Abstract

Throughout history, health concerns have been particularly focused on areas of high population concentration, and hence the interest in public health in cities, in both high- and low-income contexts. The study of the health of urban populations, however, is complex, taking on distinct dimensions at different geographic scales, among vulnerable sub-groups, during particular periods of history and in specific global settings. Global urban health is also shaped by culture, socio-political and economic conditions, built features, networks, national to local institutional capacity, political will, natural disasters, and technological access. This introductory chapter is intended to frame some of the key topics covered in this book, including outlining the different disciplinary and theoretical approaches examined in this collection. In it we examine the critical emerging pressures of an increasingly urban world and then explore the importance of existing health and socioeconomic inequities affecting myriad health concerns from infectious diseases to mental health.