Children and Adolescents in Cities

A life course approach posits that early experiences are deeply influential on our later behaviors and characteristics, including our health. This puts a particular premium on thinking about early life as a determinant of the health of populations. The urban environment is a particular environment for children and adolescents, creating tremendous opportunities for exposure to diverse populations and cultural experiences that can be enriching and a complement to an effective formal education. However, urban environments also present challenges to young people, ranging from safety in the face of multiple environmental exposures to limitations many young people may have in accessing salutary resources. This chapter discusses the opportunities and challenges that urban environments represent for childhood and adolescence and how optimizing urban environments to promote healthy childhood and adolescence can make critical contributions to the health of urban populations.