Dystopian frameworks portend the future. With climatic upheavals increasing, dystopia is now. Because of escalating urban heat and heat-related illness and death, this essay speculates a future that switches daily activities into the coolness of night: Noctopia.
This study explores how urban playground design can either segregate or integrate children within the broader city fabric. By comparing Venice and Auckland, we illustrate how playgrounds in Venice encourage unstructured exploration, while those in Auckland limit engagement to isolated, structured zones. We propose strategies for urban design that foster inclusive and dynamic public spaces for children.
Evidence overwhelmingly suggests that the built environment has an impact on people’s health, particularly in terms of noncommunicable diseases such as asthma, diabetes and poor mental health. However, health is rarely prioritised in urban planning decisions at present, and earlier work by this research group has shown that senior decision-makers feel they lack the power to influence planning and policy decisions in order to improve the situation. This intervention area adds to the wider research programme, which is focused primarily on the delivery of quantifiable socio-environmental and health economics valuations. People make decisions not just based on economic valuation, so an understanding of why people make decisions and how those decisions can change is essential. This paper describes the methodology that will be used to develop this intervention. Findings will be published later.
Thailand has spent 16 years developing design guidelines for the elderly and people with disabilities. Still, accessible design for cognition remains inadequate for the impending super-aged society. This mismatch emphasises a critical failure in design planning that demands urgent improvement.
Cold spells adversely impact the mental well-being of older adults, causing depression, sleep disturbances, and social isolation. This study highlights the failure of community services to address these issues, urging policymakers and healthcare providers to implement targeted mental health interventions for this vulnerable population.
Unveiling the hidden truth behind open defecation in Delhi, this study exposes the role of infrastructural incapacity and institutional failure. With 80% of surveyed households’ still practicing open defecation, the findings underscore the urgent need for comprehensive policies to address the inadequacy of public and household facilities, water availability, and coordination among governmental bodies.
Health impact assessments are a key tool to bridge the worlds of planning and health, but there’s a risk they become a ‘tick box’ exercise with little real-world benefit. Learning from recent practice in English local authorities can help maximise their effectiveness in producing healthier developments.
We took a significant step in identifying the existing gaps in knowledge translation for healthy cities and adopting a proactive approach to laying out opportunities for improvement. By developing a visual representation for a renewed conceptual framework, we provide a clear and insightful tool for planners, designers, and policymakers aiming to enhance knowledge translation processes. As a result, this study not only elevates knowledge translation as a field of study for urban professionals but also reinforces its importance in public health.
Access to greenspace impacts children’s physical, social, and mental health. While the factors affecting children are different from those affecting the general population, many accessibility measures use the same principles for children as they use for the general population. We present a comprehensive visual overview of factors affecting children’s access, how it can be measured across geographical contexts, and what measures remain to be developed.
Despite historic disinvestment and stigmatizing portrayals of public housing, residents often describe their place as a source of refuge. We explored the ways residents of a predominately Black public housing complex undergoing redevelopment construct meanings of place, emphasizing their place-making efforts to challenge their social marginalization and foster community health.