Objectives
Our research focuses on the relationship between nature-based solutions in urban developments and their effects on mosquito-borne viruses and disease.
Abstract
‘Sponge cities’ are one of these approaches: they are understood as intelligent infrastructures to mitigate extreme weather events such as heavy rains, flooding and heat waves. However, increasing blue and green spaces in cities also provides breeding grounds for mosquitoes and may thus increase the risk of acquiring mosquito-borne diseases such as West Nile fever, Chikungunya, and Dengue.
Researchers in this group and colleagues from the respective countries will investigate effects of ‘sponge city’ solutions in Berlin and Chennai where such nature-based solutions are planned or under development. We combine entomology and virus ecology with social scientific inquiries, and work closely with citizen scientists and entomological volunteer organizations in unpacking questions of health and multi-species entanglements in sponge cities.
