An ambitious project in Louisville has the potential to create a new blueprint for cities around the world. This new blueprint will look different—it will be greener. It will have a new goal—to support health in all dimensions. This approach will inform a new decision-making process for cities, one that makes health the top priority.

You can learn all about it next week. The Institute for Healthy Air Water and Soil, University of Louisville, The Nature Conservancy, and Hyphae design labs invite you to learn about the Green Heart Project, a one-of-a-kind scientific study. The project’s official launch during Unconventional Health Strategies: The Green Heart Project, will bring together scientists, public officials, nonprofit leaders, business leaders and foundations to deepen the conversation around the role of nature in cities.

The event takes place on October 26, 2017, at the Kentucky African American Heritage Center (1701 W. Muhammad Ali Blvd.) from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. The morning session lasts from 8 a.m.-1:30 p.m, with an optional field trip from 1:30-4 p.m. There is an optional dinner at 6:30 p.m.

The Green Heart Project will examine the link between neighborhood greenery and human health through a comprehensive health study. First, the team will measure the health of neighborhood residents, including everything from blood pressure to the strength of social ties. The team also will measure air quality. After collecting these baseline measurements, the next step is to plant mature trees, saplings, shrubs, and bushes.

The idea is that this healthy urban ecosystem will increase physical activity and at the same time decrease noise, stress and air pollution. The final step, two years later, will be to evaluate how a greener neighborhood affected the physical and mental health of area residents. The findings of this project will inform new strategies for the built environment in cities worldwide.

For more info. and to register for the free event visit here.