Housing, Health and Well-Being: An International Perspective

At present around 1,000 million people live in grossly inadequate housing, and 100 million have no shelter whatsoever. Adverse trends in housing status and environmental conditions threaten the health and well-being of additional millions of people world-wide. The relationships between housing and health are reviewed, with an emphasis on the house structure, sanitation, pollution, and overcrowding. Possible approaches to improved housing and municipal planning are examined, and the key requirements include new policies of municipal and national governments, intersectoral coordination, the mobilization and "enabling" of communities, and strengthened environmental health services.