France is experiencing increasingly intense and early summers. The summer of 2026 was marked by a series of heat waves from May through August, with record-breaking temperatures and, as a result, a surge in emergency care visits and mortality. In response to these events, emergency measures are implemented each year to protect the population: “white” and “blue” contingency plans in hospitals and nursing homes, the opening of cooling centers, school closures, and the protection of at-risk workers.

However, although these measures are helpful, they are not enough. As our research shows, this is a genuine public health issue, with major impacts that compound other summer health risks (air pollution, wildfires, drownings, drought, and traffic accidents):

• During the 2003 heat wave, the urban and built environment increased the risk of death by a factor of 2 to 4 (attic apartments, urban heat islands). 
• Between 2000 and 2015, residents of heavily paved municipalities had a 7 to 18 percent higher risk of death than those in green municipalities (study in the Île-de-France region). 
• Between 2000 and 2017, 70% of deaths attributed to summer heat in the Île-de-France region occurred in the most vulnerable areas (in terms of socioeconomic status, heat exposure, population density, and age).
• From 2017 to 2025, 40,000 deaths were attributable to the population’s exposure to heat between early June and mid-September, 30% of which occurred during heat waves (which accounted for only 4% of the days in the monitoring period).

UrBaCS: A First-of-Its-Kind Network for Action

Drawing on nearly 25 years of expertise on the impact of climate on health, Santé publique France has established a unique, cross-sectoral network in collaboration with the Scientific and Technical Center for Building (CSTB), the French Environment and Energy Management Agency (Ademe), and the School of Advanced Studies in Public Health (EHESP), bringing together stakeholders from the fields of health, urban planning, construction, and climatology: the UrBaCS network (Urban Planning, Buildings, Heat, and Health). Its goal is to transform the professional practices of project managers and building owners in the urban planning and construction/renovation sectors through training and awareness-raising on health risks, in order to design cities and buildings (housing, schools, commercial buildings) that are more resilient to heat and better protect the population, particularly the most vulnerable: young children, the elderly, pregnant women, workers and athletes exposed to heat, people with chronic illnesses, and people with disabilities. When temperatures reach extreme levels, even a young, active, and healthy adult can be affected. 

SIBCA 2026: A Roundtable to Mobilize Stakeholders

The UrBaCS network’s participation in the SIBCA trade show is part of this effort to raise awareness among real estate and urban planning stakeholders about the health impacts of heat. 

The roundtable discussion held during the trade show provided an opportunity to:

• present key statistics on the health impacts of heat, particularly as they relate to buildings and the urban environment, 

• demonstrate that health risks to populations result from the intersection of building vulnerability and occupant vulnerability, 

• emphasize the importance of cooperation among the health, construction/renovation, and urban planning sectors to find systemic and equitable solutions that account for health inequities. 

Only an interdisciplinary approach will make it possible to convince professionals of the need to build resilient environments, based on proven data.

Thus, by bringing together the fields of construction, urban planning, health, and climate in a novel way, UrBaCS will help better integrate knowledge, tools, and on-the-ground action, based on a shared commitment.