Announcing Impact on Urban Health

Today, we are excited to be launching Impact on Urban Health.

Throughout the current pandemic three things have become very clear. First, that our health is shaped widely — and unequally — by the places in which we live. Second, that this is not just an abstract problem but an urgent challenge. Third, that health is a collective outcome. Inequalities are everybody’s concern.

But the most important point is that these are not new patterns. They’ve existed all along, all around the world. They shape our economies. And they are especially evident in cities, where the gap between the best and worst health outcomes is widest.

We aim to do something about that. We want to reshape urban areas so that they are healthier places for everyone to live.

The core idea behind Impact on Urban Health is health equity. Equity is always a collective effort. So expect to see more from us on what we are learning from partners in similar places as well as our own; more insights from across our urban health programmes; and wider advocacy from us and others on how to unlock the potential for cities to be healthier.