Each month new research emerges linking public health with the built environment. Yet just a small fraction of healthcare spending goes toward reducing our exposure to unhealthy environments. Under the Affordable Care Act, that could soon change.
"Public health practitioners look at streets like the one above and have gradually come to the conclusion–based on reams of studies–that exposure to streetscapes like it are one of the causes of Americans’ ever-increasing rise chronic disease," writes Brice Maryman. "In fact, the New England Health Care Institute estimates that our environments influence as much as 20% of our public health outcomes."
"All of this evidence begs the question: if the built environment is a significant determinant of our public health outcomes, why aren’t health entities–hospitals, HMO’s and clinics–helping to build a better infrastructure that supports sound health outcomes? While public health agencies like PHSKC and the CDC have been leading the way, the private sector has been generally hesitant to directly intervene in the built environment."
FULL STORY: To Control Health Costs, Build Sidewalks
Effort to Make NYC Streets Safer Paying Dividends
Jane E. Brody reports on the safety features New York City has instituted as part of an ambitious effort to completely re-engineer city streets.
Austin Suburb Launches Walkability Study
Kyle, Texas is developing a Sidewalks Master Plan to improve walking facilities.
Sibling Study Highlights Impact of Green Neighborhoods on Public Health
More evidence that access to green spaces and walkable communities improve public health outcomes.
What ‘The Brutalist’ Teaches Us About Modern Cities
How architecture and urban landscapes reflect the trauma and dysfunction of the post-war experience.
USDOT Revokes Approval for NYC Congestion Pricing
Despite the administration’s stated concern for the “working class,” 85 percent of Manhattan commuters use public transit to enter the city.
Tiny House Villages for Addressing Homelessness: An Interview with Yetimoni Kpeebi
One researcher's perspective on the potential of tiny homes and owner-built housing as one tool to fight the housing crisis.
Preserving Altadena’s Trees: A Community Effort to Save a Fire-Damaged Landscape
In the wake of the Eaton Fire, Altadena Green is working to preserve fire-damaged but recoverable trees, advocating for better assessment processes, educating homeowners, and protecting the community’s urban canopy from unnecessary removal.
The VW Bus is Back — Now as an Electric Minivan
Volkswagen’s ID. Buzz reimagines its iconic Bus as a fully electric minivan, blending retro design with modern technology, a 231-mile range, and practical versatility to offer a stylish yet functional EV for the future.
Investigation Reveals Just How Badly California’s Homeless Shelters are Failing
Fraud, violence, death, and chaos follow a billion dollar investment in a temporary solution that is proving ineffective.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Economic & Planning Systems, Inc.
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research