Sacramento's MPO thinks it's time to re-establish the old link between public health and city planning. But is smart growth really healthier? And whose responsibility is it to build healthy cities anyways?
With our nation’s most common epidemics reaching unprecedented numbers throughout suburban American, the public health community has begun to look at city planning as a quantifiable variable in measuring health.
In the Sacramento Valley, a region plagued by sprawling growth and worsening air quality, city planners and public health officials are starting to coordinate their efforts. The ongoing debate between politicians, homeowners, developers and planners has left a number of unanswered questions: Can smart growth truly prevent ill-health? Whose responsibility is it to provide a healthier living environment? And will the new science linking sprawl and health problems catalyze improvements in the way Sacramento grows?
"In essence, public health is about making healthy living easy. Prevention, the heart of public health, is best accomplished when it is passive. For example, fluoridation of the water supply as a method of preventing cavities is a public health intervention built into the infrastructure of our daily lives. It requires almost no public effort or education and thereby makes being healthy easy. Developing cities that are by design healthier could be a similarly important public health development. By designing cities that are walkable, with safe pedestrian corridors and centralized multi-use developments, we design cities that promote resident activity and thus lead to less obesity. By designing cities with better mass transit and bicycle lanes, we design cities with less air pollution and incidence of asthma."
Thanks to David Godfrey
FULL STORY: PLANNING: Health by Design: the Crusade for Healthier Cities in the Sacramento Valley
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
Planning for Accessibility: Proximity is More Important than Mobility
Accessibility-based planning minimizes the distance that people must travel to reach desired services and activities. Measured this way, increased density can provide more total benefits than increased speeds.
World's Largest Wildlife Overpass In the Works in Los Angeles County
Caltrans will soon close half of the 101 Freeway in order to continue construction of the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing near Agoura Hills in Los Angeles County.
How Transit Architecture Impacts Real and Perceived Safety
More than a third of Americans believe major transit systems are too unsafe to ride. The built environment can change that.
New York Passes Housing Package Focused on New Development and Adaptive Reuse
The FY 2025 budget includes a new tax incentive, funding for affordable housing on state land, and support for adaptive reuse and ADUs.
LA Metro Board Approves New 710 Freeway Plan
The newest plan for the 710 corridor claims it will not displace any residents.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Tufts University, Department of Urban and Environmental Policy & Planning
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
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.