How urban policies can make city living healthier and safer 09
April 2010 -- With the majority of the world's population living
in cities and towns, this podcast marking World Health Day
addresses ways to build healthy and safe urban environments.
Transcript of the podcast Tom Shakespeare: You're listening to
the WHO podcast and my name is Tom Shakespeare. In this episode,
we mark World Health Day 2010 by looking at how urban policies
can contribute to making city living healthier and safer. This
year the theme for World Health Day is "Urban Health Matters".
Since 2007, for the first time in human history, the majority of
the world's population lives in cities and towns. This trend is
here to stay. By 2050, seven out of 10 of us will be living in
cities. Although urban environments offer economic, educational
and cultural, opportunities, they also present risks for health.
Dr Ala Alwan, WHO Assistant Director-General for Noncommunicable
Diseases and Mental Health, explains some of the problems facing
municipa