Artists, architects, geographers and healthcare experts will work alongside local residents in the Philippines as part of an initiative exploring how health and care systems might be reimagined to withstand the effects of future climate change.

The Climate-Adaptive Reimaginings for Enhancing Healthcare Spaces of the Future (CAREscape) project is a collaboration between researchers from the University of Plymouth and the University of the Philippines.

They will in turn work directly with those living in the nation’s capital, Manila, a coastal city that is presently home to almost 15 million people.

The research will explore any ways to rethink healthcare spaces that may become unusable during extreme weather events or other natural disasters.

Researchers will converse with grassroots community members, leaders, and partners and learn about their experiences of climate change and health, and also explore how they envision spaces for care.

This process will use creative tools like mapping and storytelling to gather insights from residents, especially tapping into local knowledge and beliefs, health-seeking habits, social roles, and spatial practices to ensure that any future healthcare designs would match the community’s unique needs.

Based on what they’ve learned from the community, the architects and artists will come together to create potential ideas for new healthcare infrastructures.

These designs will aim to resonate with people’s cultural values and daily lives, and incorporate visuals, sounds and even rituals that reinforce the connections between communities and care spaces.