The housing sector covers a wide swath. In its narrow sense, it connotes individual homes, but its broad sense extends to human settlements, each with different health repercussions. Housing has an indispensable role to play in urban health in a wide range of areas, but three are key. First, direct linkages with the energy sector in combating indoor air pollution, still one of the top causes of death and disease in developing countries. Second, quality of life improvements stemming from overall living conditions in individual homes as well as communities. Third, high death and injury rates from household accidents.

Adequate housing produces a myriad of indirect benefits such as improved nutrition from having cooked meals, diminished respiratory infections from protection from the wet and cold, etc. Unfortunately, most of these tend to be underestimated because they are considered indirect benefits and are hard to quantify.

In addition, in its broad sense of human settlements, the housing sector is responsible for coordinating interagency collaboration that is responsible for environmental improvements such as clean air; improved water, sanitation and waste disposal; environmental quality monitoring; etc.

Finally, home accidents area a considerable source of death and injury, especially to infants and children.

Sub-themes may include: Indoor Air Pollution, Living Conditions, Household Accidents

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