Urban health

Where we grow up, live, and work impacts how healthy we are. Living in urban areas, like inner-city London, carries distinct health challenges, many of which start early in life and are influenced by the wider determinants of health and wellbeing.

Through our work, we seek to understand the deep causes of these health issues and explore different ways of addressing them. We combine the best sources of data, robust evidence, lived experience and practical interventions.

We believe that by removing the obstacles to good health, we can make urban areas healthier places for everyone to live.

Defining urban health

The health challenges in urban areas are distinct from those elsewhere. In cities, the best health outcomes exist alongside the worst. Comparing two adjoining neighbourhoods of Clapham in South London, for example, men in one area live in good health for an average of 12 years longer than those a few streets away. For women, the gap is 7 years.

The reasons for this are complex and sit at the intersection of urban diversity, the built environment and income inequalities. We spend our time exploring these intersections.

For example, if you are from a minority ethnic background you are more likely to live in an inner-city area. If you live in an inner-city area, regardless of ethnicity, you are also more likely to:

• have low paid employment or be unemployed
• be exposed to high levels of air pollution
• live with multiple long-term health conditions from an earlier age
• have access to fewer affordable, healthy food options in your local food retailers, restaurants and take-aways

These intersections also lead to challenges for health equity. Not everyone in cities experiences health risks and assets equally, and often much of the burden falls on the most vulnerable groups.

Urban health is not just one sector’s responsibility. It goes much wider than the healthcare system and public health authorities. It includes urban planners, civic institutions, investors, employers and residents.

For a city to be healthy, it also needs to centre the voices of all urban communities. However, many existing processes – from public engagement to policy-making and planning – disproportionately exclude organisations that are led by people from minority or lower-income backgrounds.