As the pandemic emphasized, the way we design our cities can have lasting impacts on residents' health and wellness.

In Governing, Alan Ehrenhalt highlights the link between urban design and public health, pointing to arguments by public health experts that the way we design cities and buildings has a powerful impact on the health of individuals and populations.
A fair amount of public health by design has to do with re-engineering temperature, especially making the environment cooler in abnormally hot times and places. Reducing the amount of blacktop pavement is one way to do this; too much blacktop creates a heat trap. Protecting tree cover is one more; ample tree cover has been shown to reduce the prevalence of asthma in large cities.
As another example, walkability affects people's ability to get regular exercise by walking to work, school, or local amenities. Meanwhile, polluted air can counteract the positive effects of good sidewalks and crosswalks by contributing to the prevalence of lung and respiratory diseases.
Ehrenhalt provides other examples of design choices that impact public health, including stairways, ventilation, and open-air plazas. But while he supports the concept, Ehrenhalt cautions that "Adding health impact studies, in addition to forcing predictions that are difficult to make in the long run, would add significantly to the red-tape problem." Nevertheless, the public health lessons of the past century can inform design decisions that create healthier cities.
FULL STORY: Is the Design of Our Cities Making Us Sick?

Study: Maui’s Plan to Convert Vacation Rentals to Long-Term Housing Could Cause Nearly $1 Billion Economic Loss
The plan would reduce visitor accommodation by 25,% resulting in 1,900 jobs lost.

Placekeeping: Setting a New Precedent for City Planners
How a preservation-based approach to redevelopment and urban design can prevent displacement and honor legacy communities.

Using Old Oil and Gas Wells for Green Energy Storage
Penn State researchers have found that repurposing abandoned oil and gas wells for geothermal-assisted compressed-air energy storage can boost efficiency, reduce environmental risks, and support clean energy and job transitions.

Rethinking Wildfire Defense: How a Landscape Approach Can Protect Neighborhoods
Post-fire analysis of the Eaton Fire reveals that a landscape approach — including fire-resistant vegetation, home hardening, and strategic planning — can help reduce wildfire risk, challenging assumptions that trees and plants are primary fire hazards.

Scientists Studying Artificial Reefs as Flood Mitigation in Great Lakes
Artificial reefs could offer a ‘softer’ flood management and erosion solution that doesn’t disrupt the flow of sediment.

FEMA Resilience Program Cuts Grant Funding
The Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program funded projects from flood prevention to power station upgrades.
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