Urban Sprawl and Public Health

TLDR

Urban sprawl affects health through air pollution, heat, reduced physical activity, traffic injuries, water quality, mental health, and social capital, with adverse impacts disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations and underscoring the need for equity considerations. The study aims to integrate health considerations into sprawl policy across personal, local, regional, and federal levels. It does so by examining sprawl at multiple scales—from individual transportation choices to zoning ordinances, mass transit and land‑use decisions, and federal regulations. The data show that sprawl can produce health benefits in some domains while imposing costs in others. Keywords: hyperthermia in automobiles; language: English.

Abstract

This article discusses the relationship between sprawl and health based on eight considerations: air pollution, heat, physical activity patterns, motor vehicle crashes, pedestrian injuries and deaths, water quality and quantity, mental health, and social capital. The data show both health benefits and health cost. As is true for most public health hazards, the adverse impacts of sprawl do not fall equally across the population, and those who are most affected deserves special attention. We address sprawl on a variety of levels, from personal transportation decisions to local zoning ordinances, from regional mass transit and land-use decisions to federal regulations, it is essential to incorporate health considerations into policy-making. Because the health effects of sprawl are unevenly distributed across the population, it is essential to incorporate considerations of social justice and equity. KW: Hyperthermia in automobiles Language: en