Public Health

Women Close To Freeway 128% More Likely To Give Birth Prematurely

A new study from UC Irvine in Los Angeles concludes that women who live within 1.9 miles of a major roadway increase their risk of premature birth by 128%.

July 5, 2009 - Treehugger

Air in Hundreds of Neighborhoods Carries Elevated Risk of Cancer

Residents in 600 American neighborhoods are breathing air with levels of pollution that put them at an elevated risk of developing cancer.

June 26, 2009 - Associated Press

Gasping for Air in America

Next American City's Hamida Kinge reviews the "State of the Air" report from the American Lung Association and finds dire news for the majority of Americans.

June 26, 2009 - Next American City

Sidewalks Key Factor Influencing Physical Activity

A new study provides further evidence that incorporating sidewalks into existing neighborhoods is a practical and inexpensive way of encouraging people to exercise.

June 18, 2009 - SDSU NewsCenter

Regulations, But Growing Demand for Taco Trucks

Taco trucks are coming under fire in a lot of cities, as officials try to figure out how to handle the nomadic restaurants. As the Hispanic population grows, so does the popularity of the trucks.

May 20, 2009 - The Los Angeles Times

Climate Change Global Health Threat: Report

A new study warns that climate change could bring widespread harmful health threats to millions, and that plans for adapting human settlements to climate change need to address social inequities.

May 17, 2009 - CBC

Stay Off Subways And Planes, Says Biden

VP Biden, on NBC's 'Today Show' April 30, told viewers he would tell his family to stay off planes and subways because of fear of infection by swine flu virus. Medical experts were quick to disagree, and his office had to issue a retraction.

May 2, 2009 - The New York Times - Politics Blog

Foreclosure Crisis Taking Toll on Public Health

Officials and advocates in Oakland California are warning that the foreclosure crisis is not only leading to evictions, but also growing public health problems and community blight.

April 26, 2009 - Mercury News

Health and Human Services Hit Hard in San Francisco

The recession is causing San Francisco to tighten its belt. Budget cuts are falling heavily on the city's health and human services.

April 13, 2009 - The Christian Science Monitor

Linking Health to the Built Environment

This video lecture calls on builders, architects and planners to work with the medical and scientific communities to better explore how the built environment affects public health.

April 8, 2009 - National Building Museum

Sanjay Gupta Discusses Livable Cities

Correspondent/neurosurgeon Sanjay Gupta, who has been tapped to fill the Surgeon General position by President-elect Obama, talks about 'livable cities' as they relate to climate change and public health.

January 8, 2009 - WorldChanging

Wood Burning Ban Saves Lives

Five years ago, the Central Valley became the first area of California to ban indoor wood burning when an 'alert' was called by the air district; other air districts followed in 2008. This study, released in Nov. shows that "no burn" days save lives.

December 31, 2008 - The Fresno Bee

Obesity and Sprawl Correlation Found in Australia

A new study from the University of New South Wales has outlined a connection that suggests living farther away from central cities results in higher rates of obesity.

December 21, 2008 - Sydney Morning Herald

Friday Funny: Spit City

Officials in Sarasota, Florida have thrown out a 100-year old rule against spitting in public, despite some concerns about public health.

December 19, 2008 - Sarasota Herald-Tribune

Missouri Streets are a Little More Complete

DeSoto and Ferguson are the first two cities in Missouri to adopt Complete Street plans. The ordinances are in place to encourage walking and biking, and, ultimately, healthier lifestyles.

December 17, 2008 - Land Online

Air Board Approves Diesel and Climate Protection Plans

In back-to-back rulings, the Californian Air Resources Board approved the nation's strongest climate protection plan and the strictest on-road diesel emissions plans that will mean the oldest, most polluting trucks and buses will soon be no more.

December 17, 2008 - San Francisco Chronicle

Air Resources Board Weighing Climate Plans

At a crucial two-day meeting, the California Air Resources Board may adopt, reject or modify two separate, landmark, controversial plans - one on climate change, the other on diesel emissions from trucks and buses.

December 11, 2008 - San Francisco Chronicle

Killer Brown Clouds On The Rise

A U.N. report details the severity of the 'brown cloud' phenomenon affecting much of Asia and other parts of the planet. In addition to reducing sunlight and causing premature death, the clouds affect weather patterns, harvests, and glacier declines

November 20, 2008 - The New York Times

When Smog Kills - Museum Opened To Commemorate 1948 Disaster

Sixty years after twenty people died from air pollution spewing from a steel and zinc mill in Donora, PA (just outside Pittsburgh) in perhaps the worst air quality tragedy in the U.S., a museum has opened to commemorate and learn from the tragedy.

November 4, 2008 - The New York Times

Op-Ed: Russia's Health Crisis Belies Its Economic Success

Russia's economic transformation due to its oil wealth is well-known, but not so the state of its public health which shows an alarming contrasting picture.

October 28, 2008 - The New York Times

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.

Top Books

An annual review of books related to planning.

Top Schools

The definitive ranking of graduate planning programs.

100 Most Influential Urbanists

The who's who of urbanism, according to Planetizen readers.

Urban Planning Creators You Should Know

A short list of voices on social, video, and podcasting platforms.