Key Takeaways
- Built environment, such as protected lanes, nearby shops, open schoolyards, tree canopy, etc., shapes human behaviour and daily choices.
- Good intentions, campaigns, policy advice, etc, fail unless the situation is changed to make living healthier an easy choice.
- Healthier diets, sufficient sleep, social connection, regular contact with nature, and everyday physical activity are the five top priorities that enable healthier outcomes at the neighborhood scale.
Summary
- We need cities that are fun. The library, the sidewalks, the parks – everything that is free should be joyful to attract and retain citizens.
- Situation modification delivers behaviour change:
- Well-being is achieved when city design and policy choices remove friction for healthy routines and lifestyles.
- A few examples of situational modifications include proximity to necessities; safe, slow streets; programmed public spaces; tree equity; and multipurpose uses for communities.
- Irrespective of the city size, when you start thinking at the neighborhood scale, the same solutions can be applied and scaled.
- Examples of strong political will and strategic decisions:
- Bogota’s Open streets / Ciclovia- an open streets program that grew through repeated programming and rapid cultural change.
- Paris’s cycling culture – rapid rollout of protected bike lanes during the COVID-19 pandemic after a mayoral directive.
- Seoul’s Cheonggyecheon Restoration Project – removal of a 5.6-kilometer (3.5-mile) elevated highway built over the buried Cheonggyecheon stream, and creating a new open space.
- Mexico’s ban on junk food in schools – schools were asked to adapt their kitchens within six months to serve healthier foods and make chips, sodas, and sugary snacks off-limits on campus.
- Practical solutions:
- 30km/h as the maximum speed limit in urban areas
- 3-30-300 tree rule – park within 300 meters, 30% canopy target in neighborhoods, and a minimum of 3 trees visible from homes.
- Open schoolyards as a community space after school hours and on weekends
- Flexible work hours to reduce congestion, better work-life balance, and increase productivity.
- Noise level limitations in neighborhoods
- Design cities that work for an eight-year-old and an eight-year-old.
How can Cities apply these learnings?
- Aim to plan for neighborhood-level proximity that reduces car trips, increases physical activity, and incentivizes the local economy.
- Design an inclusive, connected network of protected lanes that serves all ages and abilities to promote mode-shift to walking and cycling.
- Slow streets pilot for residential and school areas.
Ideas for further reading
- The 3-30-300 Rule for Urban Forestry and Greener Cities by Cecil Konijnendijk. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/353571108_The_3-30-300_Rule_for_Urban_Forestry_and_Greener_Cities
- Best practice in boosting cycling modal share and creating safe, sustainable cities. https://urban-mobility-observatory.transport.ec.europa.eu/resources/case-studies/best-practice-boosting-cycling-modal-share-and-creating-safe-sustainable-cities_en
Ideas for further research
- Experiment situation-change: Deploy tactical interventions in a neighborhood and measure change in modal share, physical activity, social contact, etc.
- Pilot a school-yard program opening it as a community space after school hours and on weekends, and measure physical activity in the community, social interactions, and elders’ participation in social life.
