Better urban health
Health is a very crucial aspect of human life as it forms the basics of people’s ability to live and explore what the world has to offer. In most plans, especially the ones in which the government is involved, such as new developments, creation of retail space, and development of a health center, there are contradicting ideas raised from the minority and majority groups. Accordingly, the minority, which is also the low-income population, is not only silenced but also the most affected by such initiatives. In his book in the chapter Urban Governance and Human Health Corburn Jason affirms that “Despite the call for clear guidance, analyses of how a project, plan, program, or policy might positively or adversely influence the public’s health, especially that of the poor and people of color, remains limited or nonexistent within laws governing existing environmental review processes”(62). Those belonging to the high-income population, which is regarded as the majority group, are the ones who are heard. This is because they are considered to have played a significant role in the government by investing in various ways that are beneficial to the government. This is contrary to the less fortunate who only depend on the government for protection and survival.
Many things are missed in the silencing which, if considered, would have been remarkable not only in the lives of the minority but also on the majority group and hence the whole society at large. These include things such as the impacts of city planning processes on human health as well as the social determinants of health. Each development categories such as environmental quality, transportation, land use, and using, there is a typical content emitted, which in turn results in either a positive or negative outcome. Taking environmental quality as the analytic category, for example, there is the emission of pollutants into the air, water, or soil, which ultimately exposes people to multiple health hazards (Jason 64). If not for silencing, the minority and low-income population can give ideas in health planning processes because they are aware of the consequences of the various activities on the health of humans. The high-income individuals, in conjunction with the government, know the consequences associated with some of the activities they engage in, but they still finance them because of the need to get more money.
It is, therefore, crucial to support and advocate for the centering of the marginalized voices in discussions concerning urban health. This is because, through this some several possibilities such as the importance of having quality air and how to achieve it, issues concerning pedestrian injuries and activities, the importance of education on health, and adverse effects of housing and residential environments to mention but a few. One notable and revealable possibility is that “The human-built environment includes, housing, which can influence physical and mental health. Increasing incidence of asthma and other respiratory conditions, injuries, and psychological distress and negatively affecting child development” (Freudenberg, Galea, and Vlahov 35). This information from the marginalized group can be attributed to the fact that this group is aware of these issues by experience. The majority and high-income population are capable of accessing anything of their wish, including recreational centers and the best health facilities. This is, however, not the case with the minority group members who do not have the appropriate resources to access these facilities. Involving them in these discussions is a way of welcoming better and rigid ideas of how to avoid such calamities for better urban health.