الفهرس 
IntroductionOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
The world is witnessing rapid expansion in its urban environment, with increasing population moving to cities. This condition is directly affecting the standard of living of individuals as well as imposing serious health risks to the local communities. Those health risks may include road traffic accidents, injuries, contaminated food or water, exposure to infectious diseases and non-communicable diseases. These, in turn, are associated to a wide range of inter-related spatial and socio-economic urban characteristics that directly influence health conditions and prevalence of diseases. In this respect, respiratory diseases, like allergies and asthma are increasing worldwide affecting all age groups. There are evidence suggesting that, urban related factors such as proximity to busy roads, high traffic density and increased exposure to pollution, are linked to the rising frequency of these diseases. These can range from severe conditions (leading to death) or minor irritations (allergies or asthmas). The aim of this research is to discuss the distribution of several urban determinants in different urban contexts in the city of Alexandria, Egypt. Hence, it examines the relationship between the distribution of the urban determinants displayed and the prevalence of respiratory diseases in the city of Alexandria, Egypt. The methodology adopted includes two steps. The first step defines and analyzes three main urban attributes: (i) the urban, (ii) the socio-economic and (iii) the environmental attributes. The three attributes include multiple parameters that are considered as important determinants of health in the city. A Geographic Information Systems software (GIS) is used to spatially define the distribution of each parameter in city districts. The data of the parameters showed that values of the selected parameters depict remarkable variations that are due to the complexity of the urban system. Accordingly, the Probability Density Function (PDF) method was selected to filter and to smooth values, and to enhance and clarify variations. Another advantage of PDF in the context of this study is to detect future trends regarding the spatial distribution of weighted parameters. In the second step, a distribution map of respiratory diseases is created. Pearson correlation and regression analyses are used to assess the relationship between the defined urban attributes and the prevalence of diseases. It is concluded that the extent and value of contribution of the studied parameters differs from one location to another. Furthermore, significant correlation is depicted between some of the urban parameters and the spatial distribution of respiratory diseases in Alexandria. The results of this study will contribute in understanding the impact of some urban planning decisions and policies on the wellbeing of the local communities in large urban agglomerations in Egypt and elsewhere.