Urban planning helps to reduce effects of future pandemics, achieves sustainable development goals: UN Report

New York: A new report on pandemics and cities from UN-Habitat, points the way to how hard-hit urban centres can reduce the impact of future outbreaks and become more equitable, healthy and environmentally friendly.

Cities and Pandemics: Towards a more just, green and healthy future, launched on Tuesday, describes how urban areas have been at the forefront of the COVID-19 crisis. "95 % of all cases"wererecorded in cities in the first monthsof the pandemic, UN-Habitat Executive Director, Maimunah Mohd Sharif said.