How to become
a healthier city
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Public health proved its importance during the pandemic, especially in urban environments. Now cities are well positioned to dramatically reduce noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and injuries – the pressing, often preventable, public health challenges that cause 8 out of 10 deaths worldwide. We feature urban centers in different corners of the globe taking on these killers and exchanging strategies through the Partnership for Healthy Cities network.
What is an NCD?
Why NCDs and injuries?
Why cities?
Life-saving changes jumping from ideas to action
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Safer roads
3.5M
city population
~3000
Dominican Republic traffic fatalities in 2021
5%
increase in average speed that causes a 20% increase in fatal crashes
The city is improving road safety by adding pedestrian protections of many kinds – and by passing a new law bringing speed limits in alignment with global standards
Photography: Courtesy City of Santo Domingo and Tirso González (traffic cones)
Santo Domingo is a vibrant, modern metropolis where life moves quickly. Unfortunately, so do its drivers, helping to feed a grim statistic: the Dominican Republic has among the highest traffic fatality rates in the region – with almost 3,000 road deaths in 2021 alone.
Santo Domingo’s mayor, Carolina Mejía, knows it’s not easy telling drivers what to do – whether it’s where to park or to please slow down – but when she assumed office in 2020, she was committed to bringing down the number of people killed and injured by traffic crashes on her city’s streets.
To tackle that, Mejía’s government began developing a road safety ordinance in 2021 that the City Council passed into law earlier this year. In addition to street-level changes designed to protect pedestrians and slow traffic, speed limits for all motorized vehicles will align with global standards by dropping from 60 km/hour to 50 km/hour. The top speed allowed on the Malecón, or waterfront, will be 30 km/hour.
The strategy was deliberately gradual; adapting what worked in other cities to the local situation was just the beginning. Next, City Council members had to be convinced of the value of reducing speeds to save lives. Soon, a TV and radio campaign will carefully explain the changes to the general public.
What role do mayors play in making streets safer? Hear from Mayor Carolina Mejía
The network effect
Governments sharing public health strategies fare better because they gain access not just to global best practices for addressing NCDs and injuries, but to the real-world problem-solving experiences of their peers.
Challenge: Air quality
Challenge: Overdose
Quezon City, The Philippines
Nutritious restaurant meals
3.2M
city population
70%
percentage of total deaths in the Philippines due to NCDs
8M
NCD deaths linked to unhealthy diet globally each year
Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte and Partnership for Healthy Cities Director Ariella Rojhani at the Partnership’s Inaugural Summit, held in London in March 2023
Photography: Courtesy of Quezon City Public Affairs and Information Services Department & Getty Images
Quezon City locals like to dine out, and fast food is a favorite for many. The city’s obesity rate is among the highest in the country, a growing concern for public health officials: Obesity is a risk factor for a wide range of NCDs.
This has led the city government to prepare an ordinance that will soon require all restaurant chains and other food establishments to include nutritional information, including calories, on their menus.
The plan is the latest in a string of citywide efforts aimed at helping to prevent NCDs through stronger food policies. The strategy has also included a ban on selling or advertising sugary drinks in schools, as well as tighter requirements on food procurement by the city government.
Why is Quezon City prioritizing healthy foods? Hear from Mayor Joy Belmonte to find out more
Why do policies matter?
How do we know these strategies work?
Cape Town, South Africa
Healthier public spaces
4.4M
city population
51%
percentage of deaths in South Africa attributed to NCDs
16M
preventable deaths from tobacco use and unhealthy diet every year worldwide
Cape Town is tightening rules against smoking and selling tobacco products in city government buildings, including City Hall, pictured here
Photography: Courtesy City of Cape Town & Getty Images
The City of Cape Town’s approach to reducing NCDs has been to look in its own backyard: What if the public buildings and common spaces of the city’s own government could serve as a smoke-free, healthy-food-only model for residents to enjoy?
The city touted the significant number of people who could benefit from these changes, whether in line for a driver’s license or seated behind a desk. First, sugary drinks were prohibited from being sold in shops operating in city-owned buildings or included in government procurements; next, smoke-free regulations were extended to public buildings and events. It has only taken a few years to implement these ideas, primarily by amending
local workplace policies.
Both policies were supported by extensive public communication. A dramatic billboard campaign in 2018 (see photo) drove home the health risks of drinking too many sugary drinks by featuring residents affected by NCDs.
Why is it important for urban centers to drive this work forward? Hear from Patricia Van Der Ross, Mayoral Committee Member for the Community Services and Health Directorate at the City of Cape Town
Five more cities leading the way
In March 2023, Athens, Greece; Bengaluru, India; Mexico City, Mexico; Montevideo, Uruguay; and Vancouver, Canada were recognized for remarkable public health achievements.
Over 300 million people are represented by the combined population of the 70 cities in the Partnership for Healthy Cities network. While each context is unique, the goal remains the same: the health and safety of everyone.
“Michael Bloomberg needs to start drawing a clear and disclosed line between his private interests and public activities.”
Anonymous Heins