Upcoming Urban Health Session at the 2024 AAG Annual Meeting

The 2024 Annual Meeting of the American Association of Geographers (AAG) will be held in Honolulu,Hawaii in April. Our team will be hosting the session “Revolutionizing Urban Health: AI Advancements for Healthy Cities” to discuss the technological opportunities and health challenges we face today.

Image is from AAG Website @AAG

A pressing challenge confronting our expanding cities is the unhealthy urban environment resulting from rapid urbanization and insufficient or inadequate urban planning. This situation exacerbates the prevalence of various infectious diseases, including COVID-19 and HIV/AIDS, as well as non-communicable diseases like heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and mental illness among the population (Allam & Jones, 2020; Galea & Vlahov, 2005; Ruszczyk, Castan Broto, & McFarlane, 2022). With the advancement of artificial intelligence systems, there is an opportunity to leverage state-of-the-art databases and algorithms to facilitate decision-making, improve healthcare accessibility, and revolutionize the urban health landscape (Allam & Jones, 2020; Maudrie et al., 2021).

Although the potential of AI in promoting healthy cities is recognized, several challenges and risks remain. Methodological gaps, algorithmic biases, data privacy concerns, and insufficient technical capabilities to effectively implement AI continue to be issues (Kong, Liu, & Wu, 2020; Stevenson, Thompson, & Ho, 2023). This session aims to explore the application of AI in the field of urban health and promote a comprehensive discussion on the potential, challenges, and opportunities for future development in addressing these critical issues and charting a path towards healthier urban environments.

Revolutionizing Urban Health I: AI Advancements for Healthy Cities

Date: 4/16/2024
Time: 1:20 PM – 2:40 PM 
Room: 307B, Third Floor, Hawai’i Convention Center

Revolutionizing Urban Health II: AI Advancements for Healthy Cities

Date: 4/16/2024
Time: 3:00 PM – 4:20 PM 
Room: 307B, Third Floor, Hawai’i Convention Center

We are looking forward to meeting with you at AAG meeting and discuss urban health together. 

Image is from Freepik @free license

Reference
Allam, Z., & Jones, D. S. (2020). On the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Outbreak and the Smart City Network: Universal Data Sharing Standards Coupled with Artificial Intelligence (AI) to Benefit Urban Health Monitoring and Management. Healthcare (Basel), 8(1). doi:10.3390/healthcare8010046
Galea, S., & Vlahov, D. (2005). Urban health: evidence, challenges, and directions. Annu Rev Public Health, 26, 341-365. doi:10.1146/annurev.publhealth.26.021304.144708
Kong, L., Liu, Z., & Wu, J. (2020). A systematic review of big data-based urban sustainability research: State-of-the-science and future directions. Journal of Cleaner Production, 273. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.123142
Maudrie, T. L., Lessard, K. H., Dickerson, J., Aulandez, K. M. W., Barlow, A., & O’Keefe, V. M. (2021). Our Collective Needs and Strengths: Urban AI/ANs and the COVID-19 Pandemic. Front Sociol, 6, 611775. doi:10.3389/fsoc.2021.611775
Ruszczyk, H. A., Castan Broto, V., & McFarlane, C. (2022). Urban health challenges: Lessons from COVID-19 responses. Geoforum, 131, 105-115. doi:10.1016/j.geoforum.2022.03.003
Stevenson, M., Thompson, J., & Ho, T. (2023). Big Data and Urban Health. In Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Global Public Health.