This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Rats are on the ballot in Canadian municipal elections this fall, with several political parties promising to tackle city rat problems. While rats may seem like a niche election issue, they can point to broader societal concerns about housing, public services and civic engagement.
Rats are ubiquitous urban residents that cities have attempted to evict for centuries. Often portrayed as dirty pests and bringers of plague, they can harbor pathogens that cause illnesses in people and pets, like rat-bite fever and leptospirosis. So why have cities had so little success in reducing rat numbers?
Well, rats are synanthropes, species that benefit from living alongside humans, and have adapted remarkably well to our paved, cacophonous and bustling streets. Cities provide abundant resources for rats to thrive: Food scraps are meals; standing water on sidewalks supplies drinking water; and cracks in buildings offer access to shelter. Municipal policies and bylaws shape how these environments are built and maintained, influencing living conditions for both people and rats.
Thinking about rats through municipal elections can offer a more tangible way to understand how complex it is to manage rats without addressing broader issues. We reviewed studies from cities in high-income countries. Using synthesis and complex systems mapping methods, we examined the social and environmental conditions linked to urban rats, how they influence where people encounter rats across different neighborhoods and how they impact residents' ability to respond.
Here are a few of our findings and how they connect to municipal issues, using examples from Vancouver's upcoming election. Our homes are the most intimate spaces where we can encounter rats. Adequate housing is a human right enshrined under many nations' laws, including Canada's.
Housing habitability, affordability and security—components of adequate housing—can impact encounters between residents and rats. Concerns about "living in housing that doesn't meet [people's] needs" relate to habitability—or the quality of housing that guarantees safety and protection against threats to health. Cracks and gaps in older, poorly maintained dwellings allow rats into places where people eat and sleep.
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