Cities and Health: Preventing NCDs Through Urban Design
Melanie Lowe and Billie Giles-Corti

“City planning is now recognised as an important part of a comprehensive solution to noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). By 2050, some 75% of the world’s population will live in cities.1 Almost 80% of Australians already reside in Australia’s major cities, as a result of population movements from rural areas to urban centres since the turn of the 20th century. As discussed in the earlier chapter by Alessandro Demaio, NCDs have overtaken infectious diseases as the leading cause of death and disability globally. This is true for both low to middle and high income countries, and creates a significant healthcare and financial burden. Tackling NCDs in cities must therefore be a priority …”