5. Urban environment and transport inequalities

The quality of the urban environment and the related functions carried out in urban settings – such as mobility, recreation and social exchange within the community – affect health, well-being and quality of life for all citizens residing in and using the neighbourhood. The relevance of local environments and urban settings for sustainable development is also reflected in SDG 11, which calls for inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable cities and human settlements.

The urban setting shapes the social and physical environment in which families and individuals spend a significant amount of their time. Residents with a high level of dependence on local conditions and amenities (such as children, elderly people and those with functional limitations and disabilities) are especially affected.

Urban conditions can be very diverse across different districts and neighbourhoods of the same city. Districts may be affected by industrial activities and related environmental emissions; high levels of traffic and the associated air pollution and noise; and a lack of quality features that enhance healthy living, such as recreation areas, urban green spaces and nature sites. Socially disadvantaged areas, mostly inhabited by households with lower financial capacities, are often affected by double environmental disadvantage: a lack of environmental resources and higher levels of environmental deprivation. Urban conditions and local environmental quality are not only key mechanisms for local authorities to shape healthy cities and protect their citizens from environmental and health risks; they also provide opportunities to mitigate inequalities and focus on the most deprived areas where the environmental burden is highest. This section highlights various inequalities related to urban environments and transport through six indicators:

• inequalities in exposure to air pollution; • inequalities in self-reported noise annoyance; • inequalities in fatal road traffic injuries; • inequalities in lack of access to recreational or green areas; • inequalities in chemical exposure; and • inequalities in exposure to and health risks from contaminated sites.

Unfortunately, many of these indicators lack information from countries in the eastern part of the WHO European Region, where equity-sensitive data on urban environmental conditions could not be identified from international databases. For chemical risks and contaminated sites, this also applies to countries in the western part of the Region. As a result, data from an EU project on human biomonitoring and from an Italian project on assessment of contaminated site exposure are used to provide insights into the magnitude of inequalities for these risks, which are often undocumented.