ABSTRACT
Urban policy has its origins in the public health tradition and concerns with controlling environmental causes of disease. These became less important in health policy with the expansion of the National Health Service and its treatment services for diseases and illnesses. However, this emphasis on curative medicine began to change during the 1980s when a revival of public health occurred as a result of new concerns about the effects of the environment, lifestyles and social inequalities on health. An important initiative was the Healthy Cities project promoted by the World Health Organisation in Europe. This defined health in its broadest sense, as illustrated by the following indicators of a healthy city (Hogg, 1991:16–17):
Nuisance indicators, such as levels of noise, odour and cleanliness.
The proportion of green space.
The percentage of children with criminal records.
The employment rate among adults with disabilities.
The prevalence of functional illiteracy.
Poverty.
Poor housing.
