Public Health
Sidewalks Key Factor Influencing Physical Activity
A new study provides further evidence that incorporating sidewalks into existing neighborhoods is a practical and inexpensive way of encouraging people to exercise.
Regulations, But Growing Demand for Taco Trucks
Taco trucks are coming under fire in a lot of cities, as officials try to figure out how to handle the nomadic restaurants. As the Hispanic population grows, so does the popularity of the trucks.
Climate Change Global Health Threat: Report
A new study warns that climate change could bring widespread harmful health threats to millions, and that plans for adapting human settlements to climate change need to address social inequities.
Stay Off Subways And Planes, Says Biden
VP Biden, on NBC's 'Today Show' April 30, told viewers he would tell his family to stay off planes and subways because of fear of infection by swine flu virus. Medical experts were quick to disagree, and his office had to issue a retraction.
Foreclosure Crisis Taking Toll on Public Health
Officials and advocates in Oakland California are warning that the foreclosure crisis is not only leading to evictions, but also growing public health problems and community blight.
Health and Human Services Hit Hard in San Francisco
The recession is causing San Francisco to tighten its belt. Budget cuts are falling heavily on the city's health and human services.
Linking Health to the Built Environment
This video lecture calls on builders, architects and planners to work with the medical and scientific communities to better explore how the built environment affects public health.
Sanjay Gupta Discusses Livable Cities
Correspondent/neurosurgeon Sanjay Gupta, who has been tapped to fill the Surgeon General position by President-elect Obama, talks about 'livable cities' as they relate to climate change and public health.
Wood Burning Ban Saves Lives
Five years ago, the Central Valley became the first area of California to ban indoor wood burning when an 'alert' was called by the air district; other air districts followed in 2008. This study, released in Nov. shows that "no burn" days save lives.
Obesity and Sprawl Correlation Found in Australia
A new study from the University of New South Wales has outlined a connection that suggests living farther away from central cities results in higher rates of obesity.
Friday Funny: Spit City
Officials in Sarasota, Florida have thrown out a 100-year old rule against spitting in public, despite some concerns about public health.
Missouri Streets are a Little More Complete
DeSoto and Ferguson are the first two cities in Missouri to adopt Complete Street plans. The ordinances are in place to encourage walking and biking, and, ultimately, healthier lifestyles.
Air Board Approves Diesel and Climate Protection Plans
In back-to-back rulings, the Californian Air Resources Board approved the nation's strongest climate protection plan and the strictest on-road diesel emissions plans that will mean the oldest, most polluting trucks and buses will soon be no more.
Air Resources Board Weighing Climate Plans
At a crucial two-day meeting, the California Air Resources Board may adopt, reject or modify two separate, landmark, controversial plans - one on climate change, the other on diesel emissions from trucks and buses.
Killer Brown Clouds On The Rise
A U.N. report details the severity of the 'brown cloud' phenomenon affecting much of Asia and other parts of the planet. In addition to reducing sunlight and causing premature death, the clouds affect weather patterns, harvests, and glacier declines
When Smog Kills - Museum Opened To Commemorate 1948 Disaster
Sixty years after twenty people died from air pollution spewing from a steel and zinc mill in Donora, PA (just outside Pittsburgh) in perhaps the worst air quality tragedy in the U.S., a museum has opened to commemorate and learn from the tragedy.
Op-Ed: Russia's Health Crisis Belies Its Economic Success
Russia's economic transformation due to its oil wealth is well-known, but not so the state of its public health which shows an alarming contrasting picture.
Noise Pollution in San Francisco is A Health Risk, Study Shows
A new study shows that noise pollution on the streets of San Francisco is putting nearly one in six residents at risk for heart disease, high blood pressure and other stress-related illnesses.
L.A.'s Fast Food Ban Boosts Health and Healthy Businesses
A moratorium on new fast food restaurants in Los Angeles is seen as a way to encourage better public health, but also a way to encourage healthier businesses.
To Live and Diet in LA
In the face of alarming obesity rates among many of its low-income residents, LA's City Council has voted to approve a moratorium on the construction of new fast-food restaurants in South LA.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
EMC Planning Group, Inc.
Planetizen
Planetizen
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
