Public Health

CDC Documents Racial Disparities of COVID-19 Illness
New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides the federal government's most complete picture of the demographic data of COVID-19 illness.

Five Borough Bikeway Plan Released
The Regional Plan Association is calling on New York City to implement an ambitious plan to transform the city into a world class city for biking—for the benefit of the public health and economic realities of the pandemic and beyond.

Zoning Code Reform for the Realities of COVID-19
Local governments have more tools than money to relieve some of the economic experience experienced by residents and businesses as the economic effects of the novel coronavirus linger just as long as the public health crisis it causes.

Pandemic Data for Planners
The right data will be critical in crafting effective responses to the threats posed by the coronavirus.

What's So Special About Oregon and Utah?
These two Western states did something that none of the 20 other states in the nation going the wrong way in the pandemic have yet to do: they paused their reopening plans due to rising coronavirus infections and hospitalizations.

Academic Studies: Staying at Home Saved Millions of Lives Globally
Separate coronavirus studies from the University of California at Berkeley and Imperial College London published June 8 in the journal Nature show the life and health-saving value of domestic stay-at-home orders, global lockdowns, and other measures.

Dallas Launches 'Slow Streets' Pilot Program
The new slow streets program in Dallas uses community input to create locations for slow streets, each designed to encourage physical activity while maintaining safe distance.

The Pandemic's New Epicenter
On May 22, the World Health Organization declared Latin America the new epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic. Brazil is second in the world in reported cases after the U.S., and Ecuador, Peru, Chile, and Mexico are also suffering disproportionately.

Pollution, Place, and the Unnecessary Tragedy of Premature Death: Lessons for COVID-19
In Louisville, scene of multiple instances of police violence in recent weeks, low-income and Black populations living in neighborhoods dealing with decades of industrial pollution are now suffering the worst public health outcomes of COVID-19.

Designing for Life
A Black architect calls on designers to recommit their training and expertise to account for the health and safety of all, especially those who have been most harmed by the status quo of the built environment.

Staying Healthy While Riding Public Transit in the Pandemic
Despite what the CDC would like to think, some people have no options other than public transit for mobility. CityLab shares the advice of several experts on the reality of public health risk, and how to take precautions, on public transit.

Trump to Suspend Environmental Regulation for Economic Emergency
Reports from the White House indicate that the Trump administration is planning to rollback federal environmental protections to expedite highway and other projects.

Did the CDC Toll the Death Knell for Public Transit?
It's official—the nation's leading public health agency would prefer that Americans drive alone to work to reduce exposure to the coronavirus. New CDC guidance call for government to subsidize drive-alone and single ride-share commutes.

U.S. Supreme Court Rules on State-Imposed Social Distancing Restrictions
In a 5-4 decision, the court voted to uphold the prohibition of religious services that was part of California Gov. Gavin Newsom's stay-at-home order. While the restriction had since been loosened, the plaintiff wanted all restrictions removed.

Guide to Planning for Public Health, Published by WHO and the UN
There is no planning without public health, according to a new guide released in a moment of global crisis for both professional fields.

The Legacy of Redlining Made Clear by the Coronavirus
Covid-19 deaths track closely to the discriminatory boundaries set by housing lenders, sponsored by the government, in the 20th century.

Code Enforcement as Coronavirus Response Policy
The Center for Community progress offers advice on effective code enforcement during a time of extreme economic duress.

4 Predictions for Urban Planning Post-Coronavirus
The big question for planners since the outset of the pandemic has been how cities and communities will change, and what role planners will take in implementing those changes. Here are four potential ways for urban planning to respond to the crisis.

New Coronavirus Hotspots Flaring Up in Rural America
The novel coronavirus is outlasting the narratives of March 2020, and the country will have to reevaluate its assumptions to understand and respond to shifting threats as the public health crisis deepens.

Nursing Homes With Black and Latino Residents Have Much Worse Covid-19 Rates
Age segregation has contributed to the tragic outbreaks of Covid-19 in nursing homes all over the country, but racial data adds another layer of tragic consequences of the pandemic.
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