‘The enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health is one of the fundamental rights of every human being without distinction of race, religion, political belief, economic or social condition’ (WHO, 2017).
‘Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity’ (WHO, 2017).
In the 21st century, urbanization is the leading global trend that is significantly impacting our health. More than 55% of the world’s population lives in urban areas and expected to increase to 68% by 2050.
Given that developing countries will account for the majority of future urban growth, the current global community has a special opportunity to steer urbanisation and other significant trends in urban development in a way that protects and improves health. This is important, not least because a city’s population may very well be its most valuable resource.
However, the majority of the 4.2 billion people who live in cities struggle with subpar housing and transportation, poor sanitation and waste management, and poor air quality that does not meet WHO standards. Due to a range of pollutants, such as noise, water and soil contamination, so-called urban heat islands, and a lack of space for walking, cycling, and other forms of active living, cities are the epicentres of a noncommunicable sickness epidemic and are the primary contributors to climate change.
Around the world, non-communicable diseases are a major cause of death and disability. The layout of our metropolitan areas restricts people to participate in regular physical activities as well as their access to and supply of nutritious dietary options. The epidemic is being made worse in many places by the presence of stores selling alcohol and cigarette items.
But do you know which is the healthiest city in the world?
According to the British platform Money.co.uk, Valencia a modern city which lies on the banks of the river Turia is declared as the healthiest city in the world to live in 2022.
Factors such as life expectancy, health care costs, air pollution, safety, obesity rates and hours of sunlight.
Art and Culture
Oceanogràfic is Europe’s biggest aquarium with 7 different marine environments which almost contains 45,000 specimens of 500 different species such as dolphins, belugas, walruses, sea lions, seals, penguins and sharks. The Hemisfèric, is a digital 3D cinema, with a huge 900-metre concave screen.
Figure 1- Art and Science Complex by Santiago Calatrava
Science Museum With the philosophy “Not touching is prohibited”
For music lovers, Palau de les Arts, programme includes operas, concerts, zarzuela and ballet.
Caixa Forum, a multipurpose space where temporary and permanent exhibits, live music, projections, conferences and shows are hosted.
Gastronomy
Spanish Cuisines are one of the best in the world because of their quality and the variety of ingredients they use to prepare food. Spain is divided into a number of zones and each zone has its own traditional cuisine.
North Cuisine’s main dishes are fish dishes.
Mediterranean cuisine, the Mediterranean diet which has many health benefits, is based on a trinity of wheat, olives and vines.
Central Spanish Cuisine it is been influenced by the harsh climate, the mountainous terrain and the heavy work. The base of these cuisines are green beans, lentils and meats.
Andalusian cuisine, a fusion of cuisines from all cultures and villages of the south that live in this fertile land. The very famous gazpacho soup was created here.
Spanish cuisines are never-ending. One who travels to Spain must try their traditional dishes- Spicy Chorizo, Ham, Andalusian Gazpacho, Galician Octupus, Segovian Pork, Asturian Bean Stew, Madrid’s Stew, Rioja Potatoes, Bizkai Cod, Lobster Stew and Paella.
Figure 2- Spanish Cuisines
Figure 3- A rich and seafood paella
Weather
Valencia enjoys 2,700 hours of sunshine and an average temperature of 19 degrees Celsius in a year. The mild climate makes it more attractive for tourists to plan for any time of the year. The Turia Garden is one of the largest natural urban parks in Spain with more than 9 km of Pedestrian pathway. The Mediterranean acts as a natural filter which protects the city from pollution and keeps the skies bright, clear and clean. 
Figure 5- View of 14 km long Turia Garden
Health System
The city boasts important hospitals such as the IVO (the Valencian Oncological Institute) which comes among the world’s best oncological centres in the world. And that is why the city has a life expectancy of 83.5 years.
Figure 6- IVO (the Valencian Oncological Institute)
References-
World Health Organisation. “Determinants of Health.” World Health Organisation, 2017, www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/determinants-of-health.
Google.com. (2023a). Avertissement de redirection. [online] Available at: https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.istockphoto.com%2Fpt%2Fvetorial%2Fspanish-food-cuisine-illustration-gm881818362-245470060&psig=AOvVaw0NtKUmfkyNLuVPOdWZWZ7D&ust=1684878627395000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CBIQjhxqFwoTCICT2JL0if8CFQAAAAAdAAAAABAx [Accessed 22 May 2023].
Google.com. (2023b). Avertissement de redirection. [online] Available at: https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ivo.es%2Factualidad%2Feventos%2F&psig=AOvVaw2dcCMR5u0OOQWhJMwFsZzI&ust=1684880704605000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CBIQjhxqFwoTCJC0hfH7if8CFQAAAAAdAAAAABAQ [Accessed 22 May 2023].
Pérez, Á. (2022). Valencia, the healthiest city in the world in 2022 (for the second year running). [online] Startup Valencia. Available at: https://startupvalencia.org/blog/valencia-the-healthiest-city-in-the-world-in-2022/#:~:text=The%20city.
Sonneil (2022). Valencia: the healthiest city in the world. [online] Sonneil Homes. Available at: https://www.sonneil.com/blog/en/valencia-healthiest-city-world/ [Accessed 22 May 2023].
www.erasmusvalencia.com. (n.d.). Spanish Cuisine. [online] Available at: https://www.erasmusvalencia.com/spanish-gastronomy.html [Accessed 22 May 2023].
www.valencia-dmc.com. (n.d.). Valencia DMC. [online] Available at: https://www.valencia-dmc.com/Management [Accessed 22 May 2023].
www.visitvalencia.com. (n.d.). Monuments City of Arts and Sciences València. [online] Available at: https://www.visitvalencia.com/en/what-to-see-valencia/city-of-arts-and-ciences/city-of-arts-and-sciences-monuments.
www.visitvalencia.com. (n.d.). València the healthiest city in the world| Visit Valencia. [online] Available at: https://www.visitvalencia.com/en/news-room/valencia-healthiest-city-world.
Very interesting subject, you have covered some reasons why Valencia is ranked as the healthiest city in the world such as, Art and culture, healthy food, the weather, and the health system. However, I would like to add the walkability as another factor that can help in addressing the key challenges identified in your blog (life expectancy, health care costs, air pollution, safety and obesity) where it is essential to improve the walking score for any city. A study showed the difference in life expectancy between people who walk more than 1 hour a day and those who walk less than 1 hour a day, where the latter have shorter life expectancy. This small change to people lifestyle added more than a year to their life expectancy. (Nagai et al., 2011). And of course, by promoting walking, they will use less cars and will improve the air quality as a result.
On http://www.walkscore.com you can find the walking score for any city, in the picture below you can see that Valencia scored 100 out of 100, which is based on the distance to services, public transport, and how easy to cycle.
No doubt that nice weather will naturally encourage more people to go outside and walk but we can always try to take active steps that helps advancing walkability such as improving the number of services, public transport and cycling to make all cities healthier.
• Nagai M, Kuriyama S, Kakizaki M, et al. ‘Impact of walking on life expectancy and lifetime medical expenditure: the Ohsaki Cohort Study’ BMJ Open 2011;1:e000240. doi:10. 1136/bmjopen-2011- 000240
• Walker’s paradise (no date) Walk Score. Available at: https://www.walkscore.com/score/260-calle-2-valencia-vc-spain (Accessed: 24 May 2023).