Developing sustainable and healthy cities

A UCL-led research partnership spanning four continents and drawing on expertise from multiple disciplines is helping cities to develop sustainably and to improve the health of their residents.

More than half the world’s population now lives in cities, and the number of people living in urban areas continues to grow, with many of the people who live in them unable to access basic necessities, from clean water to employment.

A consortium of 13 research organisations based in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the United States is working to help change the way cities are designed and develop to ensure they meet the needs of their residents.

The Complex Urban Systems for Sustainability and Health (CUSSH) consortium works in close partnership with local organisations to understand how policy decisions that will help to achieve health and sustainability goals can be improved and accelerated.

“Cities are complex systems with unique contexts and priorities.  We’re helping to realise the SDGs through development and implementation of evidence-informed solutions,” explains Professor Michael Davies (UCL Institute for Environmental Design and Engineering).

The consortium takes a ‘systems’ approach, looking at a range of issues and trade-offs that cities face, from transport infrastructure and energy provision to health systems, housing and sanitation.

Our approach is to engage with partner cities in a participatory process to build a shared understanding of the multiple aspects of the urban system, to help develop and implement more effective city policies

Its research is focused in six cities: London (UK), Rennes (France), Kisumu and Nairobi (Kenya) and Beijing and Ningbo (China). Evidence gathered from research reviews, data analysis and modelling will develop specific solutions and help inform local policy and practices based on principles of sustainable development.

In London, for example, CUSSH has developed an integrated computational tool to quantify the effects of city policies on reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, decreasing environmental health hazards, and improving public health.

In Kisumu, Kenya, inadequate waste management has important implications for both GHG emissions and health.  There, through participatory workshops, mapping and computer modelling of the dynamic problems arising, and sustained engagement with the city’s most vulnerable residents, the project team is gathering insights into the co-creation of local solutions, decision-making, and policy implementation.

“Our approach is to engage with partner cities in a participatory process to build a shared understanding of the multiple aspects of the urban system, to help develop and implement more effective city policies,” Professor Davies adds.