Our urban environments are getting hotter, yet urban design and planning solutions which can mitigate heat are rarely used. There is a need for further education and strategic planning policy positions to support heat mitigation policy and practice in the built environment.
Urban health is a complex system that involves several indicators acting together, there is no single solution to the health-related issues in cities. We wanted to promote healthy ageing in urban living. Our strategy was to take people’s needs and demands into account, when evaluating, monitoring and proposing feasible changes in built, natural and social environments.
Stronger collaboration with inhabitants could ensure more attention on health in spatial plan development.
Implementing community participation in planning of public open spaces is one of the most useful and effective means to encourage a higher sense of community.
The ‘runnability of cities’ as a novel spatial planning approach can enhance healthier and more enabling environments for everyone.
We highlight the beneficial interactions of “sensescapes”, the combination of soundscapes and natural landscapes, on psycho-physiological health. Our work shows the significance of interdisciplinary urban design and planning in harnessing these benefits – to enhance health and urban sustainability through the integration of nature’s influences on the body and mind.
Urban environments influence mental health and development of younger populations. This study explores associations between adolescent mental health indicators and design characteristics. Implications include recommendations for planners and urban designer to promote psychological well-being.
How do people conceptualize pathogen transmission risk in cities using visible cues?
The future of workplaces now includes ‘remote’ for many, which has many health benefits. The future of ‘the office’ needs to evolve too and bringing more nature into the workplace is a healthy place to start.
This study adds to the literature on the health impacts of lockdowns by examining longitudinal changes in the health behaviours of Australian apartment residents. Following the COVID-19 lockdown, residents reported increased walking for recreation, sleep duration, and home cooking frequency, but decreased walking for transport, greater sitting time, and weight gain. Alcohol consumption remained stable.