In a rapidly urbanizing world, the health of people in cities and towns is a global concern. Urban health is a developing discipline and its boundaries and key interests are constantly changing. Research on urban themes is a particular strength of UCL and the module aims to give students a sense of engagement in a field that crosses disciplinary boundaries, emphasizing collaborative teaching and the generation of new ideas for transdisciplinary research. The module has two general themes: the historical and political legacy that informs current discussions, and simultaneous consideration of high-, middle- and low-income countries because the urban is everywhere. Through lectures, tutorials, reading, and films, the module has recently discussed foundational ideas, residential informality and inequalities, urban planning, nature and water in cities, urban migration, mobility and transport, infections, planetary health, and urban food.

After taking the module, students should be able to:

Outline the history and scope of urban health.
	Describe key ideas and knowledge in the field of urban health, their evolution and their relative importance in different parts of the world.
	Critically evaluate a broad range of interventions (from programmes to policies) to improve urban health.
	Critically evaluate research on urban health.
	Identify and justify areas in urban health that require further research.
The module is open to students on the MSc/PG Dip Global Health and Development, and other IGH and UCL MSc/PG Dip students, taster course and short course students, subject to availability.

As well as lectures by specialists from across UCL, you will have seminars emphasizing negotiation of the parameters of urban health and group work emphasizing development of research questions.

Selected reading list:

Crane M et al (2021) Transforming cities for sustainability: A health perspective. Environment International
	UN HABITAT (2020) World cities report 2020
	Satterthwaite D (2011) Why is urban health so poor even in many successful cities? Environment & Urbanization 23:5-11.