People responsible for shaping the future of cities often seek valuable tools to assist in their decision-making processes. Using objective, quantified, and analysed data proves highly beneficial when determining where to focus interventions at the city level. Various urban indexes have been established to measure different aspects of urban life, ranging from sustainability to liveability. These indexes encompass multiple dimensions of a city, including mobility and walkability, among others. The age-friendly cities initiative developed indicators for assessing the age-friendliness of cities. Some researchers further refined these indicators to focus on urban planning competencies. Building on this foundation, this article aims to present an Age-Friendly Neighbourhood Index (AFNI) validated by a panel of experts using the Delphi method. This index can serve as a valuable tool for urban planners when they need to prioritise interventions to enhance age-friendliness at neighbourhood scale. The article also outlines the necessary data and measurement techniques for these indicators. The AFNI has been applied to a real case study in the city of Santander (Spain). This application assesses the age-friendliness of various neighbourhoods in Santander, demonstrating the challenges in acquiring sub-local quality data and emphasising the need for data-driven urban management.

Spain has been one of the most affected regions by the COVID-19 worldwide, and Madrid its most affected city. In response to this, the Spanish government enacted a strict lockdown in late March, that was gradually eased until June. We explored differentials in mobility by area-level deprivation in the functional area of Madrid, before, during, and after the COVID-19 lockdown. We used cell phone-derived mobility indicators (% of the population leaving their area) from the National Institute of Statistics (INE), and a composite measure of deprivation from the Spanish Society of Epidemiology (SEE). We computed changes in mobility with respect to pre-pandemic levels, and explored spatial patterns and associations with deprivation. We found that levels of mobility before COVID-19 were slightly higher in areas with lower deprivation. The economic hibernation period resulted in very strong declines in mobility, most acutely in low deprivation areas. These differences weakened during the re-opening, and levels of mobility were similar by deprivation once the lockdown was lifted. Given the existence of important socioeconomic differentials in COVID-19 exposure, it is key to ensure that these interventions do not widen existing social inequalities.

La pandemia de COVID-19 ha representado una de las crisis sanitarias más importantes del último siglo en España y en todo el mundo. Entre las medidas desplegadas para mitigarla se encuentran específicamente las de reducción de la movilidad para disminuir la transmisión comunitaria. Estas medidas pueden tener un impacto desigual en la población. Presentamos una metodología mediante el uso de datos públicos del Instituto Nacional de Estadística y de la Sociedad Española de Epidemiologia para estudiar diferencias socioeconómicas en la movilidad durante la pandemia. Describimos la aplicación de esta metodología para una provincia (Asturias), donde se encuentran patrones socioeconómicos rural-urbanos. El uso de herramientas de sistemas de información geográfica puede traer información útil para explorar los determinantes sociales de la salud a múltiples niveles.

The Regions4Climate project, funded under Horizon Europe, supports transformative adaptation by co-developing and testing tailored climate resilience solutions in 12 European regions. One of these is Pärnu, Estonia’s coastal “summer capital,” which—by Nordic standards—is particularly vulnerable to heat due to its unique geographic and climatic setting. The case study focuses on mitigating urban heat-related risks.Urban heat island (UHI) conditions in Pärnu had not been systematically studied before. To fill this gap, we applied a threefold methodological and approach: (1) deploying a dense real-time weather sensor network, (2) analysing satellite-derived land surface temperatures, and (3) simulating thermal comfort under various climate and land use scenarios using microscale modelling. Together, these methods allow us to observe and understand heat dynamics from regional to street level.Since June 2023, SEI Tallinn and partners have operated 50 sensors measuring temperature and relative humidity every 10 minutes across a 10×15 km area. Sensor density is highest around the city centre with its diverse microclimatic conditions—residential areas, parks, commercial districts, and beaches—and decreases towards rural surroundings. Locations were selected following the Local Climate Zone framework, considering critical social infrastructures. Results reveal strong daytime UHI heterogeneity, with cooler temperatures in parks and coastal areas and warmer conditions in (often close-by) built-up zones. At night, a more spatially extensive UHI develops, peaking around the city centre. Real-time data are publicly accessible via a dedicated visualization tool.To complement these measurements, 15 clear-sky warm days between 2013 and 2024 were processed using Landsat 8 data to generate 100 m resolution land surface temperature maps for midday conditions. These maps identify heat hotspots as well as the cooling influence of green and blue infrastructure, guiding hotspot selection for microscale modelling.Four representative sites—plus a planned new train station area—were selected for ENVI-met simulations at 1 m resolution. Using the Physiological Equivalent Temperature index, we assessed current and future thermal comfort conditions and detected resilience opportunity areas in the city. Simulations quantify heat exposure and mitigation potential of increased vegetation, shade, and urban form changes under climate change.By integrating data across scales, our approach offers specific, place-based recommendations for heat-resilient urban planning in Pärnu. It underscores the value of existing green and blue spaces, supports their expansion, advocates for heat-conscious building standards, and promotes strategies to reduce daytime heat uptake—particularly in central areas—to protect vulnerable groups and strengthen the climate resilience of Estonia’s “summer capital.”