A public health expert calls on transportation planners to ensure all residents have access to reliable transportation.
In a piece for The Flint Courier News, Dr. Aisha Harris asserts that transportation is a social determinant of health — “Meaning it directly and indirectly impacts how we access health care, obtain wellness and manage our chronic medical problems.”
Harris separates personal transportation options and transportation infrastructure, which is not in most people’s individual control. “In health, transportation is essential to how people access health care and maintain health, whether it is getting to the doctor, picking up medication from the pharmacy, going to the grocery store to maintain nutritional needs, or walking around their neighborhood to get more exercise.”
According to Harris, million of Americans can’t access medical care due to transportation issues such as long distances, lack of access to a vehicle, cost, or inadequate infrastructure. Thus, transportation and public health are intimately intertwined issues. “There are a lot of options to how a city, urban or rural, can look when it comes to transportation. But the infrastructure we create in our communities must adapt and include the needs of the entire community in order to not create more barriers and challenges, but help address them.”
FULL STORY: Getting there is half the battle: How transportation impacts your health
Proposed Alabama Bill Would Fund Public Transit
The senator who introduced the legislation cited concerns about the state’s low levels of workforce participation, noting that a lack of transportation is one of the main reasons Alabama residents can’t participate in the workforce.
Linking Transportation Access and Public Health
Millions of Americans miss medical care and other important day-to-day appointments due to a lack of access to reliable transportation.
Philadelphia Councilmember Proposes Transit Access Fund
The plan would allocate 0.5 percent of the general fund toward mobility subsidies for low-income households.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Canada vs. Kamala: Whose Liberal Housing Platform Comes Out on Top?
As Canada votes for a new Prime Minister, what can America learn from the leading liberal candidate of its neighbor to the north?
The Five Most-Changed American Cities
A ranking of population change, home values, and jobs highlights the nation’s most dynamic and most stagnant regions.
San Diego Adopts First Mobility Master Plan
The plan provides a comprehensive framework for making San Diego’s transportation network more multimodal, accessible, and sustainable.
Housing, Supportive Service Providers Brace for Federal Cuts
Organizations that provide housing assistance are tightening their purse strings and making plans for maintaining operations if federal funding dries up.
Op-Ed: Why an Effective Passenger Rail Network Needs Government Involvement
An outdated rail network that privileges freight won’t be fixed by privatizing Amtrak.
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.
Village of Glen Ellyn
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions