The globally distributed health impacts of environmental degradation and widening inequalities require a fundamental shift in understandings of healthy urbanism. This book redefines the meaning and form of healthy urban environments, urging planners and design professionals to consider how their work impacts population health and wellbeing at multiple spatial and temporal scales. The concepts of equity, inclusion and sustainability are central to this framing, reversing the traditional focus on individuals, their genes and ‘lifestyle choices’ to one of structural factors that affect health. Integrating theory and concepts from social epidemiology, sustainable development and systems thinking with practical case studies, this book will be of value for students and practitioners.

The environment that we construct affects both humans and our natural world in myriad ways. There is a pressing need to create healthy places and to reduce the health threats inherent in places already built. However, there has been little awareness of the adverse effects of what we have constructed-or the positive benefits of well designed built environments. This book provides a far-reaching follow-up to the pathbreaking Urban Sprawl and Public Health, published in 2004. That book sparked a range of inquiries into the connections between constructed environments, particularly cities and suburbs, and the health of residents, especially humans. Since then, numerous studies have extended and refined the book's research and reporting. Making Healthy Places offers a fresh and comprehensive look at this vital subject today. There is no other book with the depth, breadth, vision, and accessibility that this book offers. In addition to being of particular interest to undergraduate and graduate students in public health and urban planning, it will be essential reading for public health officials, planners, architects, landscape architects, environmentalists, and all those who care about the design of their communities. Like a well-trained doctor, Making Healthy Places presents a diagnosis of--and offers treatment for--problems related to the built environment. Drawing on the latest scientific evidence, with contributions from experts in a range of fields, it imparts a wealth of practical information, with an emphasis on demonstrated and promising solutions to commonly occurring problems.

Half of the world’s inhabitants now live in cities. In the next twenty years, the number of urban dwellers will swell to an estimated five billion people. With their inefficient transportation systems and poorly designed buildings, many cities—especially in the United States—consume enormous quantities of fossil fuels and emit high levels of greenhouse gases. But our planet is rapidly running out of the carbon-based fuels that have powered urban growth for centuries and we seem to be unable to curb our greenhouse gas emissions. Are the world’s cities headed for inevitable collapse? The authors of this spirited book don’t believe that oblivion is necessarily the destiny of urban areas. Instead, they believe that intelligent planning and visionary leadership can help cities meet the impending crises, and look to existing initiatives in cities around the world. Rather than responding with fear (as a legion of doomsaying prognosticators have done), they choose hope. First, they confront the problems, describing where we stand today in our use of oil and our contribution to climate change. They then present four possible outcomes for cities: ”collapse,” “ruralized,” “divided,” and “resilient.” In response to their scenarios, they articulate how a new “sustainable urbanism” could replace today’s “carbon-consuming urbanism.” They address in detail how new transportation systems and buildings can be feasibly developed to replace our present low efficiency systems. In conclusion, they offer ten “strategic steps” that any city can take toward greater sustainability and resilience. This is not a book filled with “blue sky” theory (although blue skies will be a welcome result of its recommendations). Rather, it is packed with practical ideas, some of which are already working in cities today. It frankly admits that our cities have problems that will worsen if they are not addressed, but it suggests that these problems are solvable. And the time to begin solving them is now.

This book represents a multidisciplinary and international vision across different countries in Europe that are facing similar challenges about ageing and quality of life in present cities. It is divided in three main topics from the global context of health in cities and reduction of health inequities to the current research of different study cases, focusing on residential models and the relationship with the built environment. The third chapter illustrates best practices with some study cases from different cities in Europe. Friendlier environments for older people come together with the need of innovation, smart and updated technologies, healthier environments and mitigation of climate change. Health re-appears nowadays as one of the priorities for urban planning and design, not only for the communicable diseases and the effect of the pandemics, but also for the non-communicable diseases, that were also triggering the wellbeing and equity of our cities. Indeed, the Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted health inequities and vulnerabilities of those areas of the city that were already deprived and facing other health problems, such as obesity, diabetes, social isolation, respiratory problems or mental health issues, specifically applying for vulnerable groups. Older adults have been one of the most affected groups from the pandemic’s threats and derived consequences. In this context, the care crisis arises intertwined with the design and planning of our cities, where there is an urgent need to regenerate our environments with a perspective of sustainability, inclusion, and health prevention and promotion. From the global urban challenges to the specific contextualisation of each city and study cases, each chapter offers an updated insight of the main questions that we should consider to address urban planning and design from the perspective of ageing and social inclusion in European cities.

An agenda for thriving urban centers, the San Francisco-based Congress for the New Urbanism is a leading force for modern design that encourages viable neighborhoods, conserves natural environments, and preserves our architectural heritage. Charter of the New Urbanism introduces you to the work of the world-class planners, architects and other professionals who are making the new urbanism happen. Charter contributors, including Andres Duany, Peter Calthorpe, and Liz Moule, explain strategies that range from large-scale, regional, to small-scale: blocks, streets and buildings. Revealing case studies help you understand the impact of geography, economics,development and urban patterns, public and private uses, transportation and pedestrian access, housing, building densities and land uses, codes, parks, shared use, safety, preservation and renewal, community identity and much more in this invaluable resource for design professionals.

Overcrowding, noise and air pollution, long commutes and lack of daylight can take a huge toll on the mental well-being of city-dwellers. With mental healthcare services under increasing pressure, could a better approach to urban design and planning provide a solution? The restrictions faced by city residents around the world during the COVID-19 pandemic has brought home just how much urban design can affect our mental health – and created an imperative to seize this opportunity. Restorative Cities explores a new way of designing cities, one which places mental health and wellness at the forefront. Establishing a blueprint for urban design for mental health, it examines a range of strategies – from sensory architecture to place-making for creativity and community – and brings a genuinely evidence-based approach that will appeal to designers and planners, health practitioners and researchers alike - and provide compelling insights for anyone who cares about how our surroundings affect us. Written by a psychiatrist and public health specialist, and an environmental psychologist with extensive experience of architectural practice, this much-needed work will prompt debate and inspire built environment students and professionals to think more about the positive potential of their designs for mental well-being.

Written by the chair of the LEED-Neighborhood Development (LEED-ND) initiative, Sustainable Urbanism: Urban Design with Nature is both an urgent call to action and a comprehensive introduction to "sustainable urbanism"--the emerging and growing design reform movement that combines the creation and enhancement of walkable and diverse places with the need to build high-performance infrastructure and buildings. Providing a historic perspective on the standards and regulations that got us to where we are today in terms of urban lifestyle and attempts at reform, Douglas Farr makes a powerful case for sustainable urbanism, showing where we went wrong, and where we need to go. He then explains how to implement sustainable urbanism through leadership and communication in cities, communities, and neighborhoods. Essays written by Farr and others delve into such issues as: Increasing sustainability through density. Integrating transportation and land use. Creating sustainable neighborhoods, including housing, car-free areas, locally-owned stores, walkable neighborhoods, and universal accessibility. The health and environmental benefits of linking humans to nature, including walk-to open spaces, neighborhood stormwater systems and waste treatment, and food production. High performance buildings and district energy systems. Enriching the argument are in-depth case studies in sustainable urbanism, from BedZED in London, England and Newington in Sydney, Australia, to New Railroad Square in Santa Rosa, California and Dongtan, Shanghai, China. An epilogue looks to the future of sustainable urbanism over the next 200 years. At once solidly researched and passionately argued, Sustainable Urbanism is the ideal guidebook for urban designers, planners, and architects who are eager to make a positive impact on our--and our descendants'--buildings, cities, and lives.

Understanding Urbanism presents built environment students with the latest approaches to studying urbanism. The book is written in an accessible and easy-to-understand format by leading urban academics and practitioners with decades of teaching and practical experience. As students move through the chapters, they will develop a critical understanding of the different ways architects, urban and social planners, urban designers, heritage professionals, engineers and other built environment professionals design our cities. Importantly, the book shows how and why the built environment professional of the future will need to work within the Indigenous context of cities in countries like Australia, New Zealand, the United States and Canada.

The city is more than just a sum of its buildings; it is the sum of its communities. The most successful urban communities are very often those that are the most diverse – in terms of income, age, family structure and ethnicity – and yet poor urban design and planning can stifle the very diversity that makes communities successful. Just as poor urban design can lead to sterile monoculture, successful planning can support the conditions needed for diverse communities. Emily Talen explores the linkage between urban forms and social diversity, and how one impacts the other. Learning the lessons from past successes and failures, and building from detailed case studies of different neighborhoods, Design for Diversity provides urban designers and architects with design strategies and tools to ensure that their work sustains and nurtures social diversity.

The Routledge Companion to Paradigms of Performativity in Design and Architecture focuses on a non-linear, multilateral, ethical way of design thinking, positioning the design process as a journey. It expands on the multiple facets and paradigms of performative design thinking as an emerging trend in design methodology. This edited collection explores the meaning of performativity by examining its relevance in conjunction with three fundamental principles: firmness, commodity and delight. The scope and broader meaning of performativity, performative architecture and performance-based building design are discussed in terms of how they influence today’s design thinking. With contributions from 44 expert practitioners, educators and researchers, this volume engages theory, history, technology and the human aspects of performative design thinking and its implications for the future of design.