ABSTRACT

The twenty-first century is the century of the city, as the world’s population now lives predominantly in urban areas. Where you live and how that place is governed can determine when and if you get sick, receive medical treatment and die prematurely. City living can be beneficial for human health, since urban areas generally offer greater economic and educational opportunities, medical services, political and gender rights, affordable housing and cultural, political and religious expression. This holds true in both rich and poor cities of the global North and South. Yet, not everyone in cities can take advantage of these socially produced resources and the poor and socially marginalised often experience health inequities, or differences in access to health promoting resources that are unnecessary, avoidable and unfair.