Health experts have long insisted that improving our public health requires improving the environment we live in. This, of course, includes environmental protection measures such as pollution control and management of resources but also attention to housing and living conditions. Part of the latter is a better understanding of how land use, residential development and architectural design impact our health and well-being.
Virtually everything in our built environment is the way it is because someone designed it that way. We now realize that how we design the built environment may hold tremendous potential for addressing many of the nations greatest current public health concerns, including obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, asthma, injury, depression, violence, and social injustice, says Dr. Richard Joseph Jackson, professor for environmental health sciences and urban planning at the School of Public Health of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
There is a growing awareness in communities across the country of the need for health-promoting surroundings. And city planners begin to pay attention. They realize that sidewalks, bike paths, pedestrian zones and parks not only add to public safety but also enhance the quality of life in general. Here are a few examples:
New York City has tasked its Department of Design and Construction (DDC) to come up with new guidelines for the promotion of physical activity and health in architectural design to make future building projects more livable and hospitable. The guidelines are meant to give designers the tools to facilitate healthy lifestyle choices and to address health concerns such as obesity and diabetes through intelligent design, according to Arch Daily an architectural online magazine. New York City, of course is already one of the most walkable cities in the country. A fat reduction review can help you construct a clear describe of what you require to focus on to accomplish your fat burning target if you're a starter; or serve as a reminder for these who are at an intermediate or more enhance step of their weightloss plan. Promptly after are seven steps that can serve as guidelines for your personal weight loss system. The first thing that one must understand is that losing weight and losing fat is not the same thing. Many weight loss plans have misled people into wondering that it is the same, but most diets and weight loss plans only work by resulting in a person's body to lose more muscle flesh and water than actual body fat, more help please visit The Fat Loss Factor. Still, there is room for improvement, e.g. better public transportation to recreational facilities and open spaces.
The Seattle Housing Authority has created a program called Breathe Easy Homes, which subsidizes affordable housing projects with features to improve air quality and reduce the risk of asthma, especially among children.
The Denver Housing Authority uses a procedure called Health Impact Assessment (HIA) for all its urban redevelopment plans as part of its wellness initiative, Denver Healthy People 2020. HIA is an assessment tool that has been put into practice in other parts of the world for many years and is increasingly accepted here as well.
The [HIA] process is one of the foremost tools used to plan for healthy, sustainable communities. Used around the world, it promotes and assesses environmental effects upon physical and mental health. With land use policies, designs and plans influencing individual and community health, it is more important than ever to strengthen the relationship between planning and public health, the agency states on its website.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) also recommends HIA as a good resource to measure the impact of community projects on health issues.
But governmental action alone will not suffice in the creation of more health-conducive living spaces. Private developers will have to come on board as well. To ensure that todays students of architecture and urban planning will be more sensitive towards these issues, Clemson University in South Carolina offers a program called Architecture Plus Health, where relationships between architectural settings and the health of their inhabitants are researched. The goal is to teach future architects and designers how to apply their skills with the well-being of individuals and the larger population in mind, says Dr. David Allison, the programs director.
If you liked this article, you may also enjoy reading "Making Americas Cities More Walkable The Benefits Are Endless" and "Your Surroundings Can Sabotage Your Commitment to Healthy Living."
Timi Gustafson R.D. is a registered dietitian, newspaper columnist, blogger and author of the book The Healthy Diner How to Eat Right and Still Have Fun, which is available on her blog and at amazon.com. For more articles on nutrition, health and lifestyle, visit her blog, Food and Health with Timi Gustafson R.D. (www.timigustafson.com). You can follow Timi on Twitter and on Facebook.
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