We explored the combined effects of housing affordability, quality, tenure, and neighbourhood conditions on mental health outcomes. We gathered data through a survey involving 470 questionnaires for analysis. We have been able to isolate what matters in relation to housing and mental health in our Iranian cohort.
My findings suggest that some indicators of neighbourhood physical disorder—specifically the presence of noise, graffiti, and vandalism—are associated with a greater risk for some mental health problems in children, while markers of neighbourhood physical order—neighbourhood cleanliness and well-cared-for dwellings—may have a protective effect.
How can cities like Brussels and Malta overcome barriers to active mobility and create healthier, more sustainable urban environments? Discover the challenges, strategies, and key insights from local stakeholders on paving the way for a transformative future of mobility. Through interviews with key stakeholders, we explore solutions like citizen involvement and organisational changes that can drive urban transformation and support sustainable, active mobility.
We worked with 82 primary school children (aged 9-10) from four schools and neighbourhoods in Newcastle upon Tyne, UK. Through focus group discussions, we asked them to share their travel experience in their neighbourhoods. Using age-appropriate maps and playful stickers, we gathered insights into their experiences, to identify patterns in what children need from their neighbouhoods. In addition, we mapped their comments to specific locations to better understand the relationships between the built environment features and children’s experiences.
We interviewed ten municipal officials and 23 residents in four Arab towns, and observed five outdoor gyms. We wanted to understand how outdoor gyms are perceived, what barriers limit their use, and what strategies could make them more effective. This was the first study of its kind in Arab towns in Israel, but it also speaks to underserved communities worldwide where informal urban development and limited resources shape access to healthy environments.
Significant health inequalities exist between neighbourhoods. Apart from differences in demographics, the neighbourhood environment including facilities has also been found to have a sizeable effect. Despite various health-promoting facilities being objectively available in neighbourhoods, not all citizens perceive them to be available to them. Therefore, some citizens might not make use of important facilities that improve their health. We need to know more about what predicts perceiving facilities as available besides them being objectively there.
Do we have the potential to combat childhood obesity rates with nature based programs? How does the design of community-based programming play a role?
Our study, analyzing 4,010 articles, reveals nature-based interventions promote healthy living. Focusing on community engagement and program gaps, our research highlights innovative strategies for healthier children. A collaborative approach offers new hope in addressing this global health challenge.
Our review highlights the lack of urban green and blue spaces interventions to prevent violence against women and girls. We look also at how interventions could prevent violence against women and girls, reduce inequalities, and reshape social, cultural, and societal norms; promoting use of urban green and blue space for women and girls.
There is limited evaluation of whether green space interventions lead to more people using these spaces. This is partly due to the difficulty of collecting data on visits to green spaces. Mobile phone data may offer one solution, but are rarely made available to researchers. As such, there is less examination of whether these data are valuable. We accessed small area anonymised mobile phone GPS data for Liverpool (2021-2022). Using a case study of wildflower planting, we identified green spaces where wildflowers were planted. A synthetic control was then constructed to identify similar green spaces where planting did not take place. We then compared the number of visits post-intervention between the intervention and control green sites. Our paper also gives an empirical and methodological evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of using mobile phone data, which can inform others on how to best use them.
We propose a replicable spatial framework applied at the small geographic scale in Pisa, Italy, to address a methodological gap. We find that both CVI and density predict excess mortality, providing an essential tool for health equity planning.