‘Nexus’ Narratives in Urban Vulnerable Places: Pathways to Sustainability via Municipal Health Programs in Brazil

Alberto Matenhauer Urbinatti (), Simone Ley Omori-Honda, Carolina Monteiro de Carvalho, Klaus Frey, Pedro Roberto Jacobi and Leandro Luiz Giatti
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Alberto Matenhauer Urbinatti: School of Public Health, University of São Paulo, São Paulo 01246-904, Brazil
Simone Ley Omori-Honda: School of Public Health, University of São Paulo, São Paulo 01246-904, Brazil
Carolina Monteiro de Carvalho: Institute of Energy and Environment, University of São Paulo, São Paulo 05508-010, Brazil
Klaus Frey: Center for Engineering, Modeling and Applied Social Sciences (CECS), Federal University of ABC, São Bernardo do Campo 09210-580, Brazil
Pedro Roberto Jacobi: Institute of Energy and Environment, University of São Paulo, São Paulo 05508-010, Brazil
Leandro Luiz Giatti: School of Public Health, University of São Paulo, São Paulo 01246-904, Brazil

World, 2023, vol. 4, issue 1, 1-16

Abstract: In recent years, the water–energy–food (WEF) nexus approach has been widely used as a framework in the context of urban Sustainability. However, some elements of the approach are normative, leading to a technical view of resources and technocratic policy implementation. To avoid such tendencies, this study uses the framework of ‘nexus of humility’. We used insights from the Science and Technology Studies to better assess the interactions between water, energy, and food, and consider the social construction aspects of the nexus itself. The approach of Pathways to Sustainability is combined with this framework to analyze two government programs in the cities of São Paulo and Guarulhos, Brazil; namely, the Green and Healthy Environments Program and the Environmental Health Program, respectively. We interviewed 20 individuals linked to these policies and analyzed narratives inductively and deductively. The results showed six groups of narratives, namely: environmental and social determinants of health , health prevention and promotion , intersectorality , politics and economy , territory , learning, and participation . Moreover, we concluded that narratives related to the WEF nexus, even if not explicitly part of the government guidelines, are present within the existing axes of action. Public health was understood as an important support pillar for the development of synergies related to Sustainability in urban areas. Finally, we sought to contribute to the literature by showing how this new framework can ‘open up’ avenues for sustainability within the contexts of high urban vulnerability and social inequality.

Keywords: environmental health policy; urban vulnerability; public health system; sustainability governance; water–energy–food nexus (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: G15 G17 G18 L21 L22 L25 L26 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 R51 R52 R58 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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