorts. This review was conducted according to the PICO strategy and following Cochrane and PRISMA guidelines. Three databases (PubMed, Scopus and Greenfile) were searched for articles from 2015 to 2022. After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria,nineteen studies were included. The findings indicated that various climate change phenomena are associated with an elevated risk of mortality and morbidity outcomes in older adults. These included cardiovascular, respiratory, renal, and mental diseases, along with physical injuries. Notably, the impact of climate change was influenced by gender, socioeconomic status, education level, and age—vulnerability factors. Climate change directly affected the health of older adults through ambient temperature variability, extreme and abnormal temperatures, strong winds, sea temperature variability, extreme El Niño-southern Oscillation (ENSO) conditions and droughts, and indirectly by air pollution resulting from wildfires. This review presents further evidence confirming that climate change significantly impacts the health and well-being of older adults. It highlights the urgency for implementing effective strategies to facilitate adaptation and mitigation, enhancing the overall quality of life for all individuals.

This article focuses on a specific term associated with the scientific, theoretical, and academic discourse on housing architecture in Portugal. Over the last 100 years, the term “affordable” has frequently been used in the vocabulary of urban housing in Portugal, being linked to other words commonly used in housing construction, such as económica (economical), barata (cheap/inexpensive/low-cost), pobre (poor), cooperativa (cooperative), or even custos controlados (controlled costs). Therefore, we propose to explore the multiple appropriations and contemporary shifts in its original meaning, seeking in this way to: (a) further stimulate the contemporary discussion on types of buildings, public housing programmes (i.e., following a historical perspective), contemporary housing policies (e.g. Basic Housing Law and New Generation of Housing Policies), refurbishment policies, new regulations, and new models for the middle classes (in Portugal); (b) share perspectives about the updating of this concept and the materialisation of its respective types and models in contemporary architectural practice; and (c) build bridges between the past and the present (public and private models and solutions, and shifts in the target audience). Although a wide range of different words was used to describe “affordable housing” in Portugal from the early 20th century to the first decade of the 21st century, it is essential to stress the importance of several newly emerging concepts. In recently implemented laws, concepts such as economicamente acessível (economically accessible) and custos controlados (controlled costs/low-cost) encompass the shifts in the meaning of the term “affordable” and broaden the contemporary discussion of the housing problem in relation to the type of property and target audience.

Urban environments and climate-related challenges impact older adults’ health and well-being. To address these challenges, climate adaptation strategies and urban design guidelines should be tailored to older adults’ needs. Ethnographic studies can help identify these needs by involving them directly in the research process. This study uses ethnographic research to explore older adults’ perceptions and behaviours regarding climate change risks and impacts, health, and mobility challenges in a vulnerable urban area—São Roque da Lameira, Porto, Portugal. It studies the applicability and complementarity of four participatory methods that can inform urban design: (I) semi-structured interviews, (II) ‘go-along’ interviews, (III) user observations, and (IV) emotional mapping. The qualitative data collected were analysed through thematic and spatial analysis. Common themes emerged between the four methods, including concerns about accessibility, safety, and comfort, such as uneven pavements, lack of seating, and poor infrastructure for people with reduced mobility. Participants recommended improvements, such as more green spaces and better pedestrian infrastructure quality. Notably, each method uncovered distinct dimensions, highlighting the added value of a multi-method approach. This study demonstrates that combining participatory methods offers deeper, context-specific insights to inform age-friendly and climate-resilient urban design. Future research should take climate-focused methods and a multidisciplinary approach into consideration.

Custom-built solutions for ageing, urban regeneration, energy efficiency, thermal performance, and well-being are contemporary challenges that have prompted considerable research over the past decades. In the construction field, subjects such as energy efficiency and thermal performance are often addressed within the scope of mandatory regulations, the suitability of construction solutions and the incorporation of technical equipment. Considering four residential structures for older adults under construction in Portugal, this paper aims to highlight the importance of a comprehensive approach to these issues, including architectural quality as the main target. In pursuit of this, a cohesive set of intervention principles guided the analysis: the adaptive reuse of raw materials; taking advantage of the site’s conditions; vegetation (type and location); construction options and durability; solar exposure and shading; the pedagogy of building use; and the comfort and thermal perception. Several reflections emerge from the analysis: good architectural design must consider dynamic models incorporating each context and the site’s conditions; the culture of use and maintenance and the notion of “adaptive comfort” are primary factors to enhance thermal performance and energy efficiency; and each building is a unique result of a complex negotiation process. Bridging research through practice, and multidisciplinary scientific integration enable engagement with reality and raise awareness of the constraints and challenges to innovation in LTC design.

Stable access to affordable quality housing is a core feature of public health principles and practices. In this report, we provide an update on the research project “Mapping Public Housing: A Critical Review of the State-subsidised Residential Architecture in Portugal (1910–1974)” (MdH), developed between 2016 and 2019 at the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Porto (FAUP) in Portugal. This funded research project (PTDC/CPC-HAT/1688/2014) brought together an international and multidisciplinary team composed of architects, sociologists, historians, an economist, an anthropologist, information scientists and archivists, from different academic levels (senior researchers, postdoctoral, PhD and Master’s degree students), adopting a variety of approaches and operating in a range of different contexts. The aim of the research undertaken was to investigate the reality of social and state-subsidised housing in terms of its architecture, while, at the same time, seeking to broaden our understanding of this phenomenon and of the transition to a democratic regime. Furthermore, this research project was designed to contribute towards the development of common ground for supporting decisions in the environmental, social and economic fields relating to housing management, as well as architectural heritage management and protection. This review is based on the submitted application (2015) and final report (2020).