The significance of urban systems on sustainability and public health

Highlights Urban areas are highly complex systems, with interconnections between their political, economic, social, natural and built environments components, and each with its own unique priorities and contexts. They are also facing key global and local sustainability challenges such as a changing...

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Main Authors: Jonathon Taylor, Philippa Howden-Chapman
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Ubiquity Press 2021-10-01
Series:Buildings & Cities
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journal-buildingscities.org/articles/181
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author Jonathon Taylor
Philippa Howden-Chapman
author_facet Jonathon Taylor
Philippa Howden-Chapman
author_sort Jonathon Taylor
collection DOAJ
description Highlights Urban areas are highly complex systems, with interconnections between their political, economic, social, natural and built environments components, and each with its own unique priorities and contexts. They are also facing key global and local sustainability challenges such as a changing climate, air pollution and waste, all of which also present risks for population health. Improving urban sustainability can provide co-benefits for population health; however, the effectiveness—or unintended consequences—of policies or actions can depend on the behaviours and relationships in the wider urban system. The papers published in this special issue explore issues related to urban sustainability and health, including urban design and environmental justice, scale, and informal settlements. The papers also describe issues at the interface of different system components, demonstrating the systemic challenges that can act to enhance or prevent sustainable change. The complexity of urban environments presents challenges for research and policy, both of which can be reductive, and conducted independent from other disciplines or government departments. However, by moving from this siloed approach towards a broader systemic understanding, there are opportunities to develop and implement evidence-based solutions that have the potential to lead to significant improvements in sustainability and health.
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spelling doaj.art-e2d32b21e41947afabc15a9fb560fd802023-09-02T16:57:37ZengUbiquity PressBuildings & Cities2632-66552021-10-012110.5334/bc.18196The significance of urban systems on sustainability and public healthJonathon Taylor0Philippa Howden-Chapman1UCL Institute for Environmental Design and Engineering, The Bartlett School of Environment Energy and Resources, University College London, London, UK; Department of Civil Engineering, Tampere University, TampereDepartment of Public Health, University of Otago, Wellington; New Zealand Centre for Sustainable Cities, University of Otago, Wellington; He Kāinga Oranga—Housing and Health Research Group, University of Otago, WellingtonHighlights Urban areas are highly complex systems, with interconnections between their political, economic, social, natural and built environments components, and each with its own unique priorities and contexts. They are also facing key global and local sustainability challenges such as a changing climate, air pollution and waste, all of which also present risks for population health. Improving urban sustainability can provide co-benefits for population health; however, the effectiveness—or unintended consequences—of policies or actions can depend on the behaviours and relationships in the wider urban system. The papers published in this special issue explore issues related to urban sustainability and health, including urban design and environmental justice, scale, and informal settlements. The papers also describe issues at the interface of different system components, demonstrating the systemic challenges that can act to enhance or prevent sustainable change. The complexity of urban environments presents challenges for research and policy, both of which can be reductive, and conducted independent from other disciplines or government departments. However, by moving from this siloed approach towards a broader systemic understanding, there are opportunities to develop and implement evidence-based solutions that have the potential to lead to significant improvements in sustainability and health.https://journal-buildingscities.org/articles/181built environmentcitieshealthpolicysustainabilitysystems thinkingurban design
spellingShingle Jonathon Taylor
Philippa Howden-Chapman
The significance of urban systems on sustainability and public health
Buildings & Cities
built environment
cities
health
policy
sustainability
systems thinking
urban design
title The significance of urban systems on sustainability and public health
title_full The significance of urban systems on sustainability and public health
title_fullStr The significance of urban systems on sustainability and public health
title_full_unstemmed The significance of urban systems on sustainability and public health
title_short The significance of urban systems on sustainability and public health
title_sort significance of urban systems on sustainability and public health
topic built environment
cities
health
policy
sustainability
systems thinking
urban design
url https://journal-buildingscities.org/articles/181
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