Urban Health in Africa

Explores Africa’s rapid urbanization and its crucial implications for health, prosperity, and sustainability.

Africa is home to many of the world’s fastest-growing cities. In this book, editors Elaine O. Nsoesie and Blessing U. Mberu bring together a diverse group of scholars to explore the critical impacts of rapid urbanization on the health and prosperity of Africans. Through compelling case studies, contributors highlight the unique challenges and innovative solutions in Africa’s urban health. Essays cover a diverse range of topics--from housing to climate change--in various cities across Africa. Considerations for urban health are vital to the continent’s potential to prosper as it grows in population, and this book addresses critical issues related to infrastructure, transportation, natural disasters, and conflict. Covering a broad selection of topics and focusing on specific cities throughout Africa, this book examines everything from education and economic development to pollution and the role of data in urban health and development.

From the resilience and creativity of slum communities to groundbreaking policies addressing air pollution and mental health, each chapter provides valuable insights into the continent’s urban health landscape. Urban Health in Africa is an essential read for policymakers, researchers, and anyone interested in shaping a healthier future for Africa’s cities and understanding the vibrant and complex realities of its urban life.

Elaine O. Nsoesie (BOSTON, MA) is an associate professor in the department of global health at the Boston University School of Public Health. Blessing U. Mberu (NAIROBI, KENYA) is a senior research scientist and the head of population dynamics and urbanization at the African Population and Health Research Center.