Towards Healthier Metropolitan Cities

Metropolitan cities are expanding and increasing worldwide, in order to accommodate population growth and continuing trends in urban migration. This results in degradation of living conditions and in many urban health problems. Living conditions that influence urban health involve many parameters. The present study focuses on three aspects of those parameters: urban growth, exposure to natural hazards and services spatial justice. The aim being to develop a spatial planning approach that contributes to promoting healthy urban living conditions in metropolitan cities. The study analyses the natural hazards exposure in Egypt; reviews some of the urban health problems in the study area, and one of the slums, Ezbet Elhagana; and examines the services spatial justice in Cairo. The study concluded that geospatial analysis, such as spatial measurement and accessibility can support urban health decision-making and planning in prioritizing potential improvements.