100 Objects; 100 Ways to Influence Public Health

As the public health and planning professions expand their partnership around the world, consider this list by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health of the 100 Objects That Shaped Public Health.”

1 minute read

September 20, 2016, 12:00 PM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Chevrolet Corvair

nakhon100 / Flickr

To celebrate its centennial this year, the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health published a list of the 100 objects that shaped public health over the course of that history.

The interactive list is separated into the following categories: Cancer, disease-fighters, eating and drinking, everyday objects, furniture and appliances, material and child health, medical innovations, road safety, tech and innovation, and things you wear. By now, the well-informed planner should already be chomping at the bit to imagine the potential professional and practical cross-over of the list, and Linda Poon has already done some of the work of pulling out planning-related items on the list.

“Some have, for better or worse, an obvious connection to public health, including automobiles, toilets, and cigarettes. Others are a bit unexpected—such as spittoons, smartphones, and the Chevrolet Corvair,” writes Poon before digging deeper into the examples of the Corvair, window screens, spittoons, smartphones, rats, and air conditioners.

Thursday, September 8, 2016 in Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Use Code 25for25 at checkout for 25% off an annual plan!

Redlining map of Oakland and Berkeley.

Rethinking Redlining

For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.

May 15, 2025 - Alan Mallach

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

May 21, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Interior of Place Versailles mall in Montreal, Canada.

Montreal Mall to Become 6,000 Housing Units

Place Versailles will be transformed into a mixed-use complex over the next 25 years.

May 22, 2025 - CBC

Flat modern glass office tower with "County of Santa Clara" sign.

Santa Clara County Dedicates Over $28M to Affordable Housing

The county is funding over 600 new affordable housing units via revenue from a 2016 bond measure.

May 23 - San Francisco Chronicle

Aerial view of dense urban center with lines indicating smart city concept.

Why a Failed ‘Smart City’ Is Still Relevant

A Google-backed proposal to turn an underused section of Toronto waterfront into a tech hub holds relevant lessons about privacy and data.

May 23 - Governing

Pale yellow Sears kit house with red tile roof in Sylva, North Carolina.

When Sears Pioneered Modular Housing

Kit homes sold in catalogs like Sears and Montgomery Ward made homeownership affordable for midcentury Americans.

May 23 - The Daily Yonder