The world’s ageing population continues to grow at an unprecedented rate, and the future holds a significantly different demographic reality than the one we know today. As people age they suffer from more and more illnesses, which is placing an increasing burden on global healthcare systems.

Technological advancements have moved into most aspects of our lives, and the potential in tech-based healthcare practices is huge. We need to explore this potential to create new practices which can benefit patients, healthcare personal and society as a whole.

We already know that our cities greatly impact public health. Mental illnesses like stress and anxiety are a fast-growing challenge and have both been directly linked to urban life. As urban populations continue to grow, so does urban design’s influence on our health.

As we learn more about health, we realise that good health isn’t just the absence of illness. Rather, a healthy life is the result of a variety of factors in our environment, from meaningful social relationships to what we eat and how we sleep.

These days, we are experiencing a series of radical changes in our social and cultural spheres. Identity issues about race, gender and culture create a new sociocultural landscape where diversity is normalised to a much larger degree. As a result, taboos regarding health are breaking down and the way we talk about health is changing drastically.