*Spatial scale/health/ measurable characteristics/built environment affects the people, are incorporated into the analysis of population health outcomes and what the key considerations
The built environment is made up of the physical structures and factors of human made environments where we live, work, play, and interact with one another. The built environment comprises measureable characteristics and other, unquantifiable behaviours. Both aspects have a great impact on population health outcomes. This impact varies from direct and quick effects to indirect and long-term effects. Evans and Stoddart, (1994) argue that features of built and social environments act directly in some cases, and indirectly in others. To address the relationship …show more content…
For example, the features of traditional residential development, with low density, single-family houses, and high vehicle dependency, are correlated with decreased physical activity, and increase obesity and chronic diseases (Leslie et al. 2007). In comparison, dense, walkable, and accessible built environments correlate with greater amounts of physical activity. I would like to connect this relationship further with the concept of place, as in this regard the built environment is place-based research. The concept of place revitalises the connection between geography and health. A place where we born, live, work, and socialise may enhance or hinder our health experience through the air we respire, the diet we eat, the infections we are prone to catch, and the ease of access to health services. Additionally, spatial location refers to the geographic context of places and the connectedness between places. Tunstall et al. argued that place has a significant impact on determining environmental risks as well as many other health effects. For instance, locating health care services, one’s proximity to potentially health damaging sites, and tracking or monitoring disease epidemics all have a geographic …show more content…
Such indices and in particular walkability indices could represent the overall measure of the relationship between the urban built environment and health outcomes. Neighborhood characteristics often significantly affect people’s decision to walk or drive due to the travel patterns impacted by the directness of travel between destinations and their proximity between these destinations. Tomalty et al. (2009) provide instances of some neighborhood features that alone, or in combination can contribute to the walkability of a neighborhood. For example, when common destinations such as shops, grocery stores, post offices, schools, and daycare stations are situated within close distance of a neighborhood, people are more likely to prefer to walk or bike to these destinations rather than driving. Likewise, a residential area that has a street network of reduced road traffic speeds tends to become more walkable as it becomes more
The built environment is made up of the physical structures and factors of human made environments where we live, work, play, and interact with one another. The built environment comprises measureable characteristics and other, unquantifiable behaviours. Both aspects have a great impact on population health outcomes. This impact varies from direct and quick effects to indirect and long-term effects. Evans and Stoddart, (1994) argue that features of built and social environments act directly in some cases, and indirectly in others. To address the relationship …show more content…
For example, the features of traditional residential development, with low density, single-family houses, and high vehicle dependency, are correlated with decreased physical activity, and increase obesity and chronic diseases (Leslie et al. 2007). In comparison, dense, walkable, and accessible built environments correlate with greater amounts of physical activity. I would like to connect this relationship further with the concept of place, as in this regard the built environment is place-based research. The concept of place revitalises the connection between geography and health. A place where we born, live, work, and socialise may enhance or hinder our health experience through the air we respire, the diet we eat, the infections we are prone to catch, and the ease of access to health services. Additionally, spatial location refers to the geographic context of places and the connectedness between places. Tunstall et al. argued that place has a significant impact on determining environmental risks as well as many other health effects. For instance, locating health care services, one’s proximity to potentially health damaging sites, and tracking or monitoring disease epidemics all have a geographic …show more content…
Such indices and in particular walkability indices could represent the overall measure of the relationship between the urban built environment and health outcomes. Neighborhood characteristics often significantly affect people’s decision to walk or drive due to the travel patterns impacted by the directness of travel between destinations and their proximity between these destinations. Tomalty et al. (2009) provide instances of some neighborhood features that alone, or in combination can contribute to the walkability of a neighborhood. For example, when common destinations such as shops, grocery stores, post offices, schools, and daycare stations are situated within close distance of a neighborhood, people are more likely to prefer to walk or bike to these destinations rather than driving. Likewise, a residential area that has a street network of reduced road traffic speeds tends to become more walkable as it becomes more