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Shaping Cities for Health: Complexity and the Planning of Urban Environments in the 21st Century

Launched in London, UK, May 30, 2012 Collaboration between The Lancet and University College London, UK, has resulted in the second UCL Lancet Commission report, Shaping Cities for Health.

The report analyses how health outcomes are part of the complexity of urban processes, drawing attention to the part that urban planning can and should play in delivering health improvements through reshaping the urban fabric of our cities. The authors address issues that apply globally and use specific examples from cities as diverse as London, Bogota, Accra, and Toronto

This report argues against the assumption that urban health outcomes will improve with economic growth and demographic change, and instead highlights the need for urban planning for health needs. A linear or cyclical planning approach is insufficient in conditions of complexity. Progress towards effective action on urban health will be best achieved through local experimentation in a range of projects, for example case studies of sanitation and wastewater management (Mumbai), urban mobility (Bogotá), building standards (London), the urban heat island effect (London), and urban agriculture (Havana and Accra). Evaluation and assessment of practices and decision-making processes through dialogue between stakeholders and communities and mutual learning is essential. of Urban Environments in the 21st Century


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