Defining pathways to healthy sustainable urban development

Area of Science:

• Urban Science
• Public Health
• Environmental Health

Background:

• Sustainable urban development goals have significant, yet underexplored, links to human health and wellbeing.
• Recent discussions in urban science and sustainability have not sufficiently addressed the intricate relationship between urban environments and health outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To comprehensively elaborate on the multiple interlinkages between urban sustainability and human health.
• To map existing research gaps at the intersection of health and urban sustainability sciences.
• To define urbanization, review health-urbanization evidence, and propose new research approaches for complex urban systems.

Main Methods:

• A novel, comprehensive knowledge synthesis approach.
• Review of concepts related to urbanization and urban development.
• Examination of evidence linking human health with urbanization, urbanicity, and cities.

Main Results:

• Detailed elaboration of the multiple links between urban sustainability and human health.
• Identification of cross-cutting issues and research gaps in health and urban sustainability.
• Specific actions proposed for promoting health through sustainable urban development, including integrated planning and evidence-informed policy-making.

Conclusions:

• Effective governance and equity-driven planning are crucial for achieving sustainable, healthy, and just urban development.
• Integrated planning, evidence-informed policy-making, and policy monitoring are key actions to promote health.
• This synthesis provides valuable insights for researchers and practitioners across multiple disciplines, particularly in health sciences and urban planning.