Megacites are unique but not due to size according to Manuel Castells

According to Spanish urban sociologist Manuel Castells, these true megacities are the harbingers of a new form of human society that will spread its influence all over the world in the 21st century. In his view, their sheer numerical size, while awesome, does not represent their true importance. Rather, the megacities’ power lies in the fact that they signify “the nodes of the global economy, concentrating the directional, productive, and managerial functions all over the planet; the control of the media, the real politics of power, and the symbolic capacity to create and diffuse messages. . . . Megacities cannot only be seen in terms of their size, but as a function of their gravitational power towards major regions of the world.”To Castells, it is in Asia that the phenomenon of the megacity can be seen at its most advanced stage. With the handover of Hong Kong to China, for example, a new megacity with a potential population of between 40 and 50 million people is poised to become the economic and commercial centre of the Asia-Pacific Rim. This is the as-yet-unnamed conglomeration of urban centres that includes the ports of Hong Kong and Macao, and the rapidly expanding Chinese industrial centres of Guangzhou, Huizhou, and Zhaoqing. On the basis of extensive research he has conducted in this region, Castells predicts that “this Southern China Metropolis, only vaguely perceived in most of the world at this time, is likely to become the most representative urban face of the 21st century.”Castells believes these enormous urban centres will exercise vast economic, social, political, and cultural influence over both their own countries and the world as a whole, On the leading edge of the information revolution that is transforming the globe, such places will be the beneficiaries of the economic growth fuelled by the rise of the knowledge-based industries of computers and telecommunications. But for those who find themselves left out of this revolution, life in the megacities may be harsh and unpleasant. This is because another defining characteristic of the next millennium’s megacities is the fact that while they are globally connected to the world economy, they are locally disconnected, or split along economic lines, with luxury high-rise commercial and residential districts located cheek-by-jowl beside festering inner-city slums.

Proposal to APHA Press: see full prospectus in the Google doc drive of this blog

Megacities & Public Health


The proposed book is an overdue analysis and response to the unique and growing challenges megacities pose for health. A ‘megacity’ is generally considered one with a population exceeding 10 million individuals.

There are currently around 24 megacities in the world. Of these, 15 are in the least developed countries, which pose unique problems with regards to public health. By 2006 over half of the planet lives in cities. Layering already poor infrastructure, environmental hazards, weak regulatory frameworks, and rapid population growth, the unique nature of megacities is an emerging area of study in global health and urban planning.

This book will bring together leading thinkers, academics and policy makers in the field. Recent work at the APHA 2008 conference convened a panel on ‘Megacities & Public Health’ during which the authors presented their ideas and research for feedback. This was the venue for collaboration and brainstorming as well.

Rather than an exclusively case-study approach, or an exclusively subject-oriented approach, the book will be divided by the areas which are generally taught in courses on public health and urban health. Each chapter will be address the conceptual issues, epidemiology, and policy issues. The chapters will be followed by a case study from one megacity. The list of megaciites noted here are early suggestions which more indicate the approach than commit to a particular case study.

Reason for the book
Why a book on megacities and health? Urban health is a well established field that has provided a useful lens through which to view every aspect of public health. The origins of public health addressed the public health issues of Victorian London,. What is new is the emergence of the megacities, a new species of urban settlements, defined as having populations over 10 million. Size alone, however, does not defined megacities. A functional definition of megacities helps us understand what is unique about these places and give us a framework to understand their health consequences. When cities reach a certain size a special set of problems are created, many of which have health consequences.
There are currently around 24 megacities in the world. Of these, 15 are in the least developed countries, which pose unique problems with regards to public health. By 2006 over half of the planet lived in cities and megacities are a rapidly growing global phenomena.. Layering already poor infrastructure, environmental hazards, weak regulatory frameworks, and rapid population growth, the unique nature of megacities is an emerging area of study in global health and urban planning.
This book will bring together leading thinkers, academics and policy makers in the field. Recent work at the APHA 2008 conference convened a panel on ‘Megacities & Public Health’ during which the authors presented their ideas and research for feedback. This was the venue for collaboration and brainstorming as well.

Table of Contents
- Foreword: Mike Davis / David Vlahov
- Overview of Megacities and Public Health- Greg Pappas and Tracy Hadden Loh
- Housing, crowding, migration: case study of Dhaka, Bangladesh- Omar Rahman
- Urban poverty and urban planning; case study of China - TBD
- Drugs and HIV: case study of Lagos, Nigeria - TBD
- Environmental (incl pollution) and occupational: case study of Karachi, Pakistan - Greg Pappas
- Injury and the urban environment: case study of Manila, Philippines - Arif Hassan, Junaid Razzak
- Health services: case study of Mexico City, Mexico - Carlos Castillo-Salgado
- Emergency response: case study of NYC - Linda Landesman
-Emerging Infectious Disease threats in megacities - Mary Wilson
- Social movements and health in megaciites – Ida Susser
- Afterword: public health impacts of megacities and primary care responses – Omar Khan
-Appendices: table of megacities, by rank order; burden of disease of selected health indicators by megacity; projected emergence of the next 25 megacities by 2015

Please subscribe to the blog and please contact Gregory Pappas or Omar Khan if you would like to post something, add to the bibliography, or add a link.

Welcome to Megacities and Health blog

This blog will promote and understanding of health in megacities and provide a working space for a book devoted to the subject. At the 2008 San Diego meeting of the American Public Health Association the first meeting devoted to megacities and health was health. This session organized by Omar Khan and Gregory Pappas has led to the creation of this blog. A book to be published by APHA Press is planned. This space is devoted to promote this project and future work on the topic at APHA meeting.