Key Takeaways
- The stark differences in life expectancy and health outcomes across neighbourhoods result from systemic urban planning decisions.
- Everyone—policymakers, planners, architects, and residents—has a role in ensuring that cities are designed for health and well-being.
- The key question to ask before any project is: ‘Who benefits, and who is hurting?’.
Summary
- The Health Impact of Urban Planning
- Cities designed around automobiles rather than people contribute to pollution, stress, sedentary lifestyles, and unsafe environments.
- Inequities in city design contribute to significant disparities in life expectancy and overall well-being.
- Well-designed spaces with seating, greenery, and mixed uses foster social cohesion and mental well-being. Key design elements include:
- Ample seating options
- Water features
- Green spaces
- Play areas
- Small-scale commerce
- Rethinking land use planning
- Mixed-income housing is necessary for walkable, inclusive communities.
- Thoughtful density, rather than suburban sprawl, allows for more efficient, healthier, and more socially vibrant cities.
- Concepts such as the 15-minute city should not only serve high-income residents but also ensure that service workers, educators, and low-income residents can also live nearby.
- The Health Impact of Urban Planning
How can Cities apply these learnings?
- Prioritize health-focused urban policies that integrate housing, transport, and public space design.
- Shift away from car-dominated infrastructure toward active transportation:
- Expand protected bike lanes and pedestrianized streets.
- Reduce car parking to encourage alternative transit.
- Improve public transit frequency and affordability.
- Design streets and parks that promote social interaction and physical activity.
- Implement inclusionary zoning to require affordable housing in new developments.
Interesting resources
- The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces – Book by William H. Whyte.
- Life Between Buildings – Book by Jan Gehl.
- Case studies: Bryant Park (New York), Barcelona’s Superblocks, Amsterdam’s Cycling Infrastructure.
Ideas for further reading
- Addressing Health Disparities Is a Place-Based Issue by Irene Dankwa-Mullan and Eliseo J Pérez-Stable – https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4816016/
- How does pedestrianization impact stress levels and chronic disease rates?
- How can heat resilience strategies (e.g., tree canopies, reflective surfaces) be optimized for health outcomes?
