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.
Read the full story: For healthy people, build a healthy city
As Texans face soaring electricity costs, a public health crisis looms
Demand for electricity in Texas is surging, largely driven by data centers and other industries, and residential customers are footing the bill.
America faces a 'fun shortage'
The United States has lost nearly a third of its bowling alleys and a fifth of its movie theaters since 2001.
Replacing lead pipes in Chicago costs more than 6 times the national average — and authorities can't explain why
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Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
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DSA members accuse Mamdani of 'abandoning values' over housing redevelopment
New York City's mayor plans to replace about 2,000 units of public housing with private, mixed-income housing.
All sides of BRT debate unhappy with CDOT’s most recent move
The Colorado Department of Transportation is no longer considering center-running bus lanes for Colorado Boulevard.
Massachusetts bogs generate both power, and cranberries
Putting solar panels above farmland is one way Massachusetts is advancing toward its goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
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City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello