Healthy city checklist

A healthy city aims to provide:

  • a clean, safe physical environment of high quality (including housing quality);
  • an ecosystem that is stable now and sustainable in the long term;
  • a strong, mutually supportive and non-exploitative community;
  • a high degree of participation in and control by the citizens over the decisions affecting their lives, health and well-being;
  • the meeting of basic needs (food, water, shelter, income, safety and work) for all the city’s people;
  • access by the people to a wide variety of experiences and resources, with the chance for a wide variety of contact, interaction and communication;
  • a diverse, vital and innovative economy;
  • connectedness with the past, with the cultural and biological heritage of city dwellers and with other groups and individuals;
  • a form that is compatible with and enhances the preceding characteristics;
  • an optimum level of appropriate public health and sickness care services, accessible to all; and
  • high health status (high levels of positive health and low levels of disease).