Creating Healthy Communities through Built Environment

Abstract

Building healthy urban communities is one of the most important challenges countries face today. With rapid urbanization of human settlements, the urban centres are deteriorating with an increase in related urban health issues particularly in the low-and middle-income countries of the global south. It is expected that by 2050, nearly three-quarters of the world’s population will reside in an urban environment. While it is recognized that factors influencing urban health include population characteristics, natural and built environments, and social and economic development, it is also imperative to acknowledge that urban life has both advantages and disadvantages. With urbanization and population growth, city life has become a reality for most of the global population, in addition to the increased health risks that accompany urban spaces and settings specially in Indian cities. We examine how the urban environment, society, and related institutions have an impact on urban health in the setting of India. Understanding that health is influenced by both social and environmental elements as well as being a factor in its own right in a complicated and interconnected urban system increases its importance as a subject for research. Thus, the thesis aims to improve the physical, mental, social, and environmental well-being of urban dwellers. Studying the attributes that contribute to creating a conducive healthy environment and how they can be demonstrated would be the focus of the study. The thesis explores how urban design can improve health for all and reduce health inequalities.