Our Cities, Our Future: Policies and Action Plans for Health and Sustainable Development

AS A CONTRIBUTION by the World Health Organization (WHO) to Habitat II, this book is a collection of 28 papers drawn from the International Healthy and Ecological Cities Congress – Our City, Our Future held in Madrid in March 1995. Examples of innovative policy making in health and sustainable development are presented by cities participating in the WHO Healthy Cities movement and OECD Ecological Cities project, with perspectives on and discussions of international action and issues by the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development, WHO, OECD, the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions and other institutions.

Part I of the book presents general perspectives by keynote speakers at the Madrid congress. Papers address issues such as the environmental and health challenges faced by urban managers and city residents, the agenda for sustainable urban development arising from the UNCED conference in Rio and the importance of regional and global city networks such as those initiated by WHO and OECD. Policy initiatives are presented in the areas of urban regeneration, transport and energy, and another paper focuses on the environmental agenda, urban trends and sustainability problems and solutions in Europe. Finally, a perspective on challenges for the coming century is presented, with argument in favour of holistic approaches.

Part II is a collection of papers from cities around the world, giving examples of integrated and innovative approaches to improving health and the environment. Case studies include two from Glasgow (Scotland), relating the development of the City Health Plan and emphasizing the link between housing and health. A case study from Schwabach in Germany shows how a small city can be planned and developed according to the principles of sustainable development; and one from Cracow in Poland, the Green Action Plan to address land use and environmental and health protection, is presented. Other case studies include housing refurbishment in Sheffield in the UK and the Tokyo Healthy City programme. A presentation of the Copenhagen Healthy City Plan is followed by UNICEF’s Urban Child Project in Milan. There are examples of urban regeneration in Barcelona and institutional reform for municipal health service delivery in Madrid. A study of Hungary’s health and environmental primary education project is followed by the example of a soil pollution problem in Rotterdam. The results of a survey on the perceptions of Belgian and French children on health and the environment forms another case study and the last presentation is of the Global Project of Cienfuegos in Cuba.

The final part of the book presents papers on international action and issues. The inter-regional programme framework of WHO and its links with other organizations is discussed, as is the Healthy Municipalities movement in Latin America. One paper deals with the issue of environmental auditing by local authorities and another presents strategies to reclaim public spaces by changes in transport policy. The technical and social issues surrounding health care waste management and implications for policy makers form another topic for discussion. The book ends with papers on sustainable indicators for urban policy and on WHO's role in the Healthy Cities movement. The summary report of the Madrid congress is included in the annexes.