When medicine meets architecture: why urban planning is key to promoting health and wellbeing

As the world economy grows and cities continue to expand, it becomes increasingly important to address health issues in the context of the urban environment. Not surprisingly, the World Health Organisation has highlighted health as a precondition of sustainable urban development and the first priority for planners. The characteristics of the urban context can be linked to risk factors such as sedentarity and Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), which pose major threats to people’s health. It is therefore essential to develop urban planning strategies that exert a positive impact on people’s wellbeing and contribute to the promotion of a healthy lifestyle. The latest scientific literature and recent research conducted at the Design & Health Lab, Department ABC of Politecnico di Milano, show that three factors, in particular, significantly improve the urban environment and, in turn, people’s health: green spaces, digitalisation and inclusive design.