Cities can Play a Key Role in Improving their Citizens' Health and Well-Being

Cities generate problems but are also best placed to address and solve them. This was the main theme of the fourth edition of the City Health Conference that took place on November 5-6 at CosmoCaixa in Barcelona. The congress, organized with the support of ISGlobal and its allied centre CREAL, was inaugurated by the Health Counselor Boi Ruiz, who presented the first results of the "Plan Interdepartamental de Salud Pública" (PINSAP), launched one year ago.  

After the opening of the event, Dr. Antoni Plasència, director at ISGlobal, gave the first plenary talk on global urban health. He pointed out the fact that currently more than half (54%) of the world's population lives in cities, as compared to 34% in 1960, and that urban growth has outpaced the capacity of governments to build basic infrastructure. "Health inequities are even stronger within the cities, where 1 out of 3 residents live in slums" he explains, and adds: "the public health systems do not have the instruments to address the health needs or the social determinants of these populations and that are largely defined by their environment". 

The event was attended by international leaders in the field, representatives of WHO and the World Bank and more than 200 professionals in public health and other related fields. During two days they debated how cities can develop and implement initiatives to address global problems related to health and well-being in the context of the ongoing financial crisis. They also discussed practical examples of initiatives and projects that have been applied to tackle the needs of different citizen populations and groups.