How can you design urban areas for optimal public health?

2 Increase greenery

Another way to improve public health in urban areas is to increase the amount of greenery, such as trees, parks, gardens, and green roofs. Greenery can provide multiple benefits, such as cooling the urban microclimate, filtering the air, reducing noise, enhancing biodiversity, and supporting mental and physical well-being. You can design urban areas to increase greenery by integrating green infrastructure into the urban fabric, creating green corridors and networks, and encouraging community participation and stewardship.

3 Promote active living

Physical activity is essential for preventing and managing chronic diseases, such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. You can design urban areas to promote active living by providing safe, accessible, and attractive spaces and facilities for people to exercise, play, and socialize. You can also create mixed-use and compact neighborhoods that encourage people to walk or cycle to their destinations, and reduce the need for car use.

5 Foster social cohesion

Social cohesion is the degree of trust, cooperation, and solidarity among different groups and individuals in a society. It can influence public health by affecting the social determinants of health, such as income, education, employment, and social support. You can design urban areas to foster social cohesion by creating inclusive and participatory urban governance, promoting diversity and intercultural dialogue, and providing equitable and accessible public services and amenities.

6 Adapt to climate change

Climate change is a global threat that can have severe impacts on public health, such as heat waves, droughts, floods, storms, and infectious diseases. You can design urban areas to adapt to climate change by assessing the risks and vulnerabilities of different populations and sectors, implementing mitigation and adaptation measures, and enhancing the resilience and adaptive capacity of the urban system. You can also engage with stakeholders and citizens to raise awareness and mobilize action.