suchisthecity:

HEALTHY HUMAN ENVIRONMENTS?

“Dr. Howard Frumkin, dean, School of Public Health, University of Washington, asked the audience at the National Building Museum’s Intelligent Cities forum to imagine they were zookeepers and just received a shipment of hundreds of frogs. Immediately, the zookeepers would need to create a habitat with the correct temperature, humidity, water and plants to ensure the frogs are healthy and live long lives. Cities are really just habitats for humans and our zookeepers are our elected officials, urban planners, and designers. However, Frumkin wondered if the ideal habitat is now being created for people - one that offers a healthy environment for all?

For Christine Green, National Complete Streets Coalition, a healthy human environment offers streets “where it’s safe and convenient to be physically active.”Patrick Kinney, professor of Environmental Health and director of the Climate and Health Program at Columbia University, it’s about offering “healthy amenities in healthy ways.” William Lucy, professor of Urban and Environmental Planning, University of Virginia, believes that “a safe environment for walking really is the key.” He also explained his research into how suburban cul-de-sacs are actually far more dangerous than dense downtown streets for children, largely because in these seemingly safe suburban environments, children aren’t “well educated or exposed to the dangers” of cars.”

Article: http://dirt.asla.org/2011/06/08/creating-healthy-human-habitats/

Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/xgrendelx/4836544426/

(Source: dirt.org)