Lecture 15: Cities as the dominant human habitat

Question 1

why are cities important?

Answer 1

• dominant space where humans live
• more than half the global population live in cities
• health and wellbeing isnt the focus of cities until recently

Question 2

what is urbanisation?

Answer 2

the process where people increasingly move from rurual areas to live in cities

• job opportunities
• better facilities
• infrastructure development
• agricultural changes

Question 3

which SDGs link with cities?

Answer 3

SDG 11- sustainable cities and communities
SDG 3- good health and wellbeing
SDG17 - partnership for the goals

things like air quality, cultural and natural heritage, waste management, green spaces, transport systems

Question 4

can cities be good for health-equity-sustainability?

Answer 4

yes if we design them the right way
more people, more resources, more planning, better infrastructure

the way we approach city planning determines how cities impact or health

Question 5

are urban spaces currently health promoting?

Answer 5

some yes, some no

a health promoting urban space would have supermarkets, fruit and veg, physical activity, green and blue spaces

but some places in NZ have high fast food, dairys, alcohol, gambling

Question 6

how can cities interact to create good health?

Answer 6

the very way cities are designed and shaped have significant health impacts (positive and negative)

Cities must have the health promoting building blocks of health and illness:
- employment
- education
- housing
- physical activity
- nutrition
- injury prevention
- social connection
- recreation and natural environment
- access to healthcare
- contacts and crowding etc

and they must have health protection from
- air pollution
- water pollution
- toxic substances
- heat
- noise
- greenhouse gas

Question 7

what are some challenges cities may start facing?

Answer 7

• urban slums are home for more than 1 billion people
• air quality is ppor
• access to public transport
• waste
• accessible open public spaces
• disaster and climate risk management
• unexpected climate challenges

Question 8

what would make a healthy and sustainable city?

Answer 8

• place health as a central focus of all policies on cities
• focus on equity and health co-benefits
• actions consistent with goals of paris agreement and SDGs

Question 9

how could cities be reimagined?

Answer 9

strengthen the preparedness and resilience of cities
- high quality infrastructure
- universal access to basic services
- adequate and affordable housing
- improve air quality
- accessible, inclusive and safe public transport systems
- controlled waste management
- equitable distribution of open public spaces

• requires a multisectoral response to improving population health

Question 10

what are the 7 principles of city design?

Answer 10

• preserve
• mix
• walk
• bike
• connect
• transit
• focus