Urban Health

This book is a collection of policy briefs produced from research presented at the 16th Conference on Urban Health in Xiamen, China, November 4–8, 2019, under the theme “People Oriented Urbanisation: Transforming Cities for Health and Well-Being”, co-organized by the Urban Health and Wellbeing (UHWB) programme of the International Science Council (ISC). The UHWB programme takes an interdisciplinary, cross-sectoral and systemic view on issues of health and wellbeing in cities which include the urban economy and finance systems, education, employment, mobility and transport, food, energy and water resources, access to public services, urban planning, public spaces and urban green, as well as social inclusion. Contributions to this book have been made by scientists from multidisciplinary research fields. The policy briefs in this book present the background and context of an urban health issue, research findings and recommendations for policy/decision-makers and action-takers. In some cases, they inform about relevant events and developments from the science community or important opinion pieces which address health emergencies, like the current COVID-19 pandemic. The book is intended for citizens and political decision-makers, who are interested in systems perspectives on urban health and wellbeing, examples of how to deal with the increasing complexity of cities and the accompanying environmental and social impacts of increasing urbanization. Furthermore, it hopes to inspire decision-makers to facilitate finding solutions, in order to reach the goal of advancing global urban health and wellbeing.

Through interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary perspectives, and with an emphasis on exploring patterns as well as distinct and unique conditions across the globe, this collection examines advanced and cutting-edge theoretical and methodological approaches to the study of the health of urban populations. Despite the growing interest in global urban health, there are limited resources available that provide an extensive and advanced exploration into the health of urban populations in a transnational context. This volume offers a high-quality and comprehensive examination of global urban health issues by leading urban health scholars from around the world. The book brings together a multi-disciplinary perspective on urban health, with chapter contributions emphasizing disciplines in the social sciences, construction sciences and medical sciences. The co-editors of the collection come from a number of different disciplinary backgrounds that have been at the forefront of urban health research, including public health, epidemiology, geography, city planning and urban design. The book is intended to be a reference in global urban health for research libraries and faculty collections. It will also be appropriate as a text for university class adoption in upper-division under-graduate courses and above. The proposed volume is extensive and offers enough breadth and depth to enable it to be used for courses emphasizing a U.S., or wider Western perspective, as well as courses on urban health emphasizing a global context.

This book qualitatively and quantitatively examines the relationships between the constructed environment, health and social vulnerability. It demonstrates that spatial disintegration is often intertwined with health and social inequalities, and therefore a multidisciplinary approach to urban health is essential in order to analyze the impact that psycho-social-environmental factors can have on objective, and perceived health and to investigate the inequalities in healthcare and medical assistance processes. Empirical relationships have been observed between urban environment, social vulnerability and health in different contexts, however there is still a lack of standardized tools that allow us to gain a clear understanding of how health inequalities and daily life are generated. In order to address this issue, a national network of active research groups has been created to draft and develop a prototypical analysis infrastructure to facilitate empirical studies aimed at shedding light on the complex relationships between health disparities, socio-environmental and economic distress, as well as personal and collective health. Given the interest in achieving meaningful, fair and lasting solutions to health inequalities, and the current lack of an analytical system, there is the need for new multidisciplinary approaches oriented toward the quality of life within a eco-social model of health. Providing an overview of the methodological approaches discussed, this book will appeal to researchers. At the same time it allows those working in local and government social care, healthcare and administrative institutions to gain insights into best practices in urban contexts.

The editors are two of the most prominent researchers in this area. Both are at the Center for Urban Epidemiologic Studies. David Vlahov is particularly visible and known as the editor of the Journal of Urban Health. Sandro Galea is very prominent for his research on urban health; in particularly, research done on PTSD and children post-9/11. Thorough analysis of different populations in urban settings and specific health considerations Useful section on methods for the research audience. Applied in nature with section on prevention and interventions There are over 100 urban health centers in North America and there are no thorough, up-to-date ressources.

Today, we know cities as shared spaces with the potential to both threaten and promote human health: while urban areas are known to amplify the transmission of epidemics like Ebola, urban residency is also associated with longer, healthier lives. Modern cities encompass a wide ecology of infrastructures, institutions and services that impact health, from access to improved sanitation and early childhood education to the design of buildings and transportation systems. So how has this centuries-long transformation in human settlement affected the mindset surrounding public health research and practice? Urban Public Health is an interdisciplinary collaboration from experts across the globe that approaches the issue of urban health research from a uniquely public health orientation. The carefully crafted and thoughtful chapters in this volume grapple with the complexity of the urban setting as a physical and social space while also providing an abundance of global and local examples of current urban health practices. Urban Public Health is divided into four pragmatic sections which cover core conceptual models of public health and their inequities, methods of urban health research assessment, methods of urban health research analysis and explanation, and ultimately, opportunities for urban health research to inform action through partnership and collaboration, including those which elevate community voices and capacities. An accessible guide for both students and researchers alike, Urban Public Health shines a light on how to understand, measure and change the urban setting so that cities grow, people thrive, and no one is left behind.

'Urban Sprawl and Public Health' offers a survey of the impact that the built environment can have on the health of the people who inhabit our cities. The authors go on to suggest ways in which the design of cities could be improved & have a positive impact on the well-being of their citizens.

The impact of urbanization on the health of citizens in developing countries has received increasing attention recently. This book addresses the problems in an integrated way, looking in detail at both the problems themselves and the action and research necessary to alleviate them. It includes contributions from leading practitioners and advisors to many of the main international agencies and presents the latest thinking of those institutions. It also presents recent information on research findings, the management and financing of urban health services and trends in urban health policy. Case studies examine major initiatives in cities as diverse as Santiago, Dar es Salaam, Dhaka, Kampala and Bombay.

Living in an urban environment can have a major influence—both positive and negative—on one's physical health and mental well-being. This book examines more than 20 key issues related to city living and what's being done to address them. According to recent statistics, 80.7 percent of Americans live in urban areas, and more than half of the world's population lives in cities. From various types of pollution to crime to overcrowding, the urban environment can have massive impacts on our physical, psychological, and social health and well-being. Moreover, while certain aspects of living in a city, such as access to health care, can improve the lives of many, other factors can have detrimental effects and can lead to inequalities along racial and socioeconomic lines. Urban Health Issues: Exploring the Impacts of Big-City Living examines 23 key issues related to urban health, exploring their causes and consequences in depth and highlighting what cities and individuals can do to safeguard the well-being of urban residents. It also draws comparisons between cities in the United States and the industrialized world and those in poor and developing nations, providing important global insights. The material is brought to life by fascinating city case studies and illuminating interviews with experts working in a variety of fields.