Health in Metropolitan Cities: Legislation, Policy and Governance Approaches

About the Project

NYU MPH graduates Arielsela Holdbrook-Smith, Ashley Uchenna Emuka, and Mirkelis De Jesus Martinez worked with the Policy, Legislation and Governance Section at UN-Habitat to understand how metropolises are addressing broader global health issues in their urban policies and legislation. Students conducted case studies of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Nairobi, Kenya and Douala Cameroon . using the Legislation and Healthy Cities Assessment Questionnaire tool developed by UN-Habitat to analyze urban policies related to Urban Form and Health Outcomes, Green Spaces and Basic Services. The work on these three cities will help inform the Metropolis Global Report and further the integration and mainstreaming of urban health issues in national and subnational urban policies.

About the Project Organization

“The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) is mandated by the UN General Assembly to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities. UN-Habitat is the focal point for all urbanization and human settlement matters within the UN system.

UN-Habitat works with partners to build inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable cities and communities. UN-Habitat promotes urbanization as a positive transformative force for people and communities, reducing inequality, discrimination and poverty.

Our Mission:

UN-Habitat works in over 90 countries to promote transformative change in cities and human settlements through knowledge, policy advice, technical assistance and collaborative action.

UN-Habitat’s strategic plan 2020-2023 adopts a more strategic and integrated approach to solving the challenges and opportunities of twenty-first century cities and other human settlements. UN-Habitat’s mission embodies the four main roles of the organization, which can be summarized as: think, do, share, and partner.”

About the StudentS

Arielsela Holdbrook-Smith, Ashley Uchenna Emuka, and Mirkelis De Jesus Martinez are all graduates of the New York University School of Global Public Health’s Master of Public Health (MPH) program.