Healthy Municipalities, Cities and Communities in Latin America: Strong Histories, Committed Futures

Abstract

In this chapter we provide a brief overview of the historical context of democratization and urbanization in the 1980s that supported the growth of health promotion, community development and the Healthy Municipalities, Cities and Communities Movement throughout the Latin American Region. This region contains immense cultural, geographic, linguistic and political diversity. Within this diversity, dynamic and vibrant networks of healthy municipalities, cities and communities (HMC) have emerged. The chapter outlines the major milestones of HMC development over the last three-and-a-half decades and highlights case studies that showcase the range of initiatives, as well as their achievements and challenges. Over this period, many tools have been developed to support countries in their efforts; a sampling of these has been summarized with links to the tools themselves. The chapter concludes with a brief analysis and some reflections on future prospects for the HMC movement in Latin America.