Sustainable Public Health, Urban Smart City and Economic Development

Dear Colleagues,

The global economy has experienced a rapid increase in the gross domestic product (GDP) in the last sixty years, resulting in parallel increases in the per capita gross domestic product and environmental pollution. According to the World Bank, the world’s GDP in current price in the year 1960 was USD 1.4 trillion and it increased to USD 96.53 trillion in 2021, around a 70-fold increase. On the other hand, the per capita GDP which was USD 459 in 1960 increased to USD 12236 in 2021, around a 24-fold increase. However, besides the good news, the total CO2 emissions in 1960 was 9.39 billion metric tons which increased to 37.12 billion metric tons in 2021, a 4-fold increase. This fact shows that global citizens have experienced growth, but that growth is not sustainable; nature is being exploited due to the growth, and we are facing challenges in maintaining good public health. Hence, we are not in the framework of sustainable development.

The insinuations of climate change on public health are broad and vast. The interconnectedness of all of earth’s systems and human health is an area that is a challenge to society in the new millennium. Public health is directly tied to the human ecosystem that we create through our unsustainable activities. Without good public health outcomes, human life on this planet is threatened, and ultimately our actions could cause significant changes in human health, well-being and longevity. It is not the earth that is at stake, it is humanity. Two crucial sources of carbon emissions are automobile and industrial activities which are mainly attached to urban activities. Hence, the focus should be upon developing smart urban areas which will invite clean energy uses, healthy consumption and production practices, among others, which will foster true economic development.

Under this milieu, the present Special Issue of the journal Sustainability titled "Sustainable Public Health, Urban Smart City and Economic Development" aims to compile papers (mainly but not only) on the following sub-themes:

• Growth and developmental aspects of sustainable public health;
• Growth and developmental aspects of urban smart city;
• Interrelationships among public health, smart city and economic development;
• Role of social capital in urban smart city development;
• Sustainable industry and agricultural practices towards development.

Dr. Enrico Ivaldi
Prof. Dr. Ramesh Chandra Das
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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• sustainable public health
• urbanization
• smart city
• economic development
• sustainable industry-agriculture practices
• pollution and health relationships
• health cost
• food waste and environmental problems