Expert says health overlooked in urban planning

Health is not taken sufficiently into account in urban planning.

Report informs that Jose Zuniga, president and CEO of Fast Track Health, IAPAC and the Fast-Track Cities Institute, said this at an event titled "Azerbaijan: The Pulse of Healthy Homes," held as part of the 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) in Baku.

According to him, the work being done on housing accounts for only a small percentage of the areas to which cities devote their energy:

"Of course, through our partnership with the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), the World Health Organization and housing organizations in leading countries, we are trying to correct this. Because most countries have a significant number of rapidly developing cities which, if they prioritize a specific agenda, can influence epidemics and the social determinants of health at the national level. In this regard, there is still much work to be done.

"But this begins in the context of urban planning and urban development. And let me say that over the past day and a half, while walking through the Urban Expo, I was shocked. I approached several stands and basically said: 'I represent the health sector here.'

"And without exception, at most stands, I was told: 'We do not deal with health here. We will refer you to the Ministry of Health.' We need to change this dynamic. Nothing can be achieved in improving the lives of people living in cities and informal settlements without addressing health more broadly. Therefore, in this regard, I think there is still much more work to be done. And we must start this work."