Urban Sustainability and Ecological Footprint towards Health Expenditure: A Conceptual Paper

Abstract

Urban Sustainability is one of the most important agendas for a country to focus on as it makes the society and communities live in balance and defensible. The pleasant surrounding will create better production and economic growth. Most of the researchers found that the urban population will increase environmental degradation. It is involved the destruction of the environment and is included as one of the ecological footprints produced by humanity. The ecological footprint will increase and affect the health level of the nation. People may suffer skin irritation because of air pollution, diarrhea from water pollution, and others. Urbanization itself may directly influence health expenditure as it refers to the demographic transition from rural to urban. Since the population of urban is increasing, their health spending also increases. This paper will provide a conceptual framework on the relationship between urban sustainability and ecological footprints on health expenditure which can help spread the importance of urbanization policy to reduce the ecological footprint and spending. Therefore, the government may focus on other types of expenditure for the country's development.