Recent trends of urbanization have dramatically changed the environmental characteristics of cities around the world. Since 2010 more than half the global population live in cities. Although urbanization has advanced societies, it has also exacerbated inequalities, especially in African and Asian cities, where this process is advancing more rapidly. With significant parts of the urban population having limited access to services and infrastructure, from these inequalities often emerge serious associated health issues, including the growing epidemic of noncommunicable diseases like heart disease, diabetes and cancer. These health conditions are driven by key behavioral risks including unhealthy diets, tobacco use, and insufficient physical activity. Improving the built environment through encouraging active transport, including cycling and walking and the use of public transport not only addresses sedentary lifestyles but has the potential to reduce air pollution, noise and road traffic injuries and deaths; other critical health impacts of urbanization.

Extensive literature is available about the negative health impacts of car-dependent societies and has been used to support strategies to create healthier cities. However, most of the research is from high income countries and predominantly focuses on European and North American geographies. Consequently, generating context-specific evidence is urgently needed to guide public health action in African and Asian cites. Thus, this Research Topic focuses on research that explores the role of the built environment in the promotion of active transport and the use of public transportation in African and Asian cities, including the potential impact in the reduction of air pollution, noise and road traffic injuries.

This Research Topic welcomes contributions addressing the relation between the built environment and health in African and Asian cities, in particular those that focus on increasing physical activity and reducing environmental and road traffic impacts through experimental, cross-sectional, qualitative studies, systematic reviews and meta-analyses as well as Reviews, Project Reports and Commentaries falling under the following themes:

• Evidence-based urban planning and design studies demonstrating the role of the built environment in health improvement;
• Impact of urbanization on physical activity, pollution and road traffic injuries in urban areas;
• Novel health interventions in a city context;
• Policy assessment related to creation/promotion of healthier and inclusive urban environments;
• Lessons learned from COVID-19 public health mitigation measures on physical activity and urban design;
• Health equity assessments and interventions focusing on specific target populations most at risk;
• Novel spatial interventions or urban regeneration strategies (such as Superblocks, Shared spaces and Road diets) and improved health outcomes;
• Nature-based solutions in the context of healthier future urban environments;
• Smart healthy cities in the context of digitalization.

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Frontiers in Public Health

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