How Careful Planning of Our Cities and Towns Can Boost Our Health and Wellbeing

The Guardian has reported on Why health and wellbeing should be at centre of urban planning.

It starts by reminding us that the epidemics of cholera, typhoid and other infectious diseases of the 19th century were traced to unsanitary living conditions and poor public infrastructure, before going on to remind us that the huge burden of respiratory disease, cardiovascular disease, obesity and illness can also be addressed through the way our towns and cities are built and serviced.

Traffic and Air Pollution

Recent research has focused on the positive impacts of Low Emissions Zones (LEZs) and Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs), such as a reported 6-9% reduction in traffic pollution in London LEZ/LTNs - Evaluation of low traffic neighbourhood (LTN) impacts on NO2 and traffic. Importantly, the study did not find that traffic volume and amount of air pollution was increased on the streets surrounding the low traffic zones. This is great news because there is very strong evidence that air pollution is bad for our health.

Researchers at Imperial College conducted a systematic review - a type of secondary research, where multiple studies are analysed that look at the same research questions looking for patterns and trends in the findings - Health effects of low emission and congestion charging zones: a systematic review. This analysis found that there was a clear reduction in cardiovascular conditions in five of the eight LEZ studies.

Active Transport

Research has also been conducted that looks at the impact of cycling on health. Using data from the UK Biobank, this research - Association between active commuting and incident cardiovascular disease, cancer, and mortality: prospective cohort study - was able to look at the health risks for 263,450 participants, where the variable under study was the mode of transport used to commute to and from work on a typical day, split into active transport (walking, cycling, mixture) vs non-active transport (cars and public transport). The findings were that commuting by cycling was associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and all cause mortality. Whilst commuting by walking was associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease.

The 15-Minute City

The 15-minute city is the concept of planning a city so that all services - work, education, shops, healthcare, leisure - are within a 15-minute walk or cycle. This reduces traffic volume and pollution, therefore reducing our risk of cardiovascular and respiratory disease. It increases our physical activity, therefore boosting our mental wellbeing and reducing our risks of a whole range of physical ill health.

You can read more about this idea here: Is the tiny little neighborhood the city of the future?