El hombre y las ciudades en que vive

Abstract

In years ahead, most of the population of Latin America is likely to live in cities, where the rate of population growth, in large part a consequence of migration, far exceeds the rural rate. This growth is marked by industrial systems which introduce rapid and successive changes in technology with radical effects on social institutions, environmental conditions, and public health

In addition to increasing risks of infection associated with population density and deficiencies in housing and sanitation, city populations will suffer from increasing exposure to toxic chemicals and a variety of household and highway hazards associated with modern technology

Health agencies find it extremely difficult to identify, analyze, and predict the forces that will shape the health of man and his environment in tomorrow's cities. Nevertheless, they have a responsibility to try to understand what is happening so that men may prosper rather than suffer from this urban, industrial development. To that end, health agencies must adjust structures, approaches, and priorities to match new and changing conditions, and periodically update practices, concepts, and parameters, with a view to improving the health of the whole society in the total environment(AU)