Developing an urban health research agenda
In view of increasing urbanization, demographic and climate change, natural disasters and pandemics, cities face a growing challenge to provide healthy, equitable and sustainable living and working conditions for their residents. WHO is working to shape a comprehensive urban health research strategy to help cities build better evidence around what works to address risks to health and the factors that protect and promote it.
There is increasing research on urban health, from descriptive analyses to effective interventions. These relate to the health impact of the built environment and urban planning; settings, like public spaces and informal settlements; populations in conditions of vulnerability (including engagement in planning and decision-making) like the urban poor, migrants, informal sector workers, people with disabilities, children, adolescents and older people; innovations in the private sector and at the community level; and multisectoral interventions implemented at a large scale, including housing, transport and energy. WHO’s urban health research agenda aims to further provide insights into factors determining the urban–rural gradient affecting health.
WHO aims to:
- identify existing gaps in urban health research;
- assess the alignment between existing research and successful strategies;
- develop rigorous, harmonized research priorities with applications to improve health in cities; and
- provide evidence for the development of context-specific, multisectoral interventions promoting urban health.
