global urban health​

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Urban health in general:

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The World Health Organization (WHO) defines health as “a state of complete physical, mental, and social well being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”

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According to the WHO, peoples’ daily living in urban cities is challenged by overloaded water and sanitation systems, polluting traffic and factories, lack of space to walk or cycle, inadequate waste disposal, crime and injury. Generally, urban cities offer limited exercise opportunities, higher prevalence of damaging tobacco and alcohol use, and unhealthy diets all potentially leading to cancer. The urban lifestyle isolates the elderly population and further poses higher risk of obesity and mental illnesses. Fitzpatrick et al. (2003) noted the insufficiency in medical approaches to ensure health for populations and explained that the healthcare challenge consists of health, social, and environmental problems, where poor nutrition, poverty, and unemployment with deteriorating housing, violence, and loss of services all have created a deepening health crisis in the inner city.

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In cities, increasing socioeconomic discrepancies affect the distribution of income and educational opportunities. As such, the urban poor people reluctantly become segregated in the most polluted, isolating areas, which are predisposed to diseases, violence, an increased risk of chronic health problems, and communicable diseases including tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS. Kaplan (1999) noted that to solve inequality in health, we need to use what we know, help the most vulnerable, invest in children, build communities, and decrease income inequality; as such, compound disinterest, or the cumulative and accelerating societal deficit in health, well-being, and productivity based on underinvestment in children, may be prevented.

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In order to meet demands and provide a proper space for inhabitation, an effective urban planning is required to promote healthy and safe behavior through encouraging proactive community participation.

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The global urban health problem: 

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Human population growth is concentrated only in certain countries of the world and is especially greatest in the urban areas (U.N., 2008). According to the United Nations (U.N.), 9 countries account for half of the projected 2010-2050 increase listed in order of their contribution: India, Pakistan, Nigeria, Ethiopia, USA, Congo, Tanzania, China, and Bangladesh.

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The urban population has increased from 220 million to 2.8 billion in 20th century. Thus, more than half of the world lives in cities as dated in 2008 (3.3 billion). It is currently projected that by 2030, 5 billion people will live in urban areas and those people from developing countries will represent 81% of the world population. According to the Urban Health Resource Centre (UHRC), the majority of urban residents in developing countries live in informal settlements where they lack proper housing, sanitation, garbage disposal, security, schooling and health services.

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Having a large enough population for a long enough time will foreclose options for the future such as: other species will be extinct, Earth will be very hot for 100s of years regardless of technological change, and irreversible changes in many ecological systems will be made (Abrams, 2011). Evidence suggests that, for now, birth rates will be low if the global population is educated, relatively affluent, urban, and maybe if women have control over reproductive decisions (Abrams, 2011).

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For instance, since 2009, 80 million pregnancies per year (38% of all pregnancies) were unintended (Speidel, J. et al., 2009). Today, $15 billion per year could provide complete access to modern contraception for all women in the world, but still 201 million women lack access (137 million use no method). Bongaarts (2009) projected an increase in population growth in 2050 due to: population momentum (49%), unwanted pregnancies (33%), and a high desired population size (18%). Further, a 2001 survey of 51 developing countries found ½ of all pregnancies and 1/3 of all births were ill‐timed or unwanted. The current estimation for the number of women aged 15‐49 in less‐developed regions went from 1.38 billion in 2005 to 1.75 billion in 2030 (Abrams, 2011).

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The current human population growth has produced a doubling within the lifespan of
people under 40; doubling during any period shorter than the average lifespan has never
happened before; has tripled for many alive today (Abrams, 2011). Growth at the current rate will take the population above the median of estimated human carrying capacities within your lifetime. Thus, the true scale of human impacts on the biosphere is unprecedented. Vitousek et al. (1986) estimated that humans use directly or indirectly, approximately 40% of all terrestrial net primary productivity-subsequent 25 years has not decreased this. Global agriculture currently uses 60% of all runoff water and is projected to exceed total supply in 2040 (Sachs, 2008). Of the atmospheric nitrogen fixed in 2007, 55% was produced by the Haber–Bosch chemical process, using fossil fuels, rather than from the natural biogeochemical processes (Abrams, 2011).

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According to Cohen (1997), much of what should be done to slow current growth includes: promoting contraceptives, developing economies, saving children, empowering women, and educating all. Further suggestions, such as more research and education on sustainability; serious thinking about how to change the political and economic systems to avoid multiple theories of constraints, and better represent the interests of future generations have also been made (Abrams, 2011). Otherwise, if humans could generate new resources at a sufficiently faster rate as the population keeps growing, then growth could continue.

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