One Health: How Can We Rehydrate Living Organisms?

Water, Architecture, Health, Sustainable Development

The 19th Congress of the Occitanie Regional Public Health Society, organized in partnership with the UNESCO International Water Center (ICIREWARD) and with the support of the University of Montpellier, Montpellier Métropole, ENSAM, the French Public Health Society, and the Francophone Society for Environmental Health, will take place on Thursday, March 20, 2025, at the Faculty of Law and Political Science in Montpellier, both in person and online, under the theme “One Health: How Can We Rehydrate Life?”

Soil permeability, wetlands, nature’s resilience to climate change, hydration and physical activity, eco-neighborhoods, … will be the various topics addressed at this conference. Several questions arise: How should we manage the various types of water—drinking water, stormwater, wastewater, water used for irrigation or industry, and so on—in the future? At what territorial scales? By which stakeholders? What role should stormwater play? How can we promote water storage in our soils?

The first part will focus on the concepts and their application in public policy.

The second part will explore the question, “How can we rehydrate our living environments?” The approach will focus on regenerative hydrology (the regeneration of water cycles through land use planning, urban planning, etc.): the role of riparian forests, the removal of impervious surfaces, vegetation restoration, the impact of forestry and agricultural practices, and nature-based adaptation solutions.

The third part will address the topic from an architectural perspective, focusing in particular on how architecture can help rehydrate living organisms and humans. What benefits can architecture bring to living organisms, wildlife, and plants? What developments are there in the management of stormwater and wastewater? How can these resources be reused? What are the impacts of green roofs and green walls? How can we rehydrate humans, and how should we address water stress? What is the role of perspiration and sweating? …

A roundtable discussion aimed specifically at the general public—though not exclusively—will wrap up the day with the topic “WATER: A PUBLIC GOOD IN DANGER? HOW TO BRIDGE THE GAP BETWEEN THE VARIOUS STAKEHOLDERS.”

This conference is intended for the general public as well as decision-makers, professionals, and academics in the fields of water, health, public health, environmental health, hydrology, architecture, urban planning, agriculture, biodiversity, and more—with the goal of helping to promote a “One Health” approach.