Many streets around the globe have gotten increasingly inhospitable to children and the elderly due to growing traffic and road safety problems that discourage these groups from engaging in energetic transport comparable to walking or cycling. Recently, there was an emphasis on designing cities that support the well-being of people of all ages from eight to 80 just isn’t only a catchy slogan, but a crucial requirement to adapt to changing demographic realities.
Likewise the concept City quarter-hour has gained plenty of attention in recent times – despite baseless conspiracies accusing local authorities of conspiring to confine residents to a small radius around their homes.
In a 15-minute city, an important thing is accessibility, saving time and expanding opportunities for everybody, not only the richest. Achieving this goal and designing healthier spaces starts with a comprehensive understanding of the impact of the urban environment on our health and well-being, in addition to a practical take a look at current barriers to healthier city design.
Our recent research — conducted with the assistance of research assistants Shanzey Ali and Agnes Fung and the Regina and Saskatchewan City Health Authority and currently awaiting peer review, aimed to understand these barriers.
Designing higher spaces
Research shows that the layout of streets, access to grocery stores, the choice of building materials when designing apartments and the distribution of public services all play a key role in influencing our health and well-being.
Neighborhoods with accessible public and community spaces and social events have been shown to improve mental health, increase happiness and offer sense of belonging and community. At the identical time, grocery stores, community gardens, and farmers markets have been shown to be easily accessible improve mental, social and physical health.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson
So how can we create more favorable built environments? This is where urban planning comes into play, as city policymakers develop and implement policies that may change the structure, use, and regulation of public spaces in cities.
An advanced dance between urban planning and health takes place deep historical roots. The early use of sanitation and zoning to control epidemics of infectious diseases within the nineteenth century is well established and these efforts proceed to this present day.
Meanwhile, global agencies comparable to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations (UN) are advocating for the combination of health and equity into city governance. Actually, UN Sustainable Development Goal 11 goals to create inclusive, resilient, protected and sustainable cities. Cities are due to this fact well placed to protect population health and reduce health inequalities in a changing climate.
Daily challenges
So why aren’t we seeing more urban design policies specializing in the health and well-being of residents? Our findings make clear four key issues.
1 – Lack of shared understanding of health equity
Policymakers lacked a shared understanding of health and equity, highlighting the complexity of addressing health inequalities and implementing effective policies. Although the importance of physical and mental health has been widely known, there’s a glaring gap in the popularity of this health social dimension of health.
Policymakers often struggled to find common ground on health and equity, making meaningful motion difficult. As one policymaker noted, “I don’t think our (design) standards have ever been considered from a health perspective.”
2 – Evidence will likely be unavailable
Although policymakers recognized evidence (data) as a vital element of policymaking, they explained that there have been significant barriers to accessing it. Administrative roadblocks, comparable to lack of coordination between and inside provincial and municipal governments, can prevent access to key data needed to inform policymaking.
Financial barriers comparable to paywalls can block access to research. Meanwhile, technical barriers – including the educational community’s use of jargon and overly technical language – can hinder the accessibility of educational literature.
(Shutterstock)
As one decision maker put it, “There’s a lot of academic knowledge and terminology used that can be overwhelming, and no one wants to leave the room feeling stupid.” As a result, sometimes the most effective approach just isn’t well understood by city actors, creating greater demand for knowledge translation and accessible research.
3 – Government structures are fragmented
Another obstacle is the fragmented management structure, marked by siloing. Lack of coordination between various departments and divisions within the municipality may end in missed opportunities for cooperation. Differences in the usage of terminology can exacerbate the issue, causing confusion and hindering cross-sectoral work.
Conflicts between the goals of various departments, for instance between energetic transport planners and traffic engineers, highlight the challenges that siled management creates. As one policymaker noted, “We seemed to have implemented many policies that largely favored vehicle traffic over pedestrian and cyclist traffic.”
Adding complexity to the combo is limited legal power of local governments in Canada. Considered “provincial creatures”, municipalities can only exercise powers delegated to them by the provincial government, which suggests that, in theory, municipalities’ powers may be modified or withdrawn at their discretion.
Ambiguity over the roles and responsibilities of municipalities versus provincial governments creates tensions and costs as municipalities struggle with disagreements over whose jurisdiction falls on certain issues. Most often, this ends in financing decisions that impact healthy urban design.
4 – Political ideologies get in the best way
In addition to bureaucratic challenges, different political ideologies pose a formidable barrier.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Lahodynskyj
The integration of health in city design is rooted in the concept of collectivism, which goals to maximize advantages for the community as an entire. Although the present favoring of car-oriented roads in most areas reflects a libertarian individualism at odds with collective ideals in urban design.
This imbalance is especially striking when taken into consideration much higher costs to society from driving relatively than walking or cycling.
Policymakers have noted that these political ideologies pervade public opinion, creating resistance to policies perceived as infringing on individual freedoms, while policies that only profit minorities are met with opposition in the event that they involve personal disadvantages.
We found that an example of this problem was the fierce resistance to proposals to provide safer conditions for sex employees from those that wanted them in out-of-sight areas.
Overcoming these barriers
The path to creating healthier and more equitable cities is fraught with challenges. From a scarcity of shared understanding to unavailable evidence, fragmented governance and legal constraints on municipalities, and different political ideologies, the barriers are multifaceted. However, understanding these challenges is step one towards meaningful change.
By fostering collaboration, restructuring governance, empowering local governments and promoting a collective mindset, we are able to pave the best way for higher integrating health into urban policies that actually support the well-being of entire communities.
