Environmental problems in cities in Latin America and Africa tend to be seen through eyes that have Northern perceptions and preoccupations. Low-income groups are the least able to afford the homes that protect against environmental hazards, that is, good quality housing in neighborhoods with piped water and adequate provision for sanitation, garbage collection, paved roads and drains. Many of the environmental impacts created by the demands for goods by consumers and businesses in wealthy cities are transferred to distant eco-systems, with the environmental health costs being borne by inhabitants of these distant eco-systems. The cities where environmental health problems are likely to be the most serious and to affect the highest proportion of the population are the smaller and less prosperous cities in lower-income countries or in the lower-income regions of middle-income countries.