lecture 10 Flashcards
The built environment
= designed by humans
(Roads, canals, bike roads,)
- impact our health and health decision models
what encourages PA?
Walkable environment encourages PA
Infrastructure encourages PA (parks, pools, playgrounds, sports clubs)
Food retailers nearly influences health outcomes
The built environment within 1km of an individual’s house is associated with
overweight (over sociodemographic factor)
- Grocery stores nearby= less likely to get in the car all the time
Compact neighbourhoods?
Mixed land use= better use of space= better for health
What are some evidence based planning solutions?
- access to parks
- make trails and pathways readily accessible in residential areas
- grid based neighbourhoods rather than cul-de-sacs to reduce vehicle use
-density
-interconnectivity
IPEN:
- group at UBC working to make the built environment for beneficial for health
- more walkable
(Research linking the way that we build our environments to how active people are)
—— is an indication of how important the built environment is to neighborhood health.
Active transport
BCs healthy built environment toolkit
1) Neighbourhood design
Schools, grocery stores, sidewalks etc. within 1km of where you live
2) Transportation networks
Active transport= anything that isn’t your private vehicle, even buses!
Making it safe, available, accessible
3) Food systems
Accessible and affordable
Protecting agricultural land
4) Natural environments
Urban heat island profile
5) Housing
Affordable housing options
Epidemiological study in Vancouver and Victoria:
Most walkable areas have residents that are half as likely to be overweight.
Children’s travel to school (study):
Why are people driving their children to school?
Why are people driving their children to school?
- home to school distance
-side walks
-owning a car
-parental perceptions of safety from traffic and strangers
- “walking school bus”
Walkability index:
- residential density
- commercial density
-land mix (different uses for land)
-street connectivity
Jan Gehl Cities for people (5 points)
- Stop building ‘architecture for cheap gasoline’
- Make public life the driver for urban design
- Design for multisensory experiences
- Make public transportation more equitable
- Ban cars (core congestion tax)
- like in London—you can’t drive in the city???
Innovative interventions:
Public art, walking groups, walking bus program,
Stairs: Why might stairs be a barrier for people?
too long, too much effort, dangerous
Stairs: local research
We want stairs that are “open” to encourage physical activity
Stair design aesthetics:
Increasing distance between escalator and stairs= 97% increase in use of stairs
(good to SEPARATE the two)
The natural environment
Urban heat island profile= temperature is higher when there are no green spaces around
Biking metrics
Having metrics to measure amount of biking, time of year that bike lanes are being used
- helps us overcome barriers
Most benefit for those that are least active (graph)
Individual perceptions biking
women cyclists are more worried about traffic than men are
Interventions for biking
Bike lanes on inside of where cars are parked
Bike “hubs”
Covered bike lanes
Bike sharing
Policy: helmet laws etc.
Financial rewards: gift cards, tuition reduction
Promotional events: bike to work week
Green ring of bike paths in Madrid
or the ring in Stavanger
= easier access from all kinds of places rather than just one lane
Complex systems: pedestrian bulb
sticking out from the side of the road= good for pedestrians, not good for bikes
How can you impact the built environment?
Taking surveys
Getting involved in planning stages
Supporting groups that are making a difference in the community
