GBF2007 - Urban Form + Public Health -David Sisam

Toronto Region Green Building Festival

The Impact of Urban Form

on Public Health

David Sisam, Montgomery Sisam Architects Inc.


1. Some Background

2. The Health and Sustainability Iceberg

3. Definitions

4. Hype in Atlanta

5. Green in New York

6. Heat in Chicago

7. Opportunity in Toronto


1. Some Background

Healthcare


1. Some Background

Urban Design


1. Some Background

Green Building


2. The Sustainability and Health Iceberg

• Healthcare

• Green Roofs

• Solar Panels

• LEED Buildings

• Health

• Urban Density

• Mixture of Uses

• Design Quality


3. Definitions

Sustainable Development

“Development … that meets the needs of

the present without compromising the ability

of future generations to meet their own

needs.”

Bruntland Commission 1987


3. Definitions

Health, as defined by the World Health

Organization

“Health is a state of complete physical,

mental and social well-being and not merely

the absence of disease or infirmity.”


3. Definitions

“If you want to improve health, you have to

look beyond the health care system. Most

of the important policy decisions that affect

the health of the population are not made by

the Ministry of Health.”

Dr. Trevor Hancock, BC Public Health Consultant


4. Hype in Atlanta

“Atlanta has been a quiet but significant

leader in the green building movement.”

Atlanta, November 2005, United States Green

Building Council Annual Conference


The unmentioned reality…

Atlanta has the lowest population density of

any American metropolitan area.

4. Hype in Atlanta



Between 1982 an 1997 Atlanta’s population

increased by 1,300,000 people.

Its area increased by 650,000 acres.

4. Hype in Atlanta



Atlanta residents commute an average of

58 km a day.

4. Hype in Atlanta



Atlanta’s obesity rate more than doubled

between 1993 and 2000 and it is now

the highest of any American city.

4. Hype in Atlanta


Obesity Trends* Among US Adults 1990

(*BMI ≥30, or ~ 30 lbs overweight for 5’ 4” person)

No Data <10% 10%–14%Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Survey Data. Atlanta,

Georgia: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers

for Disease Control and Prevention, 1990-2001

4. Hype in Atlanta


No Data <10% 10%–14% 15%–19%

4. Hype in Atlanta



Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.





No Data <10% 10%–14% 15%–19%

4. Hype in Atlanta



Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.





No Data <10% 10%–14% 15%–19%

4. Hype in Atlanta



Source: Center for Disease Control and Prevention.





No Data <10% 10%–14% 15%–19% ≥20%

4. Hype in Atlanta








No Data <10% 10%–14% 15%–19% ≥20%

4. Hype in Atlanta








No Data <10% 10%–14% 15%–19% 20%–24% ≥25%

4. Hype in Atlanta




Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Survey

Data. Atlanta, Georgia: U.S. Department of Health and

Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention, 1990-2001



Traffic fatality rates in Atlanta are 5 times

what they are in New York City.

4. Hype in Atlanta


4. Hype in Atlanta



Manhattan’s density is more than 800 times

US national average


82% of Manhattan residents travel to work

by public transit, bicycle or on foot



If Manhattan were a state it would be the

12th most populous state and the most

energy efficient one.



A New Yorker generates 7.1 metric tons

of greenhouse gases a year, 2/3 less than

the 24.5 metric ton average for a typical

US resident.





The Rocky Mountain Institute

has 4,000 sq. ft. of office

space for six people in a

thinly populated area only

accessible by car.

A second office with 12

people is located one mile

away.



6. Heat in Chicago

1995 Heat wave July 14 – July 20

There are 739 more deaths than typical

for a hot summer week


A team of eighty researchers was brought in

from the US Centre of Disease Control and

Prevention (CDC) to see what they could learn

about preventing a reoccurrence.

6. Heat in Chicago


The death rate in North Lawndale was

10 times that of South Lawndale

6. Heat in Chicago


6. Heat in Chicago

North Lawndale


6. Heat in Chicago

South Lawndale

















Daily Walking / Biking Trips per Person

Source: 2001 Transportation Tomorrow Survey (UofT)

Neighbourhood Environments and Resources for Healthy

Living: A Focus on Diabetes. A Joint Initiative of St. Michael’s

Hospital and the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences



Average Number of Cars per Household

Source: 2001 Transportation Tomorrow Survey (UofT)






Age-Sex-Adjusted Diabetes Rates

Source: Ontario Diabetes Database






























Source: The Regent Park Collaborative Team











Source: Cities for a Small Planet.

Richard Rogers and Philip Gumuchdjiam