A combination of economic and social factors leads to higher rates of disease and reduced access to healthcare for many rural residents.

Rural Americans have a lower average life expectancy than their urban counterparts, a new study finds. “A key reason is worse rates among rural people for smoking, obesity and chronic conditions such as high blood pressure and heart disease. These conditions are condemning millions to disability and shortened lives.”
Elizabeth Currid-Halkett, Bryan Tysinger, and Jack Chapel outline the study results in an article for The Conversation, noting that in addition to reduced economic opportunities and an often car-centric lifestyle, “Living in rural areas, with their relatively sparse populations, often means a shortage of doctors, longer travel distances for medical care and inadequate investments in public health, driven partly by declines in economic opportunities.”
These insights matter for planners and policymakers who want to address the growing gap in life expectancy and health outcomes between urban and rural Americans. Factors such as economic opportunity, education, lifestyle, and health are interwoven in ways that are often hard to disentangle. “In tandem, these health and economic trends might reinforce each other and help fuel inequality between rural and urban areas that produces a profoundly different quality of life.”
FULL STORY: Rural Americans Don’t Live as Long as Those in Cities, Says New Research

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees
More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?

LA’s Tree Emergency Goes Beyond Vandalism
After a vandal destroyed dozens of downtown LA trees, Mayor Karen Bass vowed to replace them. Days later, she slashed the city’s tree budget.

Sacramento Leads Nation With Bus-Mounted Bike Lane Enforcement Cameras
The city is the first to use its bus-mounted traffic enforcement system to cite drivers who park or drive in bike lanes.

Seattle Voters Approve Social Housing Referendum
Voters approved a corporate tax to fund the city’s housing authority despite an opposition campaign funded by Amazon and Microsoft.
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