Applying a Planetary Health approach in the European urban context: Lessons from Preparing Traditional Lasagna

Abstract Lasagna is a quintessential Italian dish, renowned worldwide. The most traditional version is “alla Bolognese”, which requires a complex preparation process involving careful attention to mixing ingredients and layering to achieve the final delicious result. The images depicting the preparation steps of this typical Italian dish will be used to inspire participants to creatively reflect on how to implement a transdisciplinary approach to address a planetary health issue, such as heatwaves, in a European urban context. The presentation will be structured as follows: 1. Identification of current problems; 2. Stakeholder analysis; 3. Possible solutions; 4. Barriers and limitations. The first phase will focus on selecting quality ingredients, analogous to analyzing the urban map of the city, the presence of green areas, identifying vulnerable residents, mapping transportation, etc. The second phase will identify all relevant stakeholders to be involved in creating transdisciplinary solutions for the city, paralleling the proper mixing of lasagna ingredients. The third phase will propose various solutions to be applied, taking into account the inputs and viewpoints of the involved stakeholders, showcasing best practices already adopted, and comparing them to different variations of lasagna alla Bolognese. The final phase will present barriers and limitations to implementing such an approach in a European urban context (e.g., costs, historical monuments, lack of stakeholder collaboration), drawing parallels to challenges in preparing lasagna, such as ingredient unavailability, oven issues, or overcooking. Through this original modality, participants will learn about the process of implementing a planetary health approach to one of the major climate change issues affecting the European landscape.