The word “heat” is translated as ḥarāra (حرارة) in Arabic. In this project, the word “harara” is used as our starting point to highlight the importance of heat, how it is dealt with and experienced. The Horizon Mission HARARA project is a research project funded by the European Commission, focussed on objective and subjective experiences of heat among migrant(ised) communities in Antwerp and Rotterdam.
European societies, especially in urban areas, are disproportionately affected by the impact of global warming. Global warming can be felt by how people experience heat at home - which is often a combination of the temperature and air humidity in their residence. Experienced heat and heat stress may vary across people’s houses, also depending on the adaptation strategies people apply, and affect people’s health outcomes and experiences. Migrant populations, ranging from migrants to their descendants, are often excluded from current data collection and measures on heat stress, creating environmental injustice, and in turn strengthening social and ethnic inequalities in societies.
The HARARA project aims to contribute to the EU Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change by supporting regions such as Belgium and the Netherlands, and more specifically, their cities and local authorities, to become more resilient in the face of climate change impacts. HARARA will systematically integrate insights from multiple disciplines (sociology, ecology, biology, urban planning, etc.), as well as societal and educational institutions, to first empirically assess both subjective and objective climate impacts on migrant groups.
Co-creative trajectories with local migrant communities will be set up to develop inclusive climate policies of the future through the development of inclusive climate adaptation practices and build further on existing expertise present within these migrant communities. The inclusive climate adaptation practices will be included in the EC Mission Portal; triangulated with stakeholders, presented in policy briefs and a Toolkit for schools, two sustainable and inclusive fairs, and reports for non-academic audiences. Furthermore, HARARA sets up transdisciplinary knowledge hubs, supported by integration specialists or Gluon researchers, that secure future regional collaborations and transdisciplinary research practices.
Main rationale and objectives
The main objective of the HARARA project is to establish a transdisciplinary knowledge hub that promotes inclusive climate adaptation practices, with a focus on addressing experienced heat in urban environments in Belgium and the Netherlands, particularly within migrant communities. To achieve this, the project has outlined three specific objectives:
We will collaborate with experts in society (‘climate ambassadors’) and from different disciplines to realise these objectives. Hence, the structure and planning of the data collection of the HARARA project is organised as follows:
Who are we?
The HARARA consortium consists of five partners: Erasmus University Rotterdam, University of Antwerp, Technical University of Delft, EMPACT vzw and Cultuurwerkplaats Tarwewijk. Our consortium is interdisciplinary by design and aims to value all kinds of societal, academic and disciplinary knowledge to fully understand the impact of heat in cities and to map how people interpret and respond to heat-related challenges, adding to the development of novel and innovative solutions.
Lore Van Praag (MA, PhD Ghent University) is Associate professor Social inequality and diversity at the Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Netherlands. She is the Principal Investigator of the Horizon Mission HARARA project, and has been leading (Horizon Europe ReIncluGen) or was involved in other European projects (H2020 COVINFORM, H2020PERCEPTIONS, H2020MICADO). Her research interests are gender, migration, co-creative research methods, diversity and climate change.
Carlotta Smalen (M.Phil, PhD Trinity College Dublin) works as a postdoctoral researcher for the Horizon Mission HARARA project at the Erasmus University, the Netherlands. She holds a PhD in social geography (Trinity Provost Award and Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds) and was involved in Geoformations (ERC) and the Gender Awareness and Transformation through Education project (Irish Aid). Her research interests span across climate justice, sustainable development, gender, children’s studies and participatory methods.
Chetana Pai is a Social Designer and Interaction Technology graduate (MSc, University of Twente) dedicated to building sustainable, inclusive communities. She specializes in workshop facilitation and co-creation, using tools like zines, maps, and audio to make abstract ideas tangible and amplify diverse voices. Currently, she is a Gluon researcher (knowledge integration specialist) at the Resilient Delta Initiative. In this role, she enhances the impact of transdisciplinary projects by improving how collaborators integrate different forms of knowledge. For more information about Gluon researchers: Resilient Delta - Het Team - Convergence.
Nebojša Savić is a Project Manager for Major Research Initiatives within the Engagement and Research Services (ERS) team at Erasmus University. He is the project manager for the Horizon Europe project HARARA, with extensive experience in managing EU-funded projects and public-private research partnerships focused on social impact. He also has a background in socio-cultural anthropology.
Empact is a socio-cultural umbrella organization in Flanders (Belgium) that supports and represents some 130 member associations, primarily composed of people from migration, in their growth and organization. In addition, they have set up multiple projects, including the #kmSamenAanTafel, Horizon Europe ReIncluGen project, Reuzin Fatima, de Leerbox, IQRA+. For more information, check: Over Ons | FMV Empact.
Latifa El Morabit (BA Sociology, University of Antwerp) is Director at Empact since 2021, previously active as a social-cultural worker and policy officer within the organization. Her work focuses on super-diversity, racism and discrimination, intersectionality, and the empowerment of ethnic minority groups. She has earlier worked at Ella vzw and Samenlevingsopbouw Antwerpen (now SAAMO), gaining expertise on gender and diversity, migration, politisation and inequality across different social fields.
Havva Akçaoglu (MA, Political Sciences, Ghent University) works as a project manager at Empact vzw, part of the Horizon Europe project. As a socially driven political scientist, Akçaoglu supports local and international movements in their efforts for prosperity, justice and development. In doing so she is continuously looking for educational environments and connections with whom she can contribute to strengthen our society.
Hanane El Fikri (BA Social Work, Artesis Hogeschool) is a social-cultural worker at Empact vzw. She coordinates the educational training and programmes at Empact vzw, where she organises theatre trajectories, sewing ateliers and lectures. She works with local associations founded by people with a migrant background through administrative and logistical support, helping them find their way in the Flemish CSO landscape and bringing their own projects to fruition.
Mualla Akçaoglu is Administrative assistant at EMPACT vzw. She supports EMPACT vzw in organising activities, financial and human resource administration and supporting member organisations.
Hajar El Hadji (BA Family Science, University of Brussels). Currently active at EMPACT vzw as a policy officer and at ’Nuff Said as a community builder. Her work focuses on super-diversity, racism and discrimination, intersectionality and the empowerment of migrantised communities. She previously worked at GATAM and the Red Cross Flanders, gaining experience in international cooperation, community development, migration and social inequality.
Dr. ir. Marjolein van Esch (PhD TU Delft) is an Associate professor of Environmental Technology and Design at the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment of the Delft University of Technology and academic lead Climate Change Adaptation of the TU Delft Climate Action Program. She specialises in the role of urban design in the urban microclimate on the scale levels of the street and neighbourhood. Focus of her research and teaching are design measures for climate adaptation, the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect and heat stress as well as the influence of the urban climate on the energy use of buildings. The adoption and application of (scientific) knowledge on these topics in practice is of key importance and therefore Marjolein is closely involved in projects with societal partners and providing education for practitioners.
Annemarie Eijkelenboom (PhD TU Delft) is Assistant Professor in the section Environmental and Climate Design at Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands, since 2023. Her research interest is grounded in her professional experience on architectural, user-centred design for (social) housing, healthcare facilities, and in research on health in relation to the built environment (e.g., Sense of Home in Nursing Homes, SIA RAAK, Health and Comfort in Hospitals). She is leading the Cool and Clean Buildings program on adaptability of buildings to climate change. Therefore, she is Principal Investigator for Nature 4 homes (NWO - KIC, will start in 2026), researcher for DAT Climate Adaptation en Mitigation (4TU.Bouw), researcher for the Horizon Mission HARARA project. She strives to develop knowledge and design strategies for sustainable adaptability of buildings to climate change.
Roeland Samson is a bioengineer and professor at the University of Antwerp. He heads the Laboratory for Environmental Ecology and Urban Ecology there. His research focuses on measuring air quality using plants and on urban green ecosystems. In 2015, he received the Annual Prize for Science Communication from the Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Science and the Arts and the Young Academy. He has numerous scientific projects involving citizens to his name (e.g., the AIRbezen project, CurieuzeNeuzen).
Hannah Houshmand (MA Sociology and MA Environmental science, UAntwerp) is part of the HARARA project as a researcher at the University of Antwerp. Her research interests are topics related to migration, climate change, and human-nature relationships. Motivated by a deep commitment to social and environmental justice, she strives to support the transition towards a just and sustainable society.
Cultuurwerkplaats Tarwewijk is a community space in Rotterdam-Zuid where art, learning and making come together. Founded in 2014 by local residents, it has grown into an open space for everyone. It is a place for artists and creative minds, with a shared studio and access to tools that make creative practice possible for anyone. Language and digital skills classes and resident-led initiatives run alongside a neighbourhood café that brings people together. The Cultuurwerkplaats is also a base for community-led research, connecting neighbourhood knowledge and lived experience to broader social and scientific questions.
Angela van der Heijden grew up with a fascination for cities, people and the way places shape lives. Trained as a researcher and holding a PhD from Utrecht University, she has spent twenty years connecting knowledge to practice — at the Copernicus Institute, Erasmus University, Hogeschool Rotterdam and the Netherlands Architecture Institute. In Rotterdam she experiences daily the richness of a diverse city. She believes that local connections are the building blocks for solving complex challenges. Meeting newcomers in Rotterdam opened her eyes to the resilience and richness diversity brings. She brings communities and knowledge together for the HARARA project.
Hanadi Al-Baz contributes to the HARARA project with a strong focus on social and environmental justice. She combines a social and technical science background, allowing her to connect human experiences with practical and systemic solutions. Hanadi believes that the invisible connections between people, communities, and their environment form the foundation of resilient and inclusive cities. Her work focuses on building trust, bringing different perspectives together, and translating complex challenges into meaningful collaboration and lasting impact.
Sulaiman Osman was born and raised in Tartous, a port city on the Mediterranean Sea in Syria. As a child he was captivated by the Japanese series Detective Conan, with its focus on observation and deep analysis — perhaps the beginning of his curiosity about people, stories and politics. This grew into a career as a political journalist. Since 2015 he has lived in the Netherlands, and since 2019 he has worked for the City of Rotterdam as a story catcher. Through his work he strives to contribute to greater understanding, connection and a better world.
We also would like to mention and thank the support of the Resilient Delta Initiative: Resilient Delta - Het Team - Convergence.
What are the expected results?
We might already know a lot about changing temperatures in cities, but what we do not know is how people deal with these temperatures or experience them.
In line with the values of all higher educational institutions of our consortium, scientific impact is entangled with societal impact. For research to benefit the needs of society - particularly groups with a migration history - collaboration between all partners is needed. The expected scientific impacts lie in the interdisciplinary nature of measuring both objective climate impacts in the residencies of people that are often not included in research and policy (i.e., people with a migration background) and how they relate to and impact subjective climate impacts - which is a novel approach that requires a truly interdisciplinary lens.
Diversity in experienced heat and undertaken climate adaptation measures within migrant communities will be studied, made by our large sample size of 75 households per city. Not only household characteristics but also neighbourhoods, city and country characteristics are included in the sample. This will result in more scientific findings based on our own data collection but these findings can also be compared with existing citizen science studies that have a biassed measurement of experienced heat - especially when measuring indoor heat - as they often require voluntary participation and fail to reach migrant households and their descendants. Our approach ensures that we can empirically assess whether migrants and their descendants implement different climate adaptation practices, some of which may be inspired by their living conditions in the region of origin.
Similarly, the inclusion of people with a migration background in the design of climate adaptation practices will take steps to ensure all citizens are considered when realising a just transition and reducing risks related to global warming for all citizens. Finally, our project aims to realise scientific impact not only through its insights into climate impacts and adaptation, but also through the innovative ways in which knowledge can be integrated, which is needed to tackle both the origins and consequences of global warming.
The target groups of the scientific insights generated by HARARA are in the first place scientists, both from social sciences, humanities and from natural sciences. Other target groups include policymakers that are in need of more empirical evidence that connects objectives and subjective measures, and which links these results to socio-demographic information to set up evidence-based policies.
Should we always reinvent the wheel? There is already a lot of expertise on heat across the globe. In light of changing heat patterns, we need to value all expertise and knowledge, and reflect on ways how these knowledges can inspire each other and lead to more innovation and sustainable practices that suit everyone.
The expected societal impacts of HARARA are related to the realising a fair transition towards a more climate resilient Europe. Given the unequal social position many people with a migration background have in society and the effects of societal marginalisation on the location and quality of housing among the target group migrants and their families often face a higher risk of exposure to disruptive climate impacts As such, it is necessary to firstly map out these inequalities in-depth using multiple measurements and outcomes. This is followed by developing evidence-based climate solutions to further reduce inequalities emerging from or strengthened by global warming. Understanding how these inequalities relate to other socio-demographic characteristics (e.g., gender, social class/educational level) and people’s housing conditions (i.e., neighbourhood, housing foundations, etc.) is necessary to developing locally adjusted tools and practices to set up inclusive climate policies.
A failure to incorporate culturally sensitive perspectives, an intersectional approach and the structural housing and working conditions of people into climate action could result in social unrest and protests (e.g. the Yellow Vests) or incorrectly implemented climate policies. The target groups of these societal and environmental impacts are in the first-place citizens, and especially those that take up a vulnerable position in society, such as people with a migration background. Also, policy makers benefit from such inclusive climate action, as it will enable them to realise their climate objectives and reduce social and political unrest.
Weather is what you expect, climate change is what you get. While it is easy to imagine everyday weather patterns, it is a lot harder to connect these patterns to the changing climate. Nonetheless, people do talk about the weather constantly, share insights about the climate within their networks and take it into consideration when imagining the future. You cannot imagine living in Belgium or the Netherlands without engaging in small talk about the weather. We aim to stimulate more talks about the weather and the climate, and will develop awareness tools.
The HARARA project aims to put inclusive climate action on the political and societal agenda by raising awareness in the media, among policy makers and also among young generations in particular. In rapidly changing environments, another target group of this project are educational and training institutions who are often insufficiently equipped to follow the latest updates and findings, requiring newly developed tools to support trainers. Additionally, these institutions are needed to educate young people on inclusive climate action, raise awareness and to support reflection on how to realise inclusive climate action.
News & activities
Blogs
Where climate and personal experiences come together: a day in Antwerp
By Sulaiman Osman (May 2026)
HARARA ambassador introduction day: Report on a special gathering
By Sulaiman Osman (May 2026)
Events
6 November 2025: Delivered a lecture on heat stress and inclusive city building at Connect2Change
Lore Van Praag shared insights on how cities can adapt to rising temperatures while remaining livable and socially inclusive, during the Connect2Change day of Bond Beter Leefmilieu in Brussels.
15 April 2026: Participated in the 4th KIN ACT Consortium Day in Rotterdam
Lore Van Praag and Chetana Pai contributed to a full day of knowledge exchange and collaborative climate‑action discussions with partners across the KIN ACT network.
2 June 2026: The HARARA consortium will contribute to national Heat Action Day
HARARA partners will join national efforts to raise awareness and mobilise communities around extreme heat preparedness.
Press releases
20 May 2025: HARARA project announcement: Migrant expertise in heat adaptation
HARARA project awarded with a Horizon Europe grant.
1 April 2026: Lore Van Praag in Spraakmakers on the safest countries to flee to as Antarctica’s meltwater rises
A conversation on which countries are considered safest when rising sea levels and Antarctic meltwater threaten coastal regions.
Contact
- Email address
- vanpraag@essb.eur.nl
- Social Media