Negative Effects of Urban Planning on Public Health
Urban planning is an activity that has had a huge importance in the growth of many cities in mankind’s history. Giles-Corti, et al. (2016) state that urban planning affects many sectors of society, including the health and welfare of different communities. City planning uses different laws to ensure that people get enough health care, further showing its importance to the community. As such, health problems being seen in society nowadays can be attributed to the declining efficiency of urban planning. Many physical health problems have cropped up in recent years due to poor planning, with lifestyle diseases affecting the community due to a lack of proper facilities (McCay et al., 2019). These lifestyle diseases have increased in number, leading to more deaths and deadlier conditions cropping up. Poor urban planning has also been linked to certain mental and emotional issues in the community, with the environment surrounding a person affecting the way they think and behave (Klein-Rosenthal & Raven, 2017). This has affected how certain communities operate, with the perceptions of living spaces shown to affect how a person views themselves in relation to the society. These factors show that the public health systems of different cities may not be able to handle the increased health problems of its people, showing that its urban planning is flawed. To rectify these issues, governments need to initiate scientific urban planning that considers the health and welfare of its citizens rather than the ability to maximise profits from it.
Negative Effects of Urban Planning on Public Health
Effects on Physical Health
Urban planning has had a link with physical health for a very long time. Schilling & Linton (2005) state that in the 19th century, governments would plan and create land use zones to ensure that people were living in healthy conditions. The growth of the industrial era meant that factories were releasing pollutants into the environment, affecting areas that were close to these factories. As such, any zone in the area suffered from environmental effects, causing people around the industries and factories to have health problems. This is still seen to date despite governments regulating land use zones, with many cases of government incompetence along with corporate greed leading to serious health issues and ultimately, death. In 2019, the movie Dark Waters was released, highlighting a true story about a Rob Billot, a lawyer who led a lawsuit against DuPont Chemicals after it was found that they were releasing toxic waste into the creek in Parkersburg in 1999 (Rich, 2016). The story highlighted how DuPont disposed of their chemical waste irresponsibly, causing the toxic waste to sip into the water table that the people in Parkersburg. Pregnant women were tested and found to have health problems, with two of every seven births having eye defects. This story highlighted how the lack of proper land-use zoning along with corporate fraud led to the health issues of people and cattle in Parkersburg.
Urban planning has also failed to consider the importance of physical health when creating cities. Campbell & Bruce-Lockhart (2020) show that many health conditions, such as obesity have been on the rise in recent years. In the report, it is found that the urban lifestyle is a major cause of obesity, with most of the people suffering from this condition aged 5-19 years old. The lack of physical inactivity due to increased urbanisation, especially the changing mode of transport. Campbell & Bruce-Lockhart (2020) state that diabetes, which is linked to obesity, has also been on the rise. This increase has been found more in rural areas where urbanisation is taking place with 55% of weight increase in adults happening in rural populations compared to 13.5% in urban areas. As such, urban planning is not considering the way urbanisation of rural areas affects the public health of society. The lack of proper transportation modes that force people to exercise has been noted as a major contributor to weight increase (Giles-Corti et al., 2016). With urban transportation failing to consider the importance of walking and cycling, cities have instead worked on creating fast modes of transport such as subways and fast trains. While this is a good move for fast transportation in a city, the lack of walking and cycling space means that people prefer using cars for short transportation. Not only this, but McCay et al. (2019) state that increases in traffic volumes has also led to an increase in road accidents, injuring and killing more people.
Beyond the transport system, obesity and other health issues have increased due to a lack of green spaces. Carpenter (2013) defines green spaces as natural areas where people go for recreational purposes such as parks, community gardens, and playing fields. These spaces have been linked with good physical health in the community due to the provision of areas where people can walk, jog or play sports. Dadvand et al. (2016) show that many people do not have enough green spaces around them, meaning they have to forgo any physical activities that are recreational in nature. As such, obesity and overweight people have cropped up, further leading to other conditions such as diabetes that are influenced by the eating habits of urban populations. Davis & Carpenter (2009) show that most fast food organisations operate in urbanised areas, further adding to the impact it has on the public health of urban populations. With no green spaces to exercise and plant natural food, urban communities will continue to have a rise in lifestyle diseases. Many rural areas are urbanising themselves and failing to create green spaces, leading to an increase in the number of people with lifestyle diseases. The fact that rural areas are not using proper urban planning to look into the public health of the population shows that planners need to address the need for green spaces even in these regions. The creation of new urban areas needs to consider how the people in it will walk, cycle or play to improve their physical health.
Urban planning is an important factor in the public health of a community since it affects how pandemics spread. Kochtitzky et al. (2006) show that many pandemics in history have been affected by how the cities and towns were planned, looking into the population density and sanitary conditions they provided. Many pandemics in the history of mankind have been spread rapidly in urban areas more than rural ones. In the 19th century, pandemics such as cholera ravaged major cities such as London, killing thousands of people all over the UK (Thomas, 2010). The spread of this disease was attributed to poor urban planning issues, with the sanitation of cities called into question. With water sources infected with the virus, it spread a lot in the city, causing a large number of people to contract it. Local authorities did not agree on the measures that needed to be set to control it, with businesses such as restaurants further spreading the virus. In order to address this, cities began planning with a focus on sanitation, creating a proper way of disposing waste and handling food. This culture is still seen to date, with many restaurants or food centres requiring certain facilities in order for planners to accept them to run their businesses. The world is currently facing the Covid-19 pandemic, and yet again, urban planning has been questioned (World Health Organization, 2020). Cities have had to lock themselves down to contain the spread, while sanitation has been increased in different land-use zones to ensure the very communicable virus is controlled.
Effects on Mental Health
Poor mental health is another issue linked to poor urban planning. Giles-Corti et al. (2016) state that the environment a person lives and works in highly affects how they think. One way that mental health has been affected is the lack of green and open spaces (Dadvand et al., 2016). Neighbourhoods that have green open spaces have been noted to have less mental health cases than those that do not. One reason for this is the fact that exercise improves not only the physical state of people but also their mental health. McCay et al. (2019) state that exercise is a treatment for mild depression and high blood pressure, two conditions linked with poor mental health. Studies have also shown that exercise can help treat attention deficit disorders, dementia, and schizophrenia. The lack of green and open spaces means that many people cannot find a proper way to deal with these mental issues, counting on medical drugs from psychologists to heal themselves. Green spaces are also considered to promote social interaction among people in a community (McCay et al., 2019). Social interaction is an important tool in reducing stress and depression, helping a person deal with the high-pressure lifestyle of urban centres. Creating green spaces that have facilities such as restaurants, toilets and security ensures that the area is conducive for social interaction. Poor urban planning leads to these green spaces becoming insecure, with criminals such as drug dealers and rapists using the seclusion to do their evil deeds. People in the community become anxious when this happens, staying away from these open spaces.
Beyond open spaces, the public space of a city affects the mental health of its population Madanipour (2013) states that public space is the area that people use in public, including roads, public squares and beaches. The importance of public spaces such as sidewalks is not only important for the ease of transport; it helps people have a sense of peace and security. Barton (2005) states that many urban planners and designers are now focusing on the urban realm of a town, looking into how public spaces can be more people-friendly. The aesthetic nature of a city has been noted to improve the mental state of its population, making them feel safe when out of the house. In contrast, places where the urban realm is poorly maintained cause people to have anxiety when they use them, making them feel unsafe. Poor urban planning when it comes to the urban realm usually means that cities lack proper spacing, making alleys and pedestrian walkways cramped and dark. Public spaces usually have roles in the community, providing ways for people to move from one place to another (Barton, 2005). As such, they should have consideration of the mental health of their users, providing them with ways to feel safe and secure when in public. A lack of consideration for this people means that most find it difficult to live or work in urban spaces that do not help them deal with their mental problems.
The creation of urban centres has been noted to disregard the mental health sector with many of them using the economic aspect it will bring. As such, most cities do not consider the needs of people suffering from mental conditions. A condition like autism makes people sensitive to sound and light, yet no urban planners look into creating quiet zones for people with these problems (Ryan, 2010). Without this consideration, many people in the society may have more mental issues, increasing the number of people suffering from mental conditions despite being physically healthy. Urban planners also fail to consider the disabled in their plans, usually installing substandard strategies to help them. Taylor & Józefowicz (2012) state that many disabled people get mental health issues since they feel inadequate in urban areas where they are not catered for. The lack of disabled people infrastructure means that they are excluded from the city, having to survive in urban areas instead of living comfortably. Proper planning of such facilities, as seen in Curitiba, may help disabled people use the city more efficiently. Disabled people in such cities will not have the additional stress when trying to access public transport, ensuring that they do not have additional mental issues piled unto their physical ones. Cities should, therefore, consider people with mental defects when planning, considering the facilities they need to live peacefully. Professionals such as psychologists are not considered as stakeholders in the planning process, meaning that mental health issues remain unknown to most cities which focus on the welfare of normal healthy people.
Recommendations to Improve Public Health Using Urban Planning
The issue of urban planning and health has highlighted many issues that cities have, showing that health officials need to be part of stakeholders in the planning process. Doctors, psychiatrists and psychologists are an important part of the community, and including them in the planning process will ensure that cities promote the health and welfare of their populations. Tress & Tress (2003) state that the inclusion of stakeholders in the planning process is crucial to solving the issues each community faces. As such, the inclusion of doctors will help planners understand the defects in their plans that would cause health problems. Planners need to incorporate people suffering from physical and mental conditions as stakeholders, learning about the issues they face in cities and urbanised areas. McCay et al. (2019) show this importance by describing how people with dementia have helped show the issues they face in cities. With their forgetful nature and easy irritability, victims of dementia state that they prefer signs with easy to read the information that runs perpendicular to walls than complex signs that are parallel to the walls. The article also shows that people with dementia prefer places full of people than deserted ones, showing that they can contribute to the planning process and create healthier cities. By prioritising health officials and patients in the process is therefore important in creating healthy cities for the future.
Land-use zoning is very important in solving health issues in urban areas. Schilling & Linton (2005) show that the introduction of land use zones has helped define the way each sector in the economy affects how we live and the state of health in urban regions. Residents who live near factories or railway tracks have been noted to have more issues with mental health than those living in designated residential areas that offer good living facilities (Basner et al., 2014). This can be attributed to the noise levels found in these areas, a factor that affects how people think. People who live in these areas suffer from stress and attention deficiencies, showing that land-use zoning should consider the surrounding activities. With proper land-use zoning, certain health issues can be solved and avoided in future. Land-use zoning is also important since it helps planning officials prepare for the future growth of an area. Schilling & Linton (2005) show that proper urban planning usually considers the future growth patterns of a city, providing areas in which people can live comfortably. Cities have poor residential neighbourhoods due to the inclusion of many buildings that do not follow city policies of the facilities and amenities available to their population. This leads to a rise of slums, areas where public health is poor, and pandemics can easily spread. Planning should, therefore, consider the future health issues that certain land use zones may face due to the increased growth of activities in the area.
Urban planners should begin considering the impact their planning process has on the environment and public health of the population. Hong & Lee (2014) state that urban planners have begun looking into the impact land uses zones have on the environment, looking to incorporate a green culture that protects and sustains the environment. Buildings are now being built with a view of providing vegetation in them, helping people eliminate greenhouse gas emissions caused by machines such as air conditioners and thermostats. The Agora tower is one such building, completed in Taipei in 2017 (Hong & Lee, 2014). The building is a luxury residential which has vegetation on its balconies that improve its aesthetic nature. The establishment provides a way for people to enjoy the serenity of trees and vegetation while allowing its residents to plant their own food in the gardens. These measures ensure that it helps people have better physical health since they are breathing fresh air while consuming natural food not contaminated by chemicals. The building also has recreational facilities such as a swimming pool where people can exercise and relax. As such, it also provides its residents with a unique green space that helps them improve their mental health. Producing residential and office spaces with such facilities are, therefore, a good move for urban planners who will be providing places that promote the health of its users.
Conclusion
The public health in cities and urban areas is directly affected by the action of urban planners. The growth of the industrial era introduced land use zones to protect people from the pollutants, with many corporations found to be affecting the physical health of urban dwellers. Poor planning made factories pour their pollutants in water sources that ended up making water, food and cattle toxic. Cities have also been found to be causing obesity, with cities bot considering the importance of health in the lifestyles of its population. A lack of walkable or cycling areas means that most urban dwellers are inactive physically and lack activities that may help them be healthy. Urban areas have seen a decrease in the green and open space coverage, lacking places like parks and playing fields where people can play and be physically healthy. Urban planners have also ignored the issue of pandemics, focusing instead on emergency and hazardous situations. This means that most urban centres have faced serious pandemics that have killed people due to poor planning, as seen in the cholera outbreak in London during the 19th century. Urban planning has also affected the mental health of urban dwellers, with a lack of green spaces where people can exercise and relieve stress leading to an increase in mental health issues. The urban realm of an area also causes the deterioration of mental health. Poor planning usually leads to mentally ill people to suffer in urban spaces. These issues show that urban planning needs to be regulated to improve public health in society, a move that requires infrastructure such as eco-friendly housing that has vegetation