Making Healthy Places : Designing and Building for Health, Well-being, and Sustainability

The environment that we construct affects both humans and our natural world in myriad ways. There is a pressing need to create healthy places and to reduce the health threats inherent in places already built. However, there has been little awareness of the adverse effects of what we have constructed-or the positive benefits of well designed built environments. This book provides a far-reaching follow-up to the pathbreaking Urban Sprawl and Public Health, published in 2004. That book sparked a range of inquiries into the connections between constructed environments, particularly cities and suburbs, and the health of residents, especially humans. Since then, numerous studies have extended and refined the book's research and reporting. Making Healthy Places offers a fresh and comprehensive look at this vital subject today. There is no other book with the depth, breadth, vision, and accessibility that this book offers. In addition to being of particular interest to undergraduate and graduate students in public health and urban planning, it will be essential reading for public health officials, planners, architects, landscape architects, environmentalists, and all those who care about the design of their communities. Like a well-trained doctor, Making Healthy Places presents a diagnosis of--and offers treatment for--problems related to the built environment. Drawing on the latest scientific evidence, with contributions from experts in a range of fields, it imparts a wealth of practical information, with an emphasis on demonstrated and promising solutions to commonly occurring problems. (20110512) Cover......Page 1 Making Healthy Places ......Page 4 ISBN-13: 9781597267267 (paper)......Page 5 Contents......Page 12 Preface ......Page 16 PART I: INTRODUCTION ......Page 24 Key Points......Page 26 Introduction......Page 27 Health and the Built Environment: Ancient Origins......Page 31 Birth of Modern Public Health......Page 32 Contemporary Practice of Public Health......Page 37 Birth of Modern City Planning......Page 41 Contemporary Practice in the Design Professions......Page 46 Intersection of the Public Health and Design Professions......Page 49 References......Page 51 PART II: THE IMPACT OF COMMUNITY DESIGN ON HEALTH ......Page 54 Introduction......Page 56 Increasing Active Transportation......Page 58 Land Use, Street Connectivity and Residential Density......Page 59 Transportation Facilities and Pedestrian Infrastructure......Page 60 Environmental Interventions......Page 61 Increasing Active Recreation......Page 62 Access to Recreation Facilities......Page 63 Quality of Recreation Facilities......Page 65 Summary......Page 66 References......Page 70 Introduction......Page 73 Nutrition and Population Health......Page 74 Overview of Food Environments......Page 76 Food Stores: Distribution, Correlates, and Associations with Health Problems......Page 78 Agriculture and Food Systems......Page 79 Food Environment and Policy Solutions......Page 81 Summary......Page 83 References......Page 84 Introduction......Page 86 Exposure to Air Pollution in Urban Environments......Page 88 The Built Environment and Air Pollution Exposure......Page 89 Traffic and Health......Page 92 Air Quality Management in Urban Environments......Page 95 Summary......Page 97 References......Page 98 Introduction......Page 100 Injury Epidemiology......Page 101 Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety and the Built Environment......Page 103 Fall Prevention by Design......Page 107 Sports Injury Prevention by Design......Page 108 Drowning Prevention by Design......Page 109 Violence and Crime Prevention by Design......Page 110 References......Page 111 Introduction......Page 114 Drinking Water......Page 115 Wastewater......Page 118 Too Little Water......Page 119 Too Much Water......Page 120 Water Quality......Page 123 Climate Change, Water, and Health......Page 124 Issues in Developing Countries......Page 125 Policy Approaches to Clean, Ample Water......Page 126 References......Page 127 Introduction......Page 129 Promoting Mental Health and Well-Being......Page 130 Enhancing Social Capital......Page 131 Stress and Depression......Page 133 Aggression and Violence......Page 135 Summary......Page 137 References......Page 138 Introduction......Page 140 What Is Social Capital?......Page 141 Mechanisms through Which Social Capital Affects Health......Page 142 Empirical Evidence for the Association between Social Capital and Health......Page 143 Mechanisms through Which the Built Environment Affects Social Capital......Page 144 Empirical Evidence of the Association between the Built Environment and Social Capital......Page 145 Research and Practice: Improving Social Capital through Built Environment Interventions......Page 147 References......Page 150 Introduction......Page 152 Evolving Awareness of Impacts on Vulnerable Populations......Page 154 Practical Understanding of Vulnerabilities in Individuals and in Populations......Page 156 Case Studies......Page 162 References......Page 166 PART III: DIAGNOSING AND HEALING OUR BUILT ENVIRONMENTS ......Page 170 Introduction......Page 172 Smart Growth......Page 174 Transit-Oriented Development......Page 175 Physical Activity......Page 177 Air Quality and Climate Mitigation......Page 179 Urban Heat Abatement......Page 180 Traffic Safety......Page 181 Change the Rules of Development......Page 183 Adopt Pedestrian-Friendly Site and Building Design Standards......Page 184 Reduce Fiscal Competition among Local Governments......Page 185 Make Routes to School Safer......Page 186 Manage Urban Growth......Page 187 References......Page 188 Introduction......Page 193 Biological Agents......Page 197 Chemical Agents......Page 198 Physical Exposures......Page 199 Improving Housing Conditions......Page 200 Delivering Housing Interventions......Page 203 Policy Considerations......Page 205 Summary......Page 206 References......Page 207 Home Visit Programs......Page 210 Introduction......Page 211 Workplace Design Using a Life Cycle Approach......Page 213 Construction......Page 215 Physical Factors......Page 218 Musculoskeletal Factors......Page 219 Chemical and Biological Factors......Page 220 Promoting Worker Health through Design......Page 221 References......Page 224 Introduction......Page 226 A Brief History of Health Care Facility Design......Page 228 The Growth of Green......Page 231 Links among Quality, Safety, and Sustainability......Page 233 A Hospital Experience Revisited......Page 235 Summary......Page 236 References......Page 237 For Further Information......Page 238 Introduction......Page 239 Transportation......Page 241 Chemical Exposures......Page 242 Physical Factors......Page 244 The Food Environment......Page 245 Sports Venues......Page 247 Managing for Safe and Healthy Schools......Page 248 References......Page 249 Introduction......Page 252 Nature Contact: A Health Benefit?......Page 253 Buildings......Page 255 Neighborhoods......Page 257 Gardens......Page 259 Parks......Page 260 Summary......Page 263 References......Page 264 For Further Information......Page 266 Introduction......Page 267 Community Resilience as a Primary Goal......Page 271 Community Resilience: Key Planning Dimensions......Page 272 Building and Structural Resilience......Page 273 Landscape and Site Design......Page 275 Resilient Lifelines and Infrastructure......Page 276 Ecological Resilience: Conservation and Restoration of Natural Systems......Page 278 Social and Economic Resilience......Page 279 References......Page 280 PART IV: STRATEGIES FOR HEALTHY PLACES: A TOOLBOX ......Page 282 Introduction......Page 284 Theories of Health Behavior......Page 287 Summary......Page 291 References......Page 292 Introduction......Page 294 Policy and Legislation......Page 295 Land Use......Page 297 Applied Land-Use Policy and Legislation......Page 298 Housing......Page 299 Transportation......Page 300 Applied Transportation Policy and Legislation......Page 303 Finance......Page 304 Mortgage Policy......Page 305 Commercial Development......Page 306 Schools......Page 307 References......Page 308 Introduction......Page 310 What Is Community Engagement?......Page 312 Honest and Effective Engagement Is Critical......Page 314 Who Gets Engaged and How?......Page 315 Does Engagement Matter for Building Healthy Places?......Page 317 Communities of Time and Space: The Importance of Historical of Context......Page 320 Summary......Page 323 References......Page 324 Introduction......Page 326 Measuring Health and Built Environments......Page 327 Walkability Measures......Page 328 Assessing Healthy Places: Tools to Influence Decisions......Page 331 Health Impact Assessment......Page 332 LEED for Neighborhood Development......Page 335 Summary......Page 338 References......Page 339 PART V: LOOKING OUTWARD, LOOKING AHEAD ......Page 342 Introduction......Page 344 Training Leaders to Create Healthy Places......Page 345 Next Steps in the Development of Health and Built Environment Training......Page 346 Training, Existing Certification, and Competency Frameworks......Page 348 A Built Environment and Public Health Curriculum......Page 349 Building Programs: Training Beyond an Individual Course......Page 350 Looking Beyond the Classroom: Real-World Examples......Page 352 Summary......Page 353 References......Page 357 Introduction......Page 358 Considerations for Research on Health and the Built Environment......Page 359 Approaches for Research on Health and the Built Environment......Page 360 Targeting Research Gaps......Page 362 References......Page 371 Introduction......Page 373 The New Urban Landscape......Page 374 Global and National Conditions......Page 377 City-level Determinants......Page 380 Urban Living Conditions......Page 381 Behavior......Page 382 Green and Brown Agendas, Consumption, and Sustainability......Page 383 Future Directions......Page 385 Summary......Page 386 References......Page 387 Introduction......Page 389 Future Challenges......Page 390 Sustainability and Health......Page 391 Housing, Feeding, and Moving People......Page 392 Doing Business, Working, Learning, and Playing......Page 394 Resource Flows......Page 395 Achieving a Transition to Sustainable Built Environments......Page 396 Future Built Environments—Sustainable and Healthy?......Page 398 References......Page 400 Glossary ......Page 402 About the Editors ......Page 420 Contributors ......Page 421 Acknowledgments ......Page 426 Index ......Page 428 Plates......Page 440

The environment that we construct affects both humans and our natural world in myriad ways. There is a pressing need to create healthy places and to reduce the health threats inherent in places already built. However, there has been little awareness of the adverse effects of what we have constructed-or the positive benefits of well designed built environments.
 

This book provides a far-reaching follow-up to the pathbreaking Urban Sprawl and Public Health, published in 2004. That book sparked a range of inquiries into the connections between constructed environments, particularly cities and suburbs, and the health of residents, especially humans. Since then, numerous studies have extended and refined the book's research and reporting. Making Healthy Places offers a fresh and comprehensive look at this vital subject today.
 

There is no other book with the depth, breadth, vision, and accessibility that this book offers. In addition to being of particular interest to undergraduate and graduate students in public health and urban planning, it will be essential reading for public health officials, planners, architects, landscape architects, environmentalists, and all those who care about the design of their communities.
 

Like a well-trained doctor, Making Healthy Places presents a diagnosis of--and offers treatment for--problems related to the built environment. Drawing on the latest scientific evidence, with contributions from experts in a range of fields, it imparts a wealth of practical information, with an emphasis on demonstrated and promising solutions to commonly occurring problems.

 

"The environment that we construct affects both humans and our natural world in myriad ways. There is a pressing need to create healthy places and to reduce the health threats inherent in places already built. However, there has been little awareness of the adverse effects of what we have constructed-or the positive benefits of well designed built environments. This book provides a far-reaching follow-up to the pathbreaking Urban Sprawl and Public Health, published in 2004. That book sparked a range of inquiries into the connections between constructed environments, particularly cities and suburbs, and the health of residents, especially humans. Since then, numerous studies have extended and refined the book's research and reporting. Making Healthy Places offers a fresh and comprehensive look at this vital subject today. There is no other book with the depth, breadth, vision, and accessibility that this book offers. In addition to being of particular interest to undergraduate and graduate students in public health and urban planning, it will be essential reading for public health officials, planners, architects, landscape architects, environmentalists, and all those who care about the design of their communities. Like a well-trained doctor, Making Healthy Places presents a diagnosis of-and offers treatment for-problems related to the built environment. Drawing on the latest scientific evidence, with contributions from experts in a range of fields, it imparts a wealth of practical information, with an emphasis on demonstrated and promising solutions to commonly occurring problems."-- Résumé de l'éditeur "The environment that we construct affects both humans and our natural world in myriad ways. There is a pressing need to create healthy places and to reduce the health threats inherent in places already built. However, there has been little awareness of the adverse effects of what we have constructed-or the positive benefits of well designed built environments. This book provides a far-reaching follow-up to the pathbreaking Urban Sprawl and Public Health, published in 2004. That book sparked a range of inquiries into the connections between constructed environments, particularly cities and suburbs, and the health of residents, especially humans. Since then, numerous studies have extended and refined the book's research and reporting. Making Healthy Places offers a fresh and comprehensive look at this vital subject today. There is no other book with the depth, breadth, vision, and accessibility that this book offers. In addition to being of particular interest to undergraduate and graduate students in public health and urban planning, it will be essential reading for public health officials, planners, architects, landscape architects, environmentalists, and all those who care about the design of their communities. Like a well-trained doctor, Making Healthy Places presents a diagnosis of-and offers treatment for-problems related to the built environment. Drawing on the latest scientific evidence, with contributions from experts in a range of fields, it imparts a wealth of practical information, with an emphasis on demonstrated and promising solutions to commonly occurring problems."--Provided by publisher. "The environment that we construct affects both humans and our natural world in myriad ways. There is a pressing need to create healthy places and to reduce the health threats inherent in places already built. However, there has been little awareness of the adverse effects of what we have constructed-or the positive benefits of well designed built environments. This book provides a far-reaching follow-up to the pathbreaking Urban Sprawl and Public Health, published in 2004. That book sparked a range of inquiries into the connections between constructed environments, particularly cities and suburbs, and the health of residents, especially humans. Since then, numerous studies have extended and refined the book's research and reporting. Making Healthy Places offers a fresh and comprehensive look at this vital subject today. There is no other book with the depth, breadth, vision, and accessibility that this book offers. In addition to being of particular interest to undergraduate and graduate students in public health and urban planning, it will be essential reading for public health officials, planners, architects, landscape architects, environmentalists, and all those who care about the design of their communities. Like a well-trained doctor, Making Healthy Places presents a diagnosis of-and offers treatment for-problems related to the built environment. Drawing on the latest scientific evidence, with contributions from experts in a range of fields, it imparts a wealth of practical information, with an emphasis on demonstrated and promising solutions to commonly occurring problems."-- Provided by publisher