31 March 2016: In cities, progress on health will depend both on the strength of health systems and also on shaping healthy urban environments, according to a report by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT). The report underscores the urgency of addressing health disparities and their determinants in cities, for countries to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The report, titled ‘Global Report on Urban Health: Equitable, healthier cities for sustainable development,’ was led by the WHO Centre for Health Development in Kobe, Japan. It stresses that the way cities are planned “can profoundly affect the ability of their residents to live long, healthy and productive lives.”

It provides examples of how cities can reduce urban sprawl, increase road safety, ensure access to water and sanitation, and make cities safe for people of all ages and the disabled. The report also proposes interventions to reduce the urban burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), such as by passing smoke-free city ordinances, promoting alternative transport options, altering the built environment to promote physical activity and reduce air pollution, and developing new approaches to urban food that reduce malnutrition and obesity.

These aims are reflected in the SDGs, specifically in SDG 3 (Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages) and SDG 11 (Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable). Targets under SDG 3 aim to “reduce by one third premature mortality from non-communicable diseases” by 2030; “halve the number of global deaths and injuries from road traffic accidents” by 2020; and “achieve universal health coverage (UHC).”

Marie-Paule Kieny, WHO, remarked on the urgency to identify and reduce health inequities, “particularly for the most vulnerable populations, such as the nearly 1 billion people living in urban slums or informal settlements today.” She also highlighted the practical tools provided by the report for use by countries and cities, such as the Urban UHC Dashboard, which analyzes nine indicators for 94 countries. It shows that vast inequalities in health service coverage persist.

Such health inequalities undermine progress, the report emphasizes. For instance, children in the poorest one-fifth of urban households are twice as likely to die before their fifth birthday, compared with children in the richest percentile, in 79 low and middle-income countries. An additional one billion city-dwellers are expected by 2030, 90% of which will be in low and middle-income countries. The report also finds that health coverage for the poor lags behind with at least 400 million women, men and children around the world excluded from access to affordable health care.

“A healthy population is essential for creating economically competitive and inclusive cities,” said UN-Habitat Executive Director Joan Clos. He also highlighted the report as a contribution to the Third UN Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development (Habitat III), and to “the realization of the New Urban Agenda.” [WHO Press Release] [UN Press Release] [UN-HABITAT Press Release] [Publication: Global Report on Urban Health: Equitable, Healthier Cities for Sustainable Development]