In Vancouver, B.C., Trevor Hancock is helping the city make the connection between the built environment and the health of the citizens.
Reporter David Ebner writes that there is "mounting research" connecting public health with the shape of cities:
"New research has found that cities designed for cars also foster obesity and diabetes. In studies from Atlanta to Vancouver, evidence shows that people who live in neighbourhoods that require cars to get around are fatter and less healthy than people who live near shops and grocers."
Ebner argues that urban planning used to be more connected with health, but over the decades got more obsessed with separating uses and planning for automobiles. Hancock says it takes a generation shift to change perceptions and policy.
FULL STORY: For healthy people, build a healthy city
Mapping Groundwater Risks from Orphan Wells Across U.S. Aquifers
A new USGS study reveals that more than half of the nation’s documented orphan wells lie within aquifers supplying the vast majority of U.S. groundwater, posing widespread risks of contamination from aging, unplugged infrastructure.
Poor Conditions in Mobile Home Parks Put Residents at Risk
Failing infrastructure, poor water and air quality, and predatory owners endanger the health of manufactured home residents, many of whom are elderly and low-income.
Comment: EPA Cuts will Send Atlanta Back to Eye-burning Ozone, Lung-damaging Smog, and Raw Sewage in the Chattahoochee River
A veteran political journalist takes stock of the hard-earned ground Georgia stands to lose with slashed environmental protection.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Walmart Announces Nationwide EV Charging Network
The company plans to install electric car chargers at most of its stores by 2030.
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.
Seattle Builds Subway-Sized Tunnel — for Stormwater
The $700 million ‘stormwater subway’ is designed to handle overflows during storms, which contain toxic runoff from roadways and vehicles.
Feds Clear Homeless Encampment in Oregon Forest
The action displaced over 100 people living on national forest land near Bend, Oregon.
Is This Urbanism?
Chuck Wolfe ponders a recommended subscription list of Substack urbanists and wonders — as have others — about the utility of the "urbanist" moniker.
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.
City of Moorpark
City of Tustin
Tyler Technologies
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions