October 7, 2020

An increasing majority of the human population resides in urban areas, and residents are affected in multiple ways by these settings. Our lives and our health are shaped by the design of buildings and transportation systems, access to improved sanitation and early childhood education, the availability of food stores and recreational spaces, and by a wide range of local policies from housing to health care access.

A new book, Urban Public Health: A Research Toolkit for Practice and Impact, edited by Gina Lovasi, PhD, MPH, Associate Professor of Urban Health and Co-Director of the Urban Health Collaborative, Ana Diez Roux, MD, PhD, MPH, Dean and Distinguished University Professor of Epidemiology, and Jennifer Kolker, MPH, Clinical Professor and Associate Dean for Public Health Practice and External Relations, tackles these issues and more. 

The overall progress of urban health is measured and monitored by the constant support and care of all people who live within urban landscapes, no matter someone’s social position or health status. This book articulates perspectives and baseline knowledge crucial to the field of urban health, and the research and partnership strategies which can guide cities toward better population health and health equity outcomes.

Examples and expertise are shared throughout the book from contributors at Dornsife's Urban Health Collaborative and across our network of Philadelphia-based and global partner organizations. 

This book is tailored for building capacity for emerging professionals in public health, though there is also clear relevance to urban planning, social sciences, policy creation, and more.  By providing a structured orientation to the field of urban health, scholars and practitioners will be positioned to continue learning as the field evolves, and to explore new viewpoints on how to collaborate to create the conditions to maximize health and health equity in cities.

Urban Public Health: A Research Toolkit for Practice and Impact is organized into four parts:

• Introduction to Urban Health
• Identifying and Collecting Data for Urban Health Research
• Tools for Working With Urban Health Data
• From Evidence Into Action

The book orients emerging urban health professionals to the roles and stages within urban health research planning, implementation, and dissemination which can elevate impact. Decision points along the way are informed through partnership across disciplines, among sectors, and with communities.