Urban Design

Contents

What is urban design?

1. What is urban design? 2. The value of urban design 3. Issues in urban design 4. Approaches to urban design 5. A history of urban design 6. Scales of urban design 7. Analysis, design and representation techniques 8. Implementing urban design
2003 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All Rights Reserved. Used with the permission of Design Center for American Urban Landscape. Collection of Ann Forsyth.

1. What is Urban Design?

Urban design is the making of better places for people. It is usually done at a scale larger than a building, and usually with multiple groups involved. It is an overlapping specialty within architecture, landscape architecture, and planning. It tries to balance many considerations: physical form, functional needs, social issues, economic issues, community values, environmental sustainability.

1. What is Urban Design

Community Development Planning

Physical Planning (includes land use, general plans; some environmental, neighborhood planning etc.

Transportation Planning (includes system optimization, modeling, pricing, scheduling)

Urban Design

2. The Value of Urban Design

3. Urban Design Issues

Urban designers must consider a wide variety of issues that affect the built environment

2003 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All Rights Reserved. Used with the permission of Design Center for American Urban Landscape.

Physical form Functional needs Human issues Social equity Community values

In an era of crowded freeways, placeless development, and environmental problems, urban design offers the possibility of creating places that are more attractive, satisfying, efficient, and environmentally sound.
All images 2003 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All Rights Reserved. Used with the permission of Design Center for American Urban Landscape.

All images 2003 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All Rights Reserved. Used with the permission of Design Center for American Urban Landscape.

All images 2003 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All Rights Reserved. Used with the permission of Design Center for American Urban Landscape.

Physical Form
The arrangement of physical elements in a place and their aesthetic character (proportion, scale, surfaces, organization) are the most visible aspect of urban design.

Physical Form
The arrangement of physical elements in a place and their aesthetic character (proportion, scale, surfaces, organization) are the most visible aspect of urban design.

These are both big streetshow are they different?

Physical Form
Perception
Enclosure is about distance and angle Other qualities of form are also important How memorable it is How transparent the enclosure is Human scale of elements Surface qualities etc Spreiregen 1965Urban Design (AIA)

2003 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All Rights Reserved. Used with the permission of Design Center for American Urban Landscape.

Functional Needs
Basic functions such as transportation, economic development, and ecology must be understood and incorporated in urban design.

Human Issues

Social Equity
Social vitality and equal access to opportunities can be encouraged through urban design.

Urban design is also concerned with how the built environment supports its users, such as its fit with human needs, sense of vitality, meaning, and history.
2003 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All Rights Reserved. Used with the permission of Design Center for American Urban Landscape.

2003 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All Rights Reserved. Used with the permission of Design Center for American Urban Landscape.

3. Urban Design Issues

Urban designers must consider a wide variety of issues that affect the built environment

2003 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All Rights Reserved. Used with the permission of Design Center for American Urban Landscape.

Physical form Functional needs Human issues Social equity Community values

Community Values
Urban design can help express shared priorities of the community, such as efficiency, fairness, and respect for nature.
All images 2003 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All Rights Reserved. Used with the permission of Design Center for American Urban Landscape.

4. Approaches to Urban Design

There are different approaches to urban design, which are often used in combination with each other
1. Civic architecturebig or contextual projects 2. Urban restoration(re)creating or filling in historical patterns 3. Participatory or community design 4. New town and land planning 5. Urban infrastructure e.g. streetscapes 6. Sustainable urban form from small to large scale (health typically uses similar techniques)

What urban design is not, or at least not often these days: a single vision written into the land

More on urban design approaches

Source: Hofstra University Archives, Used by permission

5. History of Urban Design, part 1

Pre-industrial city: Traditional design Industrial city: Aesthetic, housing, and transportation problems as cities grow 19th and Early 20th century: Early attempts to beautify cities, rationalize transportation, create suburban alternatives Early 20th century: Increasing gap between planners, housers, and designers doing civic design

History of Urban Design, part 2

1950s and 1960s: Urban renewal, modernist architecture, and suburbs all seem ugly and inhumane c. 1960: Urban design emerges in its contemporary formkey authors include J.Jacobs, Lynch, Cullen. Educational programs develop in architecture; landscape architects do a lot in practice 1990s-: Success of big revitalization projects and new rounds of criticisms of sprawl increase urban design interest among the public and in planning

6. Scales
Urban design can be applied at a variety of scales

Areas Site Block Center District or Neighborhood Cities Metropolis

Linear systems Street

Corridor

1990s-2000s

2003 Regents of the University of Minnesota. All Rights Reserved. Used with the permission of Design Center for American Urban Landscape. Right images, collection of Ann Forsyth.

Other Natural Systems

Success in redevelopment and growing dissatisfaction with sprawling cities fueled new interest in urban design, including sustainable design, new urbanism, ecological reclamation, and places for great coffee shops.

6. Scales
Areas Site Block Center

What scales has the class dealt with to date?

Linear systems Street

7. Design Processes
Aside on Design Process/Thinking
Design processeshow people come up with ideas Black box Analysis/synthesisrational design: set goals, collect and analyze data, synthesize design Precedentslearning from elsewhere, copying Generative ideas e.g. analogies/metaphors, a parking lot is a park for cars Patternsmore abstract version of precedents, e.g. light from two sides of every room (Alexander et al 1977)

Urban design can be applied at a variety of scales

Corridor

District or Neighborhood Cities Metropolis

Other Natural Systems

7. Design Processes
Design Process/Thinking
Design processeshow people come up with ideas Black box Analysis/synthesisrational design: set goals, collect and analyze data, synthesize design Precedentslearning from elsewhere, copying Generative ideas e.g. analogies/metaphors, a parking lot is a park for cars Patternsmore abstract version of precedents, e.g. light from two sides of every room (Alexander et al 1977) Health can use analysis/synthesis but also can use research to find best approaches then precedents or patterns to achieve those

7. Common Proposals
When proposing changes, urban designers frequently use organizing strategies, and descriptive terminology, such as:
Areas and districts: revitalized blocks, new urbanist neighborhoods, urban villages Corridors: green streets, waterfront promenades, greenways Centers: town centers, activity nodes, transit-oriented development, landmarks Gateways: gateway treatments, way-finding signage

8. Implementing Urban Design

Ideas become reality through many means, from actually building or planting through first raising awareness
Built projects (buildings, infrastructure, art) Master plans Regulations and standards Policies, guidelines, performance criteria Incentives and bonuses Commissions and reviews Education/awareness (books, tours, talks)

8. Implementing Urban Design

Ideas become reality through many means, from actually building or planting through first raising awareness
Built projects (buildings, infrastructure, art) Master plans Regulations and standards Policies, guidelines, performance criteria Incentives and bonuses Commissions and reviews Education/awareness (books, tours, talks)

Where has the class focused to date?

Main Menu
Main shows 1 Urban Design (UD) 2 3 Neighborhood Character Bump-outs, Add-ons, Pop-tops, Up-and-outs and Teardowns/Fill-ins Housing Intensification (HI) Factory-built Housing

Supporting Shows UD: Approaches UD: History UD: Scales UD: Techniques UD: Implementation Bump-out Examples Add-on Examples Pop-top Examples Up-and-out Examples Tear-down/Fill-in Examples HI Density HI Design Issues HI Housing Types HI Land Use Features

Conclusion

1. What is urban design? 2. The value of urban design 3. Considerations in urban design 4. Approaches to urban design 5. A history of urban design 6. Scales of urban design 7. Analysis and representation techniques in urban design 8. Implementation strategies for urban design

4 5

Reference Maps

Ann Forsyth Cornell University

Almere new town, Netherlands

Urban Design and Public Health What is urban design? Walking, urban design, and public health Other health issuesthe Design for Health project

Urban Design and Health

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Civic architecturebig or contextual projects Urban restoration(re)creating or filling in historical patterns Participatory or community design New town and land planning Urban infrastructure e.g. streetscapes Sustainable urban form from small to large scale Ultimately does health add something new or is it just a variation on existing approaches? Accessibility Air quality Climate change Environment + housing quality Food Healthcare access Mental health Noise Physical activity Safety Social capital Water quality Also special populations, planning process, finance

Urban Form and Public Health

1. 2. 3. 4.

Why walking? How environment affects walking Twin Cities Walking Study Moving to Design for Health

Ann Forsyth, Metropolitan Design Center, University of Minnesota Home

Urban Form + Public Health

Home

1. Why Walking?
Unanswered Questions from Reforming Suburbia
Finished a study of large-scale planned alternatives to sprawl, evaluated in terms of 40+/- issues related to: Aesthetics, sense of place Social issues Efficiency and cost Environmental issues Benefits of sprawl All well liked by residents; did better than sprawl on all dimensions Biggest disappointments: affordable housing and alternatives to the car
Home

1.Built Environment
Start of Recent Interest
Popular interest in obesity Weight = food minus activity Early (2002/3) studies at county level found exercise did not vary by environment but weight did Explanations: Research design Food intake Social and cultural factors Non-leisure physical activity Travel research had found commute walking varies with environment Education not working Hope to increase overall activity through utilitarian physical activity (PA)
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1. Why Walking?
Why People Die
US (CDC) World (WHO) 1.Heart Disease 28.5% 12.4% (#1) 2.Cancer 22.8% 2.2% (#10, lung) 3.Stroke 6.7% 9.2% (#2) 4.Emphysema, chronic bronchitis 5.1% 4.5% (#5) 5.Accidents 4.4% 2.3% (#9, road)* 6.Diabetes 3.0% 7.Flu & pneumonia 2.7% 6.9% (#3) 8.Alzheimer's/senility 2.4% 9.Kidney disease 1.7% 10.Septicemia/systemic infection 1.4% Other top 10 in the world: HIV/AIDS 5.3% (#4), perinatal (#6), diarrhoea (#7), tuberculosis (#8) All data for 2002
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1. Why Walking?
Underlying Preventable Causes in US, 2000
Tobacco Poor diet and physical inactivity Alcohol consumption 18.10% 16.60% 3.50%

Home Actual Causes of Death in the United States, 2000. A. Mokdad; J. Marks; D. Stroup; J. Gerberding, JAMA. 2004;291:1238-1245.

1. Why Walking?
How Much Activity is Needed for Adults to Avoid Health Problems?
Moderate-intensity physical activities for at least 30 minutes on 5 or more days of the week. - CDC/American College of Sports Medicine i.e. walking briskly, mowing the lawn, dancing, swimming, or bicycling on level terrain It is not strolling to the coffee shop OR Vigorous-intensity physical activity 3 or more days per week for 20 or more minutes per occasion Healthy People 2010
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1. Why Walking
The Idea of Active Living
A way of life that integrates physical activity into daily routines. The goal is to accumulate at least 30 minutes of activity each day. Active Living by Design Walking key to active living as almost everyone walks already, every day

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1. Why Walking?
How Active are People Now?
Have only recently been finding out People are active in different parts of their lives Work Exercise and leisure Care/chores/errands Commuting to work

1. Why Walking
What Researchers Did and Didnt Know about Environment 5 years ago
Knew differences in density, street pattern, mixed use, and pedestrian infrastructure seem to affect walking But so did income and personal preference, etc. Did NOT know:
How much the environment mattered and who was most affected Was the perceived vs. the real environment most important We didnt know which aspects were keye.g. residential or employment density, sidewalks or crosswalks $ Millions in research later we know something

Up to the early 2000s data collected only for some types of activity
Home

Maybe parks matter for kids and (lack of) parking for adults
Home

2. How Environment Affects Walking

Three Perspectives on Reasons for Walking
Transportation Urban/landscape design (physical planning, architecture, landscape architecture) Physical activity research

2. Environment
Reasons for Physical Activity: Transportation
Demand for travel derived from demand to move between destinations People maximize personal benefits and minimize costs--time and money Benefits of travel (e.g. exercise, time out) not well accounted for Various camps, particularly car group vs. transit group all mechanized, economics-oriented

Home

Home

2. Environment
Reasons for Physical Activity: Urban/Landscape Design
Walking increases with supportive physical features Several schools: e.g. New urbanists; trails and park proponents Propose that walking increases with complex, varied environments, with physical dimensions and movement speeds scaled to the human body; and with activity (critical mass) Study people already in spaces Overall those in architecture, landscape architecture, physical planning focus on cultivating sensitivity to place; not data driven

2. Environment
Reasons for Physical Activity: Physical Activity Research
Physical activity occurs in some environment that influences behavior Focus on barriers to exercise Until recently environment meant the social environment, the food environment. Physical activity researchers are often very active people

Home

Home

Different Views of the Same Place

Transportation: Disincentives to driving Urban design: Dynamic, complex environment (Jane Jacobs) Physical activity: Social/physical supports and constraints Why this mattersbecause of different solutions

Different Views of the Same Place

Transportation: What would transportation planners think? Urban design: What would urban designers think? Physical activity: What about exercise people?
Home Home

2. Built Environment
Confusion over Terms Related to Perspective
Walkable = close (relative to costs of alternatives) Walkable = barrier-free Walkable = safe (perceived crime or perceived traffic) Walkable = interesting Walkable = full of pedestrian infrastructure Walkable = upscale, ethnic, leafy, or cosmopolitan

Transportation

Urban Design Journalism

Different Views of the Same Place

Transportation: What would transportation planners think? Urban design: What would urban designers think? Physical activity: What about exercise people?
Home Home

2. Environment
Interesting New Analysis Methods

3. Twin Cities Walking Study

Big Ideas/Hypotheses
1. Density, street pattern, mixed use, pedestrian infrastructure and amenities affect utilitarian walking Results to date: generally true 2. But so do socio-economic factors, perceptions, and individual tastes affect walking Results to date: confirmed 3. Assumed leisure physical activity (PA) similar most places so if travel/utilitarian physical activity is increased, overall physical activity will increase Results to date: we were wrong 4. We were not sure which environmental factors mattered the most (sidewalks, crosswalks) Home Results: for Total PA its perceived parking

Grid

Looped

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3. Twin Cities Walking Study

Ann Forsyth, Kathryn Schmitz, J. Michael Oakes
36 805*805 meter areas in corridor from St. Paul to Blaine Vary by combinations of high/low gross density + median block size 9 big blocks/high density, 9 big blocks/low density, etc.
Downtown St. Paul

Example Study Area, Area 30: High Gross Density15.8 persons/acre, 39/ha Small Median Block3.7 acre, 1.5 ha

Urban edge

Downtown Minneapolis

718 participants: surveys, travel diaries, motion detectors, measured height and weight 50+ environmental variables measured at multiple geographies around each participant
Home Home

8 km

3. Twin Cities Walking Study

Example Study Area, Area 3: Low Gross Density4.7 persons/acre, 11.6/ha Large Median Block11.1 acres, 4.5ha

Data Collection
Individual Residents (N=718, over 25, healthy etc) 7-day travel diaries 7-day accelerometer records Measured height and weight Participant-drawn maps of selfdefined neighborhood Telephone interview International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) Quality of life, perceptions, demographics Dog ownership Bicycle ownership/use/safety Environment Irvine Minnesota Inventory Orthophoto interpretation of street trees, lamps, sidewalks Plus existing GIS data: census, business/employment, parcel
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200m 400m 800m Context area Focus Area

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Sample and Analysis

Study design maximized exchangeability such similar people lived in different places Tried different models and they get the same picture; considered errors in models Using both more complex models (lots of assumptions) and simpler analyses Accounted for clustering by focus area Adjusted for age, sex, race, college-degree, marital status, home ownership, home tenure length, and overall health

Mean Met Minutes/Week

3. Twin Cities Walking Study

IPAQ Walking Activity

by Neighborhood Density & Type
400

367

300

Leisure Walking
243 183

319

Low Density < 5/ac or 12.4/ha High Density > 10/ac or 24.7/ha gross density

200

100

Travel Walking

Low Density Area

High Density Area

Home

Leisure walking and travel walking are significantly different by density (p<0.001) Holds after adjusting for age and income of respondent Neither total Physical Activity (PA) nor Body Mass Index (BMI) nor total walking differ by density

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IPAQ Walking Activity

by Neighborhood Block Size & Type

Total Physical Activity vs. Density Small Blocks < 5 ac or 2 ha Big Blocks > 8 ac or 3.2 ha Total Walking vs. Density

Mean Met Minutes/Week

400

300
300

309 273 231

200

Leisure Walking Travel Walking

100

Small Block

ll Bl

Large Block

Bl

Leisure walking and travel walking are not significantly different by block size Holds after adjusting for age and income of respondent Neither total PA nor BMI nor total walking statistically differ by block size
Home Home

3. Twin Cities Walking Study

Subpopulation Analysis
Examined ethnicity, education, sex, self reported health, work status, presence of children in the household, car ownership, and obesity Less healthy walk more in higher density areas (OR=2.26, 95% CI 1.10-4.61) (diary) Whites and the non-obese were less physically active overall in high density areas (ORs = 0.66 [0.45-0.98] and 0.63 [0.41-0.99]) (IPAQ) Unemployed and retirees walk more in large block areas (OR=2.28, 95% CI 1.12-4.66). Men were less physically active in large block areas (OR=0.53 [0.31-0.91]) Did negative binomial regression and ordinal logistic regression the latter are reported
Home Home

Odds Ratios for Density Above and Block Size Below

Comparing Vancouver to Ithaca

West End Vancouver: dwellings/ha = 133 (32.7% walk to work, 3.5% bike, pop. 41,000)* Ithaca City: dwellings/ha 6.8 (41.2% walk to work, 2.2% other means, pop. 29,000) West End is approx 3 times the density of the densest census tract in Ithaca approximately college townacross a much larger area Ithaca has terrific walk commute figures: why?

3. Twin Cities Walking Study

This is True So Far for Other Variables
Few significant relationships of over 150 environmental variables with total physical activity; small magnitudes Strongest effect with total PA so far is perceived parking difficulty (OR 1.18, 95% CI 1.02-1.37, pooling data with UNC study) Similar findings by otherscan increase travel walking but had to increase total physical activity (reducing parking may work; youth may be more sensitive to recreation e.g. parks.)

But walking is not the only connection between health and planning

http://www.rockymountaineer.com/images/vacations/destinations/gallery/vancouver_1-full.jpg

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Health and Urban Planning Tools

1. Design for Health Project Overview 2. Linking Planning and Health 3. Tool Overview (DFH and other) Field Inventories and Checklists Plan Checklists Participatory Processes (Image centered left to right, 2.5 up from bottom, 2.0 from top) Technical Impact Assessments

What does having good health mean to you? How is it defined? What are its features? What does it feel like?

1. DFH Project Overview Defining Health

Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social wellbeing, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity, as defined by the Preamble to the Constitution of the World Health Organization (WHO 1948). Health is the reduction in mortality, morbidity, and disability due to detectable disease or disorder, and an increase in the perceived level of health, WHO Regional Office for Europe in HEALTH21: The Health for All Policy Framework for the WHO European Region (WHO Regional 1999). Health is the capacity of people to adapt to, respond to, or control lifes challenges and changes, in Health Impact Assessment as a Tool for Population Health Promotion and Public Policy (Frankish et al. 1996).

1. DFH Project Overview

Project initiated out of interest in connections between built environment and health Takes advantage of 2008 legislative deadline for metropolitan area comprehensive plans Built on work by Design Center/Active Communities Transportation (ACT) Research Group examining active living and food environmentsadds a range of other issues Started July 2006 Separate grants given to technical assistance provider and to 19 cities/counties

Design for Health: Partner Communities

Evidence-Based Practice The DFH Angle 1. DFH Project Overview

Evidence-based Practice Lessons for Urban Planning and Design
New trend in medicine: conscientious, explicit and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients/clients Sackett, D.L. et al. (1996) Evidence based medicine: what it is and what it isn't. BMJ 312 (7023), 71-72 Expanded beyond the individual e.g. business Needs careful assessment of research as there are often: Few studies on a topic Studies looking at only part of the picture Studies that define key variables differently Limitations to data and analysis Publications biasstudies that find effects are more likely to be published than those that find no/inconclusive effects

1. Project Overview
Evidence-based Practice
Consider the challenge of EPB in planning: Medline is one of the major journal databases Type urban into Medline topics > 84,351 journal articles Type city and get 59,689 Type rural and get 77,862 Type urban planning and get 181, some quite specialized e.g. From nightlife conventions to daytime hidden agendas: dynamics of urban sexual territories in the South of France (Journal of Sex Research 2005)

Design for Health

Project Staff
Research Faculty Ann Forsyth, Cornell Kevin Krizek, U. Colorado Carissa Schively Slotterback, U. Minnesota Coordinators Amanda Johnson, Research Fellow, U. Pennsylvania Aly Pennucci, Research Assistant/Coordinator, U. Minnesota Research support Karen Roof, PhD Student, U. Colorado Ashley Miller, Sutee Anantsuksomsri, Research Assistants, Cornell Joanne Richardson, Web

Design for Health www.designforhealth.net

2. Linking Planning and Health

Topics covered in research summaries and planning information sheets Accessibility Air quality Climate change Environment + housing quality Food Healthcare access Mental health Noise Physical activity Safety Social capital Water quality Also special populations, planning process, finance

2. DFH Connecting Planning and Health

MN Metropolitan Council Requirements 2008 Topics Accessibility Air quality Climate Change Environmental and Housing quality Food Healthcare access Mental health Noise Physical activity Social capital Safety (crime & traffic) Water quality Land Use Plan Future land use Housing plan Resource Protection Transportation Traffic Analysis Zone (TAZ) Allocation Highway & roads plan Bike & pedestrian plan Special traffic situations Transit plan for facilities & service Aviation Plan Water Resources Wastewater & sewer plan Surface water management plan Water supply plan Parks & Open Space Regional parks and open space Optional Elements

Connections Between Health Topics and Plan Elements Land Use Plan
Future land use Housing plan Resource protection

Access
x

Env. Hous.g
x x

Mental

Safety

Social

Water

Food

PA

Air
x x x

x x

x x x

x x

x x

x x

Transportation
TAZ allocation Highway & roads Bike & pedestrian Special traffic Transit plan Aviation Plan x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

Water Resources
Wastewater & sewer Surface water Water supply plan x x x x x x x x x x x x x

Reg. Parks and O.S. O l l

Design for Health 3. DFH Tools

Design for Health Activities and Tools
Eventstalks, feedback sessions, boot camps Research summaries (key questions) Information sheetsmodel planning and ordinance language/cases Case studies of existing plans Health impact assessments three planning-oriented tools Image resources and PPTs Plan review checklists One-on-one technical assistance Web site

Air DFH Tools 3. Quality

Things for Certain (or semi-certain) About Air Quality
Motor vehicles primary source of most fine and ultra fine particles Many pollutants decrease with distance from roadways Vehicle-related air pollution associated with higher levels of certain diseases Living above dry cleaners increases exposure to perchloroethylene Living near factories can increase risk of preterm birth, respiratory and other diseases Certain sub-groups are more vulnerable Full review at www.designforhealth.net
Lagos

Carissa Schively Slotterback

3. DFH Tools
Things Up In the Air About Air Quality
Concentration of some pollutants does not decrease much with distancebut how much under what conditions Geographic scale of pollutants Establishing a recommended buffer distance is difficult Extent growing trees as buffers can mitigate pollution

3. DFH Tools
Similar Issues for Other Variables
Different definitions of social capital Homeownership is associated with higher social capital in some studies In others living at high densities and in larger apartments increase social capitallikely due to different definitions Williamsom (2004) in a study of 30,000 people in the US found more trust in low density areas and more political participation in high density areas Self selection may well be at work Example: Podobnik (2002) found higher levels of perceived friendliness in a New Urbanist neighborhood, based on a survey of 1,180 people in three neighborhoods in Portland, Oregon. However, many people living there selected the neighborhood because they preferred a higher density and more socially active environment

Metropolitan Design Center

Health and Urban Planning Tools

Important to use more than one study and read them carefully
1. Design for Health Project Overview 2. Linking Planning and Health 3. Tool Overview (DFH and other) Field Inventories and Checklists Plan Checklists Participatory Processes (Image centered left to right, 2.5 up from bottom, 2.0 from top) Technical Impact Assessments

Metropolitan Design Center

3. Tool Overview
1. Field Inventories and Checklists Urban Design Audit (Ewing et al)measures main street features Irvine Minnesota Inventorynew short validated tool actually measures features associated with walking 2. Plan Checklists Design for Health Comprehensive Planning Checklist Design for Health Preliminary HIA checklist 3. Participatory Processes Rapid Health Impact Assessment Corridor Housing Initiative (not really about health) 4. Technical Impact Assessments LEED-ND San Francisco Healthy Development Measurement Tool DFH Threshold Health Impact Assessment Workbook

What are the potential impacts on health, positive and negative, arising from the implementation of your plan?

Liberty on the Lake, Stillwater

Is this a healthy environment? Walkability Density Street pattern Mixed use Pedestrian amenities Health Topics Accessibility Air quality Climate change Environmental and housing quality Food Healthcare access Mental health Noise Physical activity Social capital Safety (crime & traffic) Water quality

What are the potential impacts on health, positive and negative, arising from the implementation of your plan? What changes could be made to the proposal to: Enhance the positive impacts on health? Prevent, minimize or moderate the negative impacts on health?

Walkability Density Street pattern Mixed use Pedestrian amenities Health Topics Accessibility Air quality Climate change Environmental and housing quality Food Healthcare access Mental health Noise Physical activity Social capital Safety (crime & traffic) Water quality Is this a healthy environment?

Health and Urban Planning Tools

1. Design for Health Project Overview 2. Linking Planning and Health 3. Tool Overview (DFH and other) Field Inventories and Checklists Plan Checklists Participatory Processes (Image centered left to right, 2.5 up from bottom, 2.0 from top) Technical Impact Assessments

3. Tool Overview
1. Field Inventories and Checklists Urban Design Audit (Ewing et al)measures main street features Irvine Minnesota Inventorynew short validated tool actually measures features associated with walking 2. Plan Checklists Design for Health Comprehensive Planning Checklist Design for Health Preliminary HIA checklist 3. Participatory Processes Rapid Health Impact Assessment Corridor Housing Initiative (not really about health) 4. Technical Impact Assessments LEED-ND San Francisco Healthy Development Measurement Tool DFH Threshold Health Impact Assessment Workbook

3. Tool Overview
How Assessment Methods Vary
Level of detail and complexity: Checklists Rating scales (scores), and Holistic assessments such as workshops Who does the rating Levels of assessment or evaluation Identifying Measuring Evaluating Timebefore or after an environment is created Issue focus Whether they measure health or something thought to be associated with health

3. Tool Overview
Field: Urban Design Audit
Developed by Ewing et al. using group of urban design experts One-page paper sheet Weighted scores for: imageability, enclosure, human scale, transparency, and complexity Focus is on commercial streets Strengths: Scores make comparison easy Make sense to expert observers Challenges: Time consuming (e.g. counting sight lines) Vary with time/weather Scores may be overly precise
Ewing, R., O. Clemente, S. Handy, R. Brownson, and E. Winston. 2005b. Measuring Urban Design Qualities Related to Walkability. Final report prepared for Active Living Research, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. http://www.activelivingresearch.org/index.php/Urban_Design_Quantities_Related_to_Walkability/357.

3. Tool Overview
Field: Urban Design Audit
Dimensions measured in field include: number of long sight lines proportion windows at street level average building heights number of small planters number of pieces of street furniture and other street items Fruitvale had sections with very high (top) and very low (bottom) measures of human scale Odd bundle of items but scoring makes sense

3. Tool Overview
Field: Irvine Minnesota Inventory
Developed by University of California Irvine team + University of Minnesota Approximately 160 questions Many urban design items (next slide) Strengths: Easy to learn Useful in many kinds of environments Can be shortened to create specific indicators Challenges: Long Lacks some items (parking lots) Provides counts not evaluations
Day, K., M. Boarnet, M. Alfonzo, and A. Forsyth. 2006. The Irvine Minnesota Inventory to measure built environments: Development. American Journal of Preventive Medicine 30, 2: 144-52. Day, K., M. Boarnet, M. Alfonzo, and A. Forsyth. 2005b. Irvine Minnesota Inventory. Print version. https://webfiles.uci.edu/kday/public/index.html.

Fruitvale high human scale score area

Fruitvale low human scale score area

3. Tool Overview
Field: Irvine Minnesota Inventory
barriers bicycle lanes buildings dogs driveways freeways land uses lighting maintenance neighborhood identification olfactory character parking safety sidewalkspresence and amenities steepness street characteristics street crossing street trees traffic features views windows

3. Tool Overview
Field: Irvine Minnesota Inventory Total Walking Scale
Curb cuts Traffic/pedestrian signal(s)/system(s) Banners vehicle lanes for cars? Strip mall/row of shops Coffee shops (leisure walk association) Sidewalks Buffer garage doors (-) driveways (-) posted speed limit (-) Angled/ On-street parking

Current work is finalizing shorter 412 item inventories of features that predict leisure walking, travel walking, and total walking

The items found to be actually associated with more walking Will be published in the next year

3. Tool Overview
Checklist: DFH Comprehensive Planning

http://www.designforhealth.net/techassistance/checklists.html

3. Tool Overview
Checklist: DFH HIA Preliminary Checklist Format: Actual checklist + very detailed description of how to find data for plans or projects

3. Tool Overview Checklist: DFH HIA Preliminary Checklist Part I: Is it significant enough to assess?
1. Geographic extent 2. Reversibility 3. Population or workforce increase 4. Cumulative impact 5. People affected 6. Land use change
(Image centered 7. Institutional capacity left to right, 2.5 up from bottom, 2.0 from top)
Carissa Schively Slotterback

http://www.designforhealth.net/techassistance/healthimp act.html

Preliminary Checklist
Key Questions Geographical extent: Does it apply to a geographic area of a full city block or larger?2 Cumulative impact: Is it occurring in a place where specific local health problems have been identified (e.g. traffic safety, air quality, lack of healthy foods, contaminated brownfield)? People affected: Does the project or plan affect vulnerable groups (e.g. children, older people, and people with low incomes)?
Total

No

Uncertain

Yes

3. Tool Overview Checklist: DFH HIA Preliminary Checklist Part 2: Does the plan/policy/project meet thresholds?
1. Accessibility 2. Physical activity 3. Social capital 4. Air quality 5. Water quality
=

If total score is 11 or greater, HIA may be needed, move to Part 2. If total score is 7-10, a HIA is potentially needed, moving to Part 2 recommended. If total score is 6 or less, no HIA is required. You may wish to do a HIA on a targeted area or problem.

6. Food 7. Safety
(Image centered left to right, 2.5 up from bottom, 2.0 from top)

3. Tool Overview
1. Field Inventories and Checklists Urban Design Audit (Ewing et al)measures main street features Irvine Minnesota Inventorynew short validated tool actually measures features associated with walking 2. Plan Checklists Design for Health Comprehensive Planning Checklist Design for Health Preliminary HIA checklist 3. Participatory Processes Rapid Health Impact Assessment Corridor Housing Initiative (not really about health) 4. Technical Impact Assessments LEED-ND San Francisco Healthy Development Measurement Tool DFH Threshold Health Impact Assessment Workbook

3. Tool Overview
Participation: Rapid Health Impact Assessment
Rapid HIA includes a workshop bringing together stakeholders to identify and assess health impacts Very common in Europe Participation is relatively new for health field so manuals are extensive

http://www.designforhealth.net/techa ssistance/hiarapidassessment.html

Design for Health: Health Impact Assessment

1: Complete HIA Preliminary Checklist 2: Find people: An organizer: technical staff; steering committee; informants; workshop participants 3: Plan work Getting Information Together for a Rapid HIA 4: Inventory of existing plans and policies 5: Profile of the area 6: Talking with people (affected, interested, experts) 7: Predict impacts 8: Develop alternatives 9: Materials for workshop participants 10: Develop the agenda + activities 11: Run workshop Writing the Results and Moving Forward 12: Write up the results 13: Implement 14: Evaluate

Several Types of Results

[EXAMPLES OF REPORTS]

Training workshop for Rapid Assessment

Carissa Schively Slotterback

Technical Health Impact Assessments

Distinguishing characteristics -114 indicators -Healthy Development Tool -Originally Yes/No; added scales -Very comprehensive (San Francisco) -Based on select studies -Point based -50 issues -LEED - ND -Environmental focus but used report on health -9 topics with 16 thresholds or -Design for Health indicators Threshold -Carefully digests available research http://www.designforhealth.net/techassistance/hiathres -Focuses on dimensions directly holdanalysis.html relevant to planning Tool

3. Tool Overview
1. Field Inventories and Checklists Urban Design Audit (Ewing et al)measures main street features Irvine Minnesota Inventorynew short validated tool actually measures features associated with walking 2. Plan Checklists Design for Health Comprehensive Planning Checklist Design for Health Preliminary HIA checklist 3. Participatory Processes Rapid Health Impact Assessment 4. Technical Impact Assessments LEED-ND San Francisco Healthy Development Measurement Tool DFH Threshold Health Impact Assessment Workbook

23.6 % are within 400 m of an active park (35.2 % w/in 600 m)