Canvas: Strengthening community voices in climate and health research

This research project is from UCL Institute for Environmental Design and Engineering

Project leads: Ruth Unstead-Joss, Briony Fleming and Caroline Ward 

The challenge

Many communities most affected by climate change and health inequalities are rarely involved in shaping the research, policies or decisions that influence their lives. This gap limits how relevant and effective climate and health action can be.  

Canvas responds by bringing residents, community organisations, policy makers, researchers and artists together to explore how climate change affects health, whose voices are missing, and opportunities for collaboration. 

Our approach

Canvas uses creative, participatory approaches to connect east London residents, community partners and researchers from different disciplines. Through workshops, conversations and public events, it creates welcoming, informal spaces where people who might not normally meet can share experiences and shape ideas collectively. 

Why this matters

Canvas addresses a core challenge in climate and health research: inclusion. Many people most affected by climate impacts, including people living with poor air quality, precarious housing or chronic health conditions, are often absent from climate conversations.  

By using creative methods, Canvas reduces barriers of language, confidence and formality, helping build a network that supports climate and health work which is more relevant, more trusted and more likely to lead to meaningful, lasting change. 

Anticipated impacts include: 

• Stronger community–university relationships that support long‑term collaboration.
• More inclusive research practice, that reduces barriers to participation and is meaningful and respectful.
• Better‑informed policy and local action by grounding climate‑health priorities in the realities of people’s daily lives.
• Creative approaches that can be used by researchers, policy makers and community groups to support engagement.
• Environmental and health benefits through a shared understanding of climate and environmental issues. 
   

Funders, partners and collaborators 

Resources and outputs 

Visit our exhibition and join our public programme, Wish you were here: Imagining a climate‑healthy city (11 Jun 2026 - 08 Jul 2026), to learn more and get involved. 
 

For more information on environmental design and engineering research at UCL, visit UCL Institute for Environmental Design and Engineering (IEDE).

< Explore all of IEDE’s research projects.