The Health Consequences of Urban Planning: The Presage

The material provided in this book is intended to serve as a warning. Failure to address the underlying causes of relatively recent and significant increases in preventable, predictable, non-communicable diseases will result in the continued erosion of the health of inhabitants of urban environments.

In the past 20 years, three major global developments have occurred. The first is rapid growth of the world’s population living in urban environments. The second is a rapid shift in the volume of diagnosis of non-communicable diseases (NCD) that has overtaken that of infectious diseases. The third is the economic underpinning that supports the development of urban environments.

The intention of this book is to present evidence on the way in which specific designs of urban environments cause illnesses, predominately NCDs. Of equal importance is to provide an informed alternative for designing truly resilient environments fit for the future.

Annalise Johns is a built environment and health expert. She develops evidence-based designs to improve social determinants of health by combining epidemiological data and population health profiles with cutting edge urban innovations (IOT, biomimicry, circular economy, etc.) to facilitate resilient population health outcomes. Her experience spans public health, transportation, regeneration, urban design and housing innovation. She has produced national policies for the National Health Service, UK, as part of the Healthy New Towns programme, and has developed cutting edge pilots for housing and health for Innovate UK and local authorities across London. She is a co-chair of the Urban Land Institute’s New Housing Paradigm and advises the Women’s Budget Group on gender inclusive transport strategies.