Hosted by the GPH Department of Global & Environmental Health
Today, over half of the world’s population lives in cities. Meanwhile, there is a demographic shift across the globe in longer lifespans and efforts to promote health aging. There are countless ways in which urban populations face unique public health challenges, such as increased exposure to air, water, and soil pollution, extreme weather events compromising critical infrastructure and transit systems, and overcrowding which exacerbates the spread of infectious disease. Such exposures have a disproportionate health impact on an aging population, particularly in low and middle income countries. Using examples from cities across the globe, Dr. Jo Ivey Boufford will discuss how cities can create conditions for promoting good health and how they are critical drivers in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.