A new sourcebook guides health and planning practitioners on putting health at the heart of urban and territorial planning. It has been launched by the World Health Organisation WHO and the UN-HABITAT division of the United Nations for a better urban future.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to highlight the importance of safe distancing in cities, the sourcebook provides a wealth of useful information on ensuring human health is a key consideration for city planning.
The sourcebook „Integrating Health in Urban and Territorial Planning“ is designed to guide decision makers from the public health, urban and territorial planning sectors including planners, city managers, health professionals and others towards developing cities planned and built with a focus on human and environmental health.
Many cities face health threats linked to urban and territorial planning. Infectious diseases thrive in overcrowded cities, or where there is inadequate access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene facilities; living in unhealthy environments killed 12.6 million people in 2012 and air pollution killed 7 million people in 2016. However only one in ten cities worldwide meet standards for healthy air.
