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• The author describes the experience of Michael Bloomberg when he was mayor of NYC and his role in helping the city address non-communicable diseases, thus showing that mayors in bigger cities can play vital roles in solving broader global problems.
• How can local government and philanthropy establish partnerships that approach issues with sustainable, well-funded solutions?
• Read about how to build more equitable, smart cities.
The world is becoming more and more city. And that could be good for your health if the impact of the Bloomberg Philanthropies' Partnership for Healthy Cities continues to grow.
When billionaire businessman and philanthropist Mike Bloomberg first became Mayor of New York City (NYC), the 2nd most populated city in the world, he was asked whether extra security was needed at the United States Conference on Mayors in NYC. Bloomberg responded, "I told them I didn't think any of the mayors would be that dangerous." Well, during his 12-year term as Mayor of NYC, he found the opposite: a mayor can actually do quite a lot to help prevent death and suffering. He introduced a number of public health initiatives such as banning trans fats from restaurants, requiring restaurant chains to post calorie counts for their food items, and banning smoking in bars and restaurants. Even initiatives that didn't pass have had positive effects like his failed attempt to ban the sales of extra-large fountain drinks (the so-called "Big Gulp Ban").
This attempt brought more attention to the dangers of sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption and created a cascade effect that has led to a greater movement to reduce SSB consumption, such as SSB taxes passing in various locations such Mexico City, Berkeley, San Francisco, Philadelphia, and Seattle. As Bloomberg related, during his term as Mayor "the life expectancy of New Yorkers increased by three years and became two years longer than the national average." These experiences helped him realize that Mayors of large cities could play major roles in preventing and controlling non-communicable diseases (NCDs) around the world.
That's in part because if you aren't already living in a city, a city may be coming to you sometime soon.
Read the full article about healthy cities by Bruce Y. Lee from Forbes