It is increasingly recognized that Indiais urbanizing rapidly, that urbanization is accompanying andcontributing to economic growth, but that living conditionsin urban areas are often not adequate, particularly for thepoor. Health, nutrition, and population conditions are animportant part of the urbanization equation. This paperexplores the extent to which health, nutrition, andpopulation conditions may be contributing to the benefits ofurbanization, as well as the extent to which they mayreflect its costs. This is an exploratory study that reviewsavailable information on health, nutrition, and populationconditions in urban India. Recognizing that nationalgeneralizations and statistics may mask considerablediversity in how the opportunities and challenges ofurbanization and health are met in different cities acrossthe country, this paper also draws on specifics of four casestudies: Chennai in Tamil Nadu, Bhubaneswar in Odisha,Meerut in Uttar Pradesh, and Shillong in Meghalaya. Thesummary section provides an overview of this exploratoryanalysis, discussing the patterns and issues that emerge,along with policy implications in section one. Thisintroductory section two briefly discusses how urbanizationand health may be conceptualized, and describes themethodology of this paper. Section three describesgovernance and organization of urban health systems.Sections four and five review data on the demographic andepidemiological situation in urban India, as well as serviceutilization. Section six analyzes disparities in healthoutcomes and access to services, and section seven focuseson water supply and sanitation in urban areas.
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