Health in the City

Urban planning strategies have profound implications for public well-being, influencing factors such as air quality, access to green spaces, and the inclusivity of public spaces. Existing research emphasizes the importance of incorporating health considerations into urban planning to address challenges such as pollution, stress, and social inequities. A comprehensive scoping review was conducted, focusing on peer-reviewed articles published between 2010 and 2023. The review process involved a systematic search across multiple databases, yielding an initial retrieval of 1,200 articles. After screening for relevance and conducting a full-text review, 20 key articles were selected for the final analysis. These articles were assessed for their methodological approaches, findings, and alignment with the SDGs. The review highlighted several critical themes. For example, 30% of the reviewed studies (6 out of 20) emphasized the detrimental impact of heavy metal pollution on public health, with a particular focus on urban areas like Ankara. Another 25% (5 out of 20) of the studies underscored the importance of green spaces in enhancing well-being in low- and middle-income countries.