• New Urbanism boosts social connections and health

    An academic survey of a Florida traditional neighborhood development shows higher social engagement and better health outcomes.
    The value of New Urbanism in promoting social connections is gaining recognition among social scientists, not least because of a growing body of evidence demonstrating that social connections are highly important to overall health and well-being. The latest example is a recent academic study of...Read more

  • You’re already practicing public health

    Places shape people and determine health outcomes. Those who shape the public realm are health practitioners, and this needs to be more widely understood.
    The civil engineer who specifies a twelve-foot lane instead of a ten. The architect who orients a mixed-use building toward the parking lot rather than the sidewalk. The developer who builds eighty garden apartments wrapped around surface parking— but no playground or public spaces. The planner who...Read more

  • CNU Legacy team proposes Health District

    The Providence Community Health District envisions up to 2,000 new living spaces in a mixed-use neighborhood surrounding major health institutions.
    Less than a mile from downtown, the Providence Hospital District is one of the largest employers in the State of Rhode Island. It includes two major hospitals, associated medical facilities, and the Community College of Rhode Island. Embedded in Southside Providence neighborhoods, the district's...Read more

  • How in-city highways impact social lives and health

    Freeways reduce social connections between people in a city, and this has important health implications—which is another reason to replace highways with street grids when possible.
    What is the greatest threat to your health? Smoking cigarettes? Becoming an alcoholic? Physical inactivity? Becoming overweight? According to the CDC, it’s lacking social connections (see graph below). If you don’t have friends, family around you, or regular contact with other humans who can check...Read more