Healthy Urban Planning Research Articles

Public Participation GIS for Healthy Urban Planning

This scoping review investigates the utilization of public participatory geographic information system (PPGIS) methods in the context of healthy urban planning. A set of scientific publications (n = 38) applying PPGIS in urban settings has been extracted to map the addressed health topics, the characteristics of science–practice cooperation, and participation bias. Findings show that predominantly spatially well-representable features are subject to PPGIS surveys, while cluster analysis reveals specific patterns in health topic combinations. PPGIS results add value for officials performing their tasks. However, as a new tool, the full potential to aid planning has yet to be unleashed. PPGIS has been believed to reduce participation barriers and partially succeeds in reaching more diverse participants, as experiences with public participation show. However, there is no improvement in the recruitment of participants with lower levels of education.

Urban planning for health: experiences from 12 European cities of building resilience at the local level

ABSTRACT Emergencies can become transformative experiences for cities: an opportunity to rethink, replan and rebuild, and to push for changes that can make them more healthy, sustainable, equitable and resilient. As part of the Protecting environments and health by building urban resilience project led by the WHO European Centre for Environment and Health, we conducted semi-structured interviews with local government representatives in 12 European cities on their practical experiences with local emergencies and disasters. Interviews focused on how the cities had approached urban planning and infrastructure design as a lesson learned from experienced disasters, in order to become more resilient to future events. Through a thematic analysis, specific plans and actions are compiled under 5 main topics: coordinate and communicate; go local; go green; rethink, rebuild and regulate; maintain a long-term vision. These lessons learned are then applied to three well-known healthy urban planning principles: (i) reducing risk exposure through planning; (ii) ensuring local access to basic services; and (iii) promoting active mobility.

Exploring young people’s views of their local area related to the 20-minute neighbourhood policy: a national cross-sectional study

ABSTRACT This study aimed to examine how young people subjectively perceive their local neighbourhoods and compare these perceptions with objective data regarding access to amenities aligned with features of the 20-minute neighbourhood (20MN) policy. Objective data (n:287 aged 12-18 years) were gathered through an online adaptation of the Place Standard Tool for Young People in Scotland. Subjective data concerning access to ten amenities in line with the 20MN concept, along with crime statistics, area-level deprivation and urbanicity were spatially linked. The association between perceptions of localities and factors such as gender, as well as both subjective and objective neighbourhood assessments were examined. Young people were most satisfied with nature and active travel in their local area. Conversely, their satisfaction was lowest for active travel to school. Rural young people were more dissatisfied with their localities. Agreement was observed between satisfaction with their 20 neighbourhoods and objective data indicating the presence of frequent public transportation, recreational spaces, and access to services. In conclusion, our study highlights the importance of amenities in healthy urban planning, showing a positive impact on young people’s perceptions. Additionally, we uncover a connection between crime perceptions and area-level crime variables, potentially influencing health outcomes.

Ontological foundations of urban health policy ideas: the case of planning Sydney’s Western Parkland City

ABSTRACT This case study examines the ontological backgrounds of urban health policy ideas in planning the Western Parkland City, a large-scale regional development project in Sydney, Australia. Using an empirical approach, the study identifies seven key urban health policy ideas and analyses the nature of these ideas using urban health ontological frameworks. The dominant ontological paradigms appear as the medical-industrial and urban health science paradigms with strong alignment with the sustainable urban development and healthy urban planning research traditions. Additionally, the dominant ideas adopt a view of systems that is complicated more than complex, favour change driven by structure rather than agency, and involve perspectives that transcend across multiple scales. These findings highlight the importance of recognising the influence of paradigms in shaping policies and the need for transdisciplinary approach to policymaking.

The evaluation of opinions of residents of the Northern Caucasus Okrug about healthy municipal planning issues

The article presents the results of examination of opinions of residents of the North Caucasus Federal District concerning healthy urban planning issues. The most residents of large cities are satisfied with infrastructure of their city, while residents of small towns are less satisfied with it. The prioritization of importance of solving various problems of urban life, opinions of residents are not solidary and differ depending on age and place of residence of respondents. For example, construction of playgrounds is a priority for residents of reproductive age from small towns. Only one out of ten of respondents would like to participate in strategy of development of their cities of residence.

Mapping healthy planning frameworks.

The aim of this research was to map available healthy planning frameworks to discover the range, composition, design, and implementation of healthy planning frameworks. A systematic scoping review with date, location, and usability limitations was augmented by a grey literature search. Data were extracted on key details, design, outcomes considered, and implementation features of the final 61 frameworks. Data extracted indicated that most frameworks tend to focus on one element of the built environment, with active mobility, active environments, and transport being the most prevalent ones (34%). Most frameworks (40) stated their intended outcomes on health in general terms, rather than targeting specific health outcomes. Very few frameworks (12%) were aimed at the public, and only 11% of frameworks included an evaluation. While there are a wide variety and number of frameworks available in the field of healthy urban planning, they are generally siloed, focusing on highly specific individual urban determinants, and rarely consider health outcomes in detail. There is significantly less provision available for citizen and community use. Frameworks tend to offer limited updating mechanisms and very rarely include ongoing evaluation processes, making their success difficult to assess.

Spatial Characteristics and Influencing Factors of Multi-Scale Urban Living Space (ULS) Carbon Emissions in Tianjin, China

Urban living space (ULS) is known to be a significant contributor to carbon emissions. However, there is a lack of studies that have considered the impact of spatial organization indexes (SOIs) of various scales on urban living space carbon emissions (ULSCE), and so far, no definitive conclusions have been reached. To address this gap, taking Tianjin as an example, the measurement methods of ULSCE and SOI at different scales were proposed, and a random forest model was constructed to explore the effects of SOI on ULSCE. The results indicated that on the district scale, Beichen had the highest carbon emissions and absorption in 2021, with carbon emissions reaching 1.43 × 108 t and carbon absorption at 7.29 × 105 kg. In terms of area scale, the comprehensive service area had the highest carbon emissions at 3.57 × 108 t, accounting for 47.70%, while the green leisure area had the highest carbon absorption at 5.76 × 105 kg, accounting for 32.33%. At the block scale, the industrial block had the highest carbon emissions at 1.82 × 108 t, accounting for 54.02%, while the forest block had the highest carbon absorption at 1.25 × 106 kg, accounting for 91.33%. Each SOI had varying impacts, with the industrial land ratio (ILR) having the highest order of importance at the area scale, followed by road network density (RND), residential land ratio (RLR), bus station density (BSD), public service facilities land ratio (PLR), land mixing degree (LMD), open space ratio (OSR), and commercial land ratio (CLR). ILR, RND, and RLR were particularly important, each exceeding 10%, with importance values of 50.66%, 17.79%, and 13.17%, respectively. At the block scale, building area (BA) had the highest importance, followed by building density (BD), building height (BH), land area (LA), and floor area ratio (FAR). BA and BD were particularly important, with values of 27.31% and 21.73%, respectively. This study could serve as both theoretical and practical guidance for urban planning to aid the government in developing differentiated carbon emissions reduction strategies that can mitigate the heat island effect and promote low-carbon healthy urban planning.

Identifying Urban–Rural Disparities and Associated Factors in the Prevalence of Disabilities in Tianjin, China

In the current context of aging and urbanization, the rapid increase in the prevalences of disabilities (PoDs) has become an important consideration in healthy urban planning. Previous studies have focused on the spatial prevalence of total disabilities based on large-scale survey data. However, few studies have examined different types of PoDs and the factors contributing to spatial disparities in micro-urban units at the municipal level. This study aims to fill this gap by exploring the spatial PoDs, related built environments, and socio-economic factors across the Tianjin municipality in 2020. The study employed Getis–Ord GI* analysis to identify urban-rural disparities and ordinary least square (OLS) and quantile regression (QR) analyses to model the heterogeneous effects of the spatial PoDs-associated factors across quantiles. The results reveal that the PoDs, especially of visual, hearing, and limb disabilities, in the urban center, are significantly higher than those in rural areas, which is inconsistent with previous studies conducted in China. The urbanization rate, medical facilities, and education facilities significantly reduced the total PoDs, while the elderly population, migrant population, bus route density, and road density significantly increased it. The built environments and socio-economic factors had heterogeneous impacts on different types of PoDs, which were summarized into three categories based on these dominant factors: (1) visual and hearing disabilities were medical facility-dominated; (2) intellectual and limb disabilities were urbanization- and aging-dominated; and (3) mental and speech disabilities were migrant-dominated. This study provides scientific advice to adapt to the expected increase in demand for disability-related medical and public health services and to expand the range of effective strategies and interventions aimed at preventing the deterioration of disability and improving disability management in the population.

Changes in the neighborhood food environment and walking time among older adults: A longitudinal Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study (JAGES) between 2016 and 2019

Objective Maintaining or increasing walking provides several health benefits to older adults. However, the mid-term evaluation of Health Japan 21 [second term] showed that older adults' daily steps did not meet the goal. Therefore, this study emphasized primordial prevention, which is different from previous preventive approaches and focuses on the relationship between the built environment and physical activities, including daily steps. This study investigated the relationship between changes in the number of food stores and walking time.Methods This longitudinal study utilized the self-administered mail survey data between 2016 and 2019 from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study (JAGES). Older adults aged ≥65 years and residing in 27 independent municipalities were recruited. The dependent variable was a change in the walking time at two-time points (increase or not). Our explanatory variable was the change in the number of food stores at two-time points, reported on a 5-point scale, including no store (reference), increased stores, store available, decreased stores, and I don't know. Equivalently, it was defined as the self-reported change in the number of food stores (stores that sell meats, fish, fruits, and vegetables) within the walking distance of participants' homes (within ～1 km) from 2016 to 2019. The covariates included demographic factors, health behavior factors, environmental factors, and health factors in 2016. We used Poisson regression analysis (5% significance level) to calculate the cumulative incidence rate ratio (CIRR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for an increase in walking time compared to no increase in walking time. The multivariate normal imputation method supplemented missing data of the dependent variable, explanatory variable, and covariates. Additionally, respondents' answer of "other" for the covariates was supplemented.Results Three years later, 13,400 (20.4%) respondents had increased their walking time. Older adults who reported increased number of stores (5,311, 8.1%) had more walking time than those who reported no stores (6,577, 10.0%) (CIRR=1.12; 95% CI: 1.03-1.21).Conclusion Participants who reported an increase in the number of fresh food stores within the walking distance had 12% more walking time three years later. A built environment might be used to measure primordial prevention that increases the amount of walking in daily life. Our results may provide evidence for policymakers and stakeholders to consider healthy urban planning.

Health impact assessment of road traffic noise exposure based on different densification scenarios in Malmö, Sweden

While urbanization provides many opportunities to those arriving in thriving urban areas, a greater number of residents necessitates the expansion of housing and infrastructure. This is often achieved through densification, which can lead to increased noise, particularly through increased road traffic. A key challenge of promoting healthy urban planning is to understand potential health effects, especially on the local level. The aim of the present study is, therefore, to estimate and compare the health impacts of road traffic noise exposure for various urban densification scenarios within a neighborhood (Lorensborg) in Malmö, Sweden. The three scenarios include 1) Present-day, representing the study area as it is presently organized; 2) Planned municipal strategy (the city of Malmö’s own densification plans) and 3) Health-centred, which involves major structural alterations and reflects an effort prioritize a health-centred approach. Noise was modelled using the Nordic prediction method for road traffic. Health outcomes included noise annoyance, adverse sleep disturbance, ischemic heart disease (IHD) incidence and mortality. Within all scenarios, a large proportion of the study population was exposed above the WHO’s health-based guideline value (Lden 53 dB): >80% for Present-day and Planned municipal strategy scenarios, and almost 50% in the Health-centred scenario. Still, densifying Lorensborg (population ≈9,600) according to the Health-centred scenario could prevent 549 cases of highly annoyed, 193 cases of adverse sleep disturbance, 4.7 new cases of IHD (8.9% of total cases), and 1.5 deaths due to IHD (17.8% of IHD mortality) annually. The results demonstrated that it is possible to considerably lower the health impact with a more health-centred densification strategy. Important co-benefits for public and environmental health include air pollution reduction and green space creation, although their health effects were not quantified in the present study. Urban planning initiatives must be more ambitious in order to create healthy, sustainable cities.

The comparative analysis of opinions of residents of the northern Caucasus Okrug and persons making decisions concerning issues of healthy municipal planning in its municipalities

The article presents comparative results of studying opinion of citizens and officials making decisions on modernization of urban environment, about cities conditions. It is established that valuations of citizens and decision makers about urban infrastructure, its quantity and quality, process of cooperation in this area as well as consideration of interests in healthy urban planning differ significantly. The majority of surveyed decision-makers are more satisfied with conditions of their city infrastructure than citizens. The same trend persists in assessing quantity and quality of sport and physical education institutions. On the contrary, environmental situation in municipalities is more likely to suit citizens as compared to decision makers. The decision-makers are more optimistic about intersectorial cooperation in issues of healthy urban planning. The respondents note that issues and interests of health are not sufficiently considered in development and adoption of urban planning decisions in their municipalities. To correct the situation, it is necessary to implement appropriate strategies of healthy urban planning, to determine organizational mechanisms for their implementation in national conditions and to confirm their effectiveness in organizational experiment.

Resistant, responsive, resilient cities: Urban planning as a means for pandemic prevention

Although the environment has long been recognised as a key determinant of health, the linkages between urban living environments, immunological health and occurrence of infectious diseases are not well known. Healthy urban planning initiatives, especially in the Western world, have mostly been triggered by non-communicable diseases caused by lifestyle and dietary factors, such as diabetes. Since the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, a significant body of research has been published that examines the impacts of pandemics on urban resilience, policy and planning practices. In this paper, we synthesise key lessons and preliminary insights for pandemic-proof cities in the light of recent academic discussion. Furthermore, we aim to address the urgent need for integrative approaches to urban resilience that consider human and environmental health holistically and contribute to comprehensive societal security.

Integrating Health Into the Urban Master Plan of Vic, Barcelona: A Comprehensive Approach

Planning healthier cities is essential for public health. However, there is a gap between the insights from public health research and applications to planning practice. Based on a scoping review and in cooperation with urban planners and public health professionals, this study developed evidence-based tools and a comprehensive approach to help urban planners integrate health into the urban master plan (2017–2020) of a medium-sized city named Vic (Barcelona). The scoping review included a systematic review of the literature (PubMed, PRISMA protocol) and an advanced Google search for gray literature (2015–2017). The systematic review identified significant associations between urban planning attributes (n = 16) and health outcomes (n = 21). After critical appraisal with stakeholders, an urban and health association matrix was developed to help urban planners understand the connection between urban planning and health. The advanced Google search identified urban planning actions (n = 117) that had an impact on health outcomes. After critical appraisal with stakeholders, a healthy urban planning actions checklist (n = 68) was developed to help urban planners’ decision-making on the inclusion of locally tailored health-enhancing urban planning actions into the urban master plan. From the reviewed evidence and tools, a comprehensive approach delineated a series of steps that successfully led urban planners to incorporate health-enhancing urban actions (n = 112) into the urban master plan. This translational research developed a comprehensive approach to include health in local urban planning. This might scale up to other European medium-sized cities to maximise the effectiveness of built environment interventions and monitor their health impact.

Health and wellbeing (SDG3) in urban design and spatial planning – a retrospective roadmap towards the collective impact model

ABSTRACT The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) lay the foundations for supporting global health yet the rate of meeting the SDGs is slow and complex. In order to meet these transactional and multidisciplinary challenges a paradigm shift from operating in silos is needed, to include a more interdisciplinary approach (top down as well as bottom up approaches). This paper reports top down and bottom up approaches that were used to address health and wellbeing in a middle-eastern multi-cultural city. In this retrospective roadmap, we highlight the key pillars that appear to have assisted in progress in achieving SDG3, Good Health and Well-being. The roadmap includes the development of the key pillars: 1) a common agenda, 2) shared measurement system, 3) mutually reinforcing activities, 4) continuous communication and 5) backbone support. Highlighting condition 4, continuous communication, of the model, we discuss the creation, use and importance of a “communication tool” used for Healthy Urban Planning. This tool developed cooperatively with relevant municipality departments, national government, and multidisciplinary community shareholders, led to organizational changes and the creation of the Sustainability Department of the municipality. This retrospective roadmap appears to reflect the collective impact framework appropriate for solving complex challenges such as achieving SDGs.

The association between street connectivity and depression among older Japanese adults: the JAGES longitudinal study

Mental health is important in older age; neighborhood environment is considered a protective factor of depression. Research has established that a critical indicator of neighborhood environment, street connectivity, is related to older people's health. However, little is known about the relationship between street connectivity and depression. We examined the relationship between street connectivity and depression among older people. Using Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study 2013–2016, the target population comprised 24,141 independent older people without depression (Geriatric Depression Scale scores below 5) in 2013. The outcome variable was depression in 2016; the explanatory variable was street connectivity calculated by intersection density and space syntax within 800 m around the subject’s neighborhood in 2013. We used logistic regression analysis to calculate the odds ratio and 95% confidence interval for the new occurrence of depression among participants in 2016. This analysis demonstrated incidence of new depression after 3 years that is 17% and 14% lower among participations living in high-intersection density and high-street-connectivity areas, respectively, than those living in low-intersection density and low-street-connectivity areas. The association held after adjusting for physical activities and social interaction. Given the established connection between street connectivity and mental health, the findings can contribute to healthy urban planning.

Build Healthier: Post-COVID-19 Urban Requirements for Healthy and Sustainable Living

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought a renewed interest in urban environment and healthy living and the changes in urban environments which can make for a healthier living. Today, more than 50% of the global population lives in urban areas, and in Europe the number is 75%. We present a narrative review to explore considerations and necessary requirements to achieve health and well-being within strategies for healthy design and urban planning whilst rethinking urban spaces for a post-COVID-19 and carbon-neutral future. The achievement of health and well-being demands healthy design strategies, namely, (1) moving from the concept of infrastructure for processes to the infrastructure for healthy living—requirements for healthy places, cycling, walking, disintegrating the role of polluting traffic from the urban environments, social vulnerability and equality; (2) physical space that will achieve standards of ‘liveable communities’—open, green space requirements and standards for any built environment; (3) mainstreaming ‘in-the-walking distance’ cities and neighbourhoods for healthy physical activities for daily living; (4) exploring any of the new concepts that connect the nexus of urban spaces and public health and improving of the population’s well-being. Public health needs to be prioritised systematically in planning of built environments, energy generations, sustainable food production, and nutrition.

Health Risk Assessment and Influencing Factors Analysis of High Temperatures on Negative Emotions

The emotional health of urban residents has been seriously threatened by frequent and normalized heat waves. This study constructed the VI-level assessment standard for emotional health risk using data from satellite images, meteorological sites, questionnaire surveys, and statistical yearbooks to assess the effect of high temperatures on negative emotions in Hangzhou. The results showed that the morphological changes of urban high-temperature areas were aggregated from a cross-shape to a large patch shape, then dispersed into cracked patch shapes. Additionally, the health risk of daytime negative emotions peaked at the VI-level from 1984 to 2020, and the influence level of the typical period risk increased by 1–2 levels compared with the daytime. Additionally, driven by urban spatial structure policies, the risk pattern of emotional health expanded outward from a single center into multiple centers. The emotional health risk level rose and then descended in urban centers, and the innovation industries drove the variation tendency of hot spots. Furthermore, high educational background, employment, and couples living together were critical variables that could alleviate the emotional health risk to the middle-aged and elderly population. This study aimed to optimize the urban spatial structure and alleviate residents’ emotional health hazards for healthy urban planning.

Research on Healthy City Construction and Urban Planning Strategy

Research on Healthy City Construction and Urban Planning Strategy

Spatial and Temporal Variation of Particulate Matter Around Lagos Environs

Air monitoring is very essential for characterizing health risks, formulating cost-effective abatement strategies, creating and enforcing appropriate air quality standards, and as well as healthy urban planning. This study investigates the spatial and temporal variation of aerosol pollution in Lagos environs, Nigeria. Selected sampling locations were Computer Village (CV), Oshodi Garage (OG), Magodo Estate (MG), and Caleb International College (CIC). Associated anthropogenic activities were the basis for the selection of the sampling location. Measurements of particulate matters were undertaken by employing the AEROCET 531S device in these selected residential, academic, and commercial environments across Lagos State. The measurements were taken at approximately 2 m from the ground in each sampling location. Data analysis and visualization were executed with python to enhance the visualization of the spatial and temporal distribution of the different particulate matter within and across the locations. A pronounced gradient of the particulate matter concentrations (µg/m3) was observed across the study area. The study outcome demonstrates that particulate matter distribution is dominated by PM10 in all locations under consideration. The proportions of fine particles to coarse particles in these environments were low ranging from 0.027 – 0.277 in CV, 0.018 – 0.395 in OG, 0.080 – 0.291 in MG, and 0.028 – 0.272 in CIC. Findings from this study established the dominance of coarse particles assumed to be contributed by cement dust, coal dust, flour, paint spray, pollen, cloud droplets, etc.

Environmental Noise Exposure and Mental Health: Evidence From a Population-Based Longitudinal Study

Exposure to environmental noise from within homes has been associated with poor mental health. Existing evidence rests on cross-sectional studies prone to residual confounding, reverse causation, and small sample sizes, failing to adequately consider the causal nature of this relationship. Furthermore, few studies have examined the sociodemographic distribution of noise exposure at a country level. The study, conducted in 2021, examined the impact of environmental noise from road traffic, airplanes, trains, and industry on mental health and psychological distress as reported by 31,387 respondents using a 19-year longitudinal data set in Australia (2001‒2019). To improve the capacity to make causal inference and reduce bias from measurement error, reverse causation, and unobserved confounders, analyses used instrumental variables, fixed-effects models, and an aggregated area-level measure of noise exposure. Utilizing the large-scale national data set, sociospatial distributions of noise exposure were described. Private and public rental tenants, lone parents, residents of socioeconomically disadvantaged areas, and those with long-term health conditions were more likely to report residential noise exposure. This exposure to noise was consistently associated with poorer mental health (self-reported noise: β= -0.58; 95% CI= -0.76, -0.39; area-level noise: β= -0.43; 95% CI= -0.61, -0.26), with the relationship strongest for traffic noise (β= -0.79; 95% CI= -1.07, -0.51). Notably, when noise exposure decreased over time, there was an increase in mental health (β= 0.43; 95% CI= 0.14, 0.72). The study provides strong evidence of a negative mental health effect of perceived residential noise, and the results have implications for healthy home design and urban planning. These findings should be validated with further studies that measure noise intensity and housing quality.