Urbanization and Slums

The urban built environment is a prime setting for microbial transmission, because just as cities serve as hubs for migration and international travel, components of the urban built environment serve as hubs that drive the transmission of infectious disease pathogens. The risk of infectious diseases for many people living in slums is further compounded by their poverty and their surrounding physical and social environment, which is often overcrowded, is prone to physical hazards, and lacks adequate or secure housing and basic infrastructure, including water, sanitation, or hygiene services.



To examine the role of the urban built environment in the emergence and reemergence of infectious diseases that affect human health, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine planned a public workshop. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussions from the workshop.

Table of Contents


Front Matter
1 Introduction
2 Perspectives on the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases in an Urban and Interconnected World
3 Understanding Infectious Disease Transmission in Urban Built Environments
4 Translating Conceptual Models of Infectious Disease Transmission and Control into Practice
5 Achieving Sustainable and Health-Promoting Urban Built Environments
6 Bridging Drivers and Interventions to Scale Up Successful Practices
Appendix A: References
Appendix B: Workshop Statement of Task
Appendix C: Workshop Agenda
Appendix D: Biographical Sketches of Workshop Speakers and Moderators