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Over the past month, in partnership with @urbaninstitute, we’ve hosted a series of discussions on the ways urban health inequalities can be tackled in the aftermath of COVID-19. Each has been attended by experts from around the world — a short thread on some of the key points
First, the opportunities and challenges for #urbanhealth are bigger than ever. The pandemic has drawn attention to issues of inequality but while there is renewed energy to address these, the crisis is likely to worsen the structural drivers underpinning these inequalities
Second, there are consistent patterns in cities around residential segregation, job segregation & healthcare segregation. Those disproportionately affected are communities of colour, showing the importance of systems well beyond healthcare in determining health outcomes
Third, cities are places that make these intersections concrete — but not necessarily visible. We need to do more to centre the voice of urban communities in our response. We also need to be clear what we are trying to achieve: incremental patches & fixes or transformed systems?
Finally, solutions are urgently needed, but do we have sufficient practical examples? And is there enough political will to achieve health equity? The sessions outlined a role for philanthropy in modelling new approaches, providing moral clarity, and advocating for change.
We’ll be sharing insights from these sessions in the new year, and some exciting news relating to our own work next week. Thank you so much again to everyone who participated — @MichaelM @PeterLongBSC @laudyaron @ChasCadwell @HealthForwardKC @maturner @adiezroux @FaithMitch2020
