Public Health

Sabrina Tavernise reports on promising news concerning one of America's most formidable public health crises: for the first time in decades several American cities are reporting declines in childhood obesity rates.

December 11, 2012 - The New York Times

The APA has published the final results of a longitudinal study conducted in partnership with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation that surveyed the national landscape of food access planning.

December 11, 2012 - APA Sustaining Places

Elizabeth Burton reminds us of the close connection between housing and health, and proposes better ways to gauge how housing may affect the health and well-being of residents.

December 9, 2012 - The Guardian (UK)

Reflecting on the significance and impact of Superstorm Sandy, Bill McKibben and Lawrence J. Hanley propose a 3-step process focused on mass transit that America should pursue to promote community development, public health and the environment.

December 7, 2012 - The Huffington Post

As Britain confronts the silent epidemic of inactivity and obesity, Peter Walker examines how the invisible dangers of a sedentary lifestyle are compared to the more publicized risk of injury from activities designed to get people moving.

November 30, 2012 - The Guardian

An informative infographic produced by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation illustrates the role of walkable, bikeable, and transit-oriented communities in producing healthier populations.

October 28, 2012 - New Public Health

Now that Mayor Bloomberg has had his say in what New Yorkers drink, Alan Brake argues it's time for the next mayor and his partner in Albany to focus on what they eat, by devising a plan to link New York's upstate farms with its downstate markets.

October 24, 2012 - The Architect's Newspaper

The role of the physical environment in promoting healthy living was the focus of a gathering last week in the Peel Region, which encompasses three of Toronto's western suburbs. Participants discussed the challenges of adapting suburban environs.

October 24, 2012 - Toronto Star

Scientists are studying whether the stresses of living in urban environments increases the risks of developing mental health disorders. Global urbanization is making the question an urgent one, writes Alison Abbott.

October 12, 2012 - Nature

John M. Broder looks at the obstacles that stand in the way of Mitt Romney's campaign pledge to “take a weed whacker” to a variety of federal pollution and public health rules.

October 9, 2012 - The New York Times

Do you know the effect your spiffy new development will have on the neighbors' health? Aaron Wernham and the Kresge Foundation think you could use a health impact assessment.

September 27, 2012 - Shelterforce Magazine

A first-of-its-kind study measures the unique health problems of individual cities in the European Union, revealing interesting, and sometimes mysterious, results.

September 22, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

A new study to be published in the fall issue of the Journal of Rural Health finds evidence that rural Americans are more likely to be overweight than their urban cohorts, reports Mary MacVean.

September 16, 2012 - Los Angeles Times

New research conducted by the CDC in Atlanta is aimed at understanding just how prevalent exposure to dangerous levels of highway noise is. Such exposure can play a detrimental role in one's health.

September 14, 2012 - NPR

If you live in New York City, now is the time to get your super sized sodas while you still can. Due to a ban on the sale of large sugary drinks approved yesterday by the NYC Board of Health, such treats will be verboten in six months.

September 14, 2012 - The New York Times

William Heisel kicks of a series examining the infectious disease more common than AIDS, hepatitis, or Lyme disease. What environmental elements are contributing to its spread and what can planners and public health officials do to respond?

September 12, 2012 - Reporting on Health

Moving families from segregated, high poverty neighborhoods, into desegregated "areas of opportunity" has multiple effects. Housing mobility programs help revitalize communities and improve the physical and mental health of families involved.

September 6, 2012 - Shelterforce Magazine

In Amanda Erickson's explanation of the history of urban planning, the profession as conceived at the start of the 20th century confronted a choice between creating beautiful people or beautiful cities. Why couldn't planners have created both?

August 29, 2012 - The Atlantic Cities

Often times, the community development field and health philanthropy have worked in the same neighborhoods, but separately. This is changing, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s (RWJF) Marjorie Paloma told Shelterforce how.

August 28, 2012 - Shelterforce Magazine

A new New York Times poll finds that a majority of New York City residents oppose Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s proposed ban on sugary drinks, adding fuel to the debate.

August 24, 2012 - The New York Times