Welcome to Urban Health in Developing Countries. The world is becoming more urbanized. This trend is now particularly pronounced in the developing world, where the urban population is expected to double in the next 30 years. Urban residents in developing countries, especially the poor, are exposed to the health hazards of poor water quality and to the pollution and injury associated with road traffic. Although rural areas are often neglected, poor people in urban centers also suffer from health problems associated with poor access to social services. Many must make do with low-quality care from informal providers.

This course is organized into three modules that examine the urban health experience from social, epidemiological, and systems perspectives. Case studies of urban health solutions from Africa, Latin America, and South Asia offer signs of hope. We hope you will gain a better perspective of the urban future, which more and more people will share, and in turn contribute your own urban experiences to course discussions and assignments.