HARMONIE - Health Assessment Refinement for Mitigating Noise and Air Quality Effects

Funded under the Horizon Europe call “Zero-Pollution Cities,” which contributes to the EU Mission “Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities by 2030,” the project takes a holistic approach to support informed policymaking. It improves air pollution and noise monitoring and modelling, while also providing tools to evaluate the health impacts of urban actions in both the short and long term.

To achieve these goals, HARMONIE works across two interconnected environments: real-world pilot studies and advanced digital twin simulations. In its five pilot cities — Barcelona, Lausanne, Sarajevo, Gävle and Barakaldo — the project collects detailed data on air and noise pollution, including emerging indicators such as oxidative potential (OP), as well as citizen mobility patterns, exposure levels and health indicators, with a particular focus on vulnerable populations.

These real-world insights feed into two complementary digital twin systems. The first, the Lung Digital Twin (LDT), adds a unique physiological dimension by modelling how pollutants interact with the human respiratory system. Based on patient specific geometries and with the data provided by high resolution model of inhaled pollutants, it simulates airflow and the transport and deposition of inhaled particles inside the airways, enabling detailed assessments of inhaled dose, susceptibility and health impact pathways towards reactive oxidative stress (ROS).

In parallel, the Citizen-Centric Digital Twin (CCDT) provides the urban-scale perspective by integrating detailed pollution mapping with mobility patterns, social dynamics and exposure modelling. It shows not only where people is exposed to pollution, but also the attributable health impacts. The CCDT also enables “What-If” simulations that allow policymakers to test potential urban measures in a safe, data-driven environment — helping them evaluate alternatives and design interventions that are both effective and equitable in terms of health benefits.

Two research groups at Swiss TPH are involved in the HARMONIE project: 1) Physical Hazards and Health and 2) Systems Innovation Research. The Physical Hazards and Health Group will lead a work packages aiming to quantify health impacts attributable to air pollution after policy interventions in case studies and digital twin models, while the System Innovation Research Group will contribute to the creation of the digital twin model and to the engagement of policy stakeholders.