In the final episode of Streets in the Sky, we talk to experts working in architecture and public health to explore how to address this developing crisis in modern living. To the degree that we do not work together to build new, sustainable homes, we risk exacerbating public health issues from poor-quality homes — which will only worsen as the world warms.

In its opening episode, Streets in the Sky explores how the concept of home is fundamental to human nature, and how ignoring that connection can lead to serious harm to well-being. We focus on the Doddington Estate in London, a tower block which over the past century has replaced traditional homes and led to widespread social and public health issues among its residents.

In episode two, we switch our focus to Mumbai, in which about six million people live in slums. The Indian government is focused on what it calls slum rehabilitation, but work by researchers at Cambridge suggests that the new tower blocks, which resemble those built in London in the post-war period, lead to as many public health problems as they do solutions.

We explore the public health implications of modern housing. With global warming creating unsafe living environments across the world, new tower blocks that do not account for local needs are likely to transform into public health crises over the coming years. We speak to academics, architects, public health specialists, and government representatives to determine both the importance of this growing problem and what can be done about it. Homes need to change — but changing them in the wrong way will lead everyone to be worse off.