Public Health
Applying Trauma-Informed Design to Cities
How trauma-informed urbanism can make cities and their residents healthier and more resilient.
New Orleans Residents Fight Freeways With Science
A local coalition is collecting data that proves the harmful impacts of the Claiborne Expressway on the surrounding community.
Fighting the ‘Loneliness Epidemic’ in Cities
While urban design alone can’t mend the tears in our social fabric, planning decisions and thoughtful, inclusive design can offer or hinder opportunities for interaction.
The Vicious Cycle at the Heart of Pedestrian Safety
When people feel unsafe, they walk less; with fewer pedestrians, walking becomes less safe.
Understanding Mortality Risks Among Unhoused People
How tracking housing status at time of death can help policymakers identify when people are most vulnerable.
Healing Neighborhoods Through Park Equity
Learn more about ways to improve park equity with Norma García-González, the director of the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation, and Catherine Nagel, the executive director of the City Parks Alliance.
EPA Calls for Eliminating Lead Water Pipes in 10 Years
The mandate doesn’t include additional funding, prompting backlash from utility companies.
Green Spaces Benefit Neighborhoods—When Residents can Reach Them
A study comparing green space and walkability scores found that, without effective access to local parks, residents of greener neighborhoods don’t reap the health benefits.
In Rush to Build, Older Housing is Overlooked
Older homes provide an affordable housing lifeline, but poor conditions often lead to serious health impacts for residents.
Study: Homeless People Face Higher Mortality Risk
Unhoused adults are more than three times as likely to die in any given year as their housed counterparts, research shows.
Fort Worth Amends Comprehensive Plan to Reduce Industrial Zone
After residents protested the size and location of a proposed industrial growth zone, the city council voted to adopt an amended version of the plan.
Why Social Infrastructure Matters
The pandemic highlighted the importance of parks and public spaces for maintaining both the physical and mental health of urban residents.
How Extreme Heat Impacts Heart Health
A higher number of high heat days correlates with more cardiovascular deaths, according to new research.
How Urban Design Impacts Public Health
With more and more people living in cities, designing equitably healthy urban spaces becomes a key question for policymakers.
The Messy Politics of Saving Lives from Drug Overdoses
Philadelphia was on the verge of approving a key harm reduction strategy to prevent fatal drug overdoses until the city council all but banned supervised injection sites, overriding a mayoral veto. A New York Times report explores the controversy.
Opinion: To End Traffic Deaths, Cities Must Put Safety Over Speed
Eliminating road deaths requires an overhaul of U.S. infrastructure and regulations to prioritize the safety of people in cars, on foot, and on bikes.
Sound Equity: The Unequal Impacts of Covid’s ‘Great Silence’
During the pandemic, many neighborhoods became quieter than ever—but not everyone experienced the benefits equally.
Election 2024: California Voters to Decide on $6 Billion Homelessness Bond
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed two ‘behavioral health’ bills that put Proposition 1 on the March 2024 ballot, targeting the housing, mental health, and substance use treatment needs of homeless residents living in encampments. Opposition has arisen.
Parks Departments Try to Build New Green Spaces on Shrinking Budgets
Even as the role of parks and urban green space in public and ecological health becomes more apparent, city budgets are hard-pressed to meet the costs of park construction and maintenance.
Study: School Biking Programs Can Boost Student Health
A survey of middle school students who participated in in-school cycling programs showed a potential correlation to improved mental health.
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
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
KFH Group Inc.
Greater Baltimore Committee
Eagle County Government
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
