Health is a highly precious state of life, which enables individuals to fulfill themselves, unlimited by anything but their will and environment. Maintenance of health is a costly pursuit, as health-care spending is projected to reach over $10 trillion, nearly 10% of global GDP, by 2022.
In high-income countries, nearly 50% of citizens suffer from chronic disease while the other half are diagnosed with cancer during their lifetimes. The current rise of non-communicable diseases is associated with lifestyle choices—tobacco use, unhealthy diet, obesity, physical inactivity, and harmful use of alcohol—and environmental factors, yet NCDs could be largely prevented by early detection and appropriate counseling and management.
This builds a strong link between health and cities. More and more cities in the world are moving toward a new “city experience,” where the interactions between citizens and city services are transformed. These cities will enter into the platform era by leveraging data and technology to create more efficient living environments, improve sustainability, connect citizens to decisions by sharing information with the public, and improving the quality of government services.