Shaping healthy spaces for healthy people
One problem facing the U.S. today is addiction. It bears no boundaries when it comes to location either. The number of drug overdose deaths have more than tripled. According to the addiction center, 21 million Americans are battling addiction, yet only 10% are receiving treatment and counseling. Not having the desire or resources could play … [Read more…]
So you’ve made it to the big city. Surrounded by breathtaking architecture, nightlife, dining, and… bugs? There are actually more bugs in cities in rural areas. Scientists think that there are so many bugs in cities because cities tend to be hotter than the rural areas around them. Luckily, there are a multitude of different … [Read more…]
Mental illness are invisible, leaving people to suffer in isolation. Social stigma leads to detachment. Contributing factors remain ignored. While we know how to prevent infectious diseases with good community design today, we still don’t know how to shape our institutions to promote mental health.
The chief question of urban planning is, “How does our built environment affect our lives?” In some ways, however, the way we choose to structure our communities contributes to untimely death. Environmental Health Researcher Richard Joseph Jackson, MD, MPH famously presents his audiences this provocative question, “In what kind of community are you most likely to end up … [Read more…]
For decades, the message to Americans has been “Don’t drink and drive!” which translates to “don’t drink,” if you have to drive. Reducing drinking as a public policy goal hasn’t really ever been successful. While campaigns mounted against drunk driving have been somewhat successful, it’s hard to imagine coming close to ending drunk driving deaths when, in most communities … [Read more…]