PUBLIC HEALTH INFLUENCES
Public health is intimately tied to the shape of a community – its development patterns, transportation networks, and open spaces. In poorer and more disadvantaged communities, the built environment is often ill-designed for fostering public health. Planning for healthier, more active, more inclusive communities is key to ensuring a better future for San Francisco.
- How will changes in public health affect people’s transportation choices? Conversely, how will transportation and land use decisions affect public health outcomes?
- What trends are shaping the future of public health?
Online Report Card Shows S.F. Health Disparities
SF Gate, September 2010
“San Franciscans who live in the Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhood can expect to live 14 fewer years on average than people who live on Russian Hill.”
Pedestrian Deaths Remain Steady as SF Rolls Out New Safety Measures
SF Examiner, December 2016
“With an unwavering number of pedestrian deaths and injuries annually, The City in 2014 joined other cities rocked by similar fatality statistics by adopting Vision Zero, a plan to stamp out all traffic-related pedestrian injuries and deaths. The City’s goal is a 50 percent reduction by 2021 and reaching zero deaths by 2024.”
The Rich Live Longer Everywhere. For the Poor, Geography Matters
New York Times, April 2016
“The top 1 percent in income among American men live 15 years longer than the poorest 1 percent; for women, the gap is 10 years.”
Greener Pastures: Charles Montgomery’s ‘Happy City’
New York Times, January 2014
“One of the most remarkable developments in social science in the past decade has been the emergence of happiness as a subject of serious scholarship and experimental study.”
Mapping the Link between Obesity and Car Driving
Fast Company, November 2014
“After analyzing national statistics between 1985 and 2007, researchers at the University of Illinois found that vehicle use (measured in annual vehicle miles traveled) correlated 99% with annual obesity rates.”
Urban Design – Transport and Population Health
Mark Stevenson, Melbourne School of Design, YouTube, September 2016
“A new series published in The Lancet, led by the University of Melbourne and featuring authors from leading global academic institutions, quantifies for the first time the health outcomes that could be gained through changes to urban design and the transport system.”
Public Health as an Urban Solution
Leana Wen, Tedx Talks, February 2016
“As the Commissioner of Health in Baltimore, Dr. Wen has been reimagining the role of public health. She has engaged public health in violence prevention and launched an opioid overdose prevention program that is training every resident to save lives.”
How Barbershops Can Keep Men Healthy
Joseph Ravenell, TED Talks, February 2016
“The barbershop can be a safe haven for black men, a place for honest conversation and trust — and, as physician Joseph Ravenell suggests, a good place to bring up tough topics about health.”
