World Cities Day 2026: Housing, Neighborhoods, and Health: Gentrification in the Cities of the Americas

Latin American and Caribbean cities are undergoing rapid and uneven transformations. Rising land values, tourism-driven speculation, and informal evictions are displacing long-established communities, creating a public health challenge that health systems across the Region have yet to fully recognize and address.

Displacement driven by gentrification and housing insecurity functions as a structural social determinant of health through two mutually reinforcing pathways: physical displacement, through formal and informal evictions that disrupt access to services, support networks, and livable environments; and symbolic or cultural displacement, which erodes residents’ sense of belonging, neighborhood identity, and community ties, even among those who remain in place but become increasingly marginalized by changes in their surroundings. Both pathways have documented consequences for physical and mental health, including higher rates of depression, anxiety, and chronic diseases, as well as reduced access to healthcare.

PAHO proposes recognizing housing stability and neighborhood belonging as essential urban care infrastructure and placing them at the center of the health equity agenda. Organized in collaboration with the Healthy Municipalities, Cities and Communities Regional Movement (MCCS) and Mercociudades, this virtual seminar connects the global theme of World Cities Day 2026 with urban health and with concrete experiences from cities across the Region.