Urban Development and Human Health

Author(s):  
María José Salgado Canseco
Land ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 252 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jackie Parker ◽  
Greg D. Simpson

Demand for resources and changing structures of human settlements arising from population growth are impacting via the twin crises of anthropogenic climate change and declining human health. Informed by documentary research, this article explores how Urban Resilience Theory (URT) and Human-Nature Connection Theory (HNCT) can inform urban development that leverages urban green infrastructure (UGI) to mitigate and meditate these two crises. The findings of this article are that UGI can be the foundation for action to reduce the severity and impact of those crises and progress inclusive and sustainable community planning and urban development. In summary, the URT promotes improvement in policy and planning frameworks, risk reduction techniques, adaptation strategies, disaster recovery mechanisms, environmentally sustainable alternatives to fossil fuel energy, the building of social capital, and integration of ecologically sustainable UGI. Further, the HNCT advocates pro-environmental behaviors to increase the amount and accessibility of quality remnant and restored UGI to realize the human health benefits provided by nature, while simultaneously enhancing the ecological diversity and health of indigenous ecosystems. The synthesis of this article postulates that realizing the combined potential of URT and HNCT is essential to deliver healthy urban settlements that accommodate projected urban population growth towards the end of the 21st-century.


2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-23
Author(s):  
Fredrik Edlund ◽  

The urban development that is now taking place globally has led to the most extensive permanent land use that has caused ecosystems to be destroyed and the depletion of natural resources. Today, about 50% of the world’s population lives in urbanized cities and by 2030 it is estimated to be about 70%. The fact that we gather in larger numbers in cities means that we transport large volumes of resources to these areas, which gives rise to waste and emissions, which places a burden on the neighboring environment to the it’s limits. This leads to problems for both human health and society’s economy, which is because the ecosystems that help us, collapse. To counter this, a better urban planning is required which includes the environment in society as ecosystem services. The problem with ecosystem services is that they do not have a commercial value, which makes it difficult to implement since they do not indicate any economic gain. Therefore, it is necessary to increase knowledge about how they contribute so that they can be correlated to how they contribute to society from three aspects: economic, social, environmental.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 8547-8559
Author(s):  
Hongjing Zhao ◽  
Yu Wang ◽  
Mengyao Mu ◽  
Menghao Guo ◽  
Hongxian Yu ◽  
...  

Antibiotics are used worldwide to treat diseases in humans and other animals; most of them and their secondary metabolites are discharged into the aquatic environment, posing a serious threat to human health.


2011 ◽  
Vol 81 (4) ◽  
pp. 238-239 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manfred Eggersdorfer ◽  
Paul Walter

Nutrition is important for human health in all stages of life - from conception to old age. Today we know much more about the molecular basis of nutrition. Most importantly, we have learnt that micronutrients, among other factors, interact with genes, and new science is increasingly providing more tools to clarify this interrelation between health and nutrition. Sufficient intake of vitamins is essential to achieve maximum health benefit. It is well established that in developing countries, millions of people still suffer from micronutrient deficiencies. However, it is far less recognized that we face micronutrient insufficiencies also in developed countries.


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