Poor design can lead to poor health
January 26th, 2012
The connection between land-use patterns and public health is increasingly evident. And troubling. The prevailing development model in much of the United States – sprawl – effectively mandates auto dependency and thus exacerbates the country’s ongoing problem with weight and its increasing rates of obesity and type 2 diabetes.
And it’s not just our ever-expanding waist lines that cause problems. As noted this week in The Chronicle of Higher Education, additional negative health consequences of sprawl include “asthma caused by particulates from cars and trucks, water contamination from excessive runoff, lead poisoning from contaminated houses and soil, and depression exacerbated by stressful living conditions, long commutes, and a lack of access to fresh food.”
That’s quite a list; however, there are a couple of points of good news. First, this issue is starting to get more public attention – PBS is running a 4-hour series called “Designing Healthy Communities” to highlight the association between land-use and health. Secondly, this is one health issue in which the solution is easy to identify: we simply need to design our cities and towns better. Good urban design can reduce the health disparities that exist in our region.
What does that design look like? Walkable, bikeable communities in which folks can get to many of their daily destinations without having to sit in a car. It’s telling that the cities with the highest rates of walking and bicycling – the District of Columbia is now ranked second! – also tend to find themselves atop “healthiest cities” rankings.
The development of walkable and bikeable communities requires – in addition to the immediate on-the-ground improvements like bike lanes and sidewalks – transit, mixed-use development, and density. In other words, they require urbanism. Seeing as suburban areas continue to grow throughout the region and the country, it’s good news for health that urbanism is no longer the sole domain of central cities, as DC’s neighbors are proving.
From climate adaptation to housing shortages, lots of work to do!
January 19th, 2012
Region Forward followers: We hope your 2012 is off to a great start! We’ll be back to regular blogging very soon, but in the meantime, here are some of the most-read posts from the second half of 2011 that you may have missed or want to revisit:
(For the most-read posts from the first half of 2011, read these three editions of The Smorgasbord: one, two, and three)
Not enough housing. Not the right housing. Stephen Fuller and Lisa Sturtevant of the GMU Center for Regional Analysis blog about their findings which show that the region is not producing nearly enough housing and not the right type of housing to meet the needs of the future. As a follow up, regional planners suggest funneling future housing development near existing and planned transit. That’s the kind of housing people really want anyway.
PlanMaryland and Region Forward: Maryland Planning Secretary Richard Hall outlines how these two plans will help create a sustainable metro Washington region.
Moving on for a brief international perspective, rates of driving are down in Western countries (yay!), but before claiming victory, it’s important to note that they’re also increasing rapidly in emerging/developing countries. Our land-use decisions in the West definitely have an impact on climate change, but it will be the growth patterns of huge developing countries like India and China that really determine our climate future.
What’s the role for nation-states in an increasingly metro-driven economy? This post raises the provocative question: are today’s city-states becoming the dominant form of economic entity in the world?
Metro makes a “business case” for transit: In a three-part series, Justin Antos from WMATA summarizes key findings from a study that demonstrates the economic value that Metro brings to the region. Hint: it’s a lot. Part one, two, and three.
Stormwater management isn’t a sexy topic. It is, however, incredibly important economically and environmentally. Maintaining a balance between promoting development and improving water quality is an especially tricky task for a growing region like ours.
Sad, but true: Even if we completely stop emitting greenhouse gases tomorrow, the emissions of the past 100 years will continue to generate climate change. It’s inevitable. This is simply a fact; it’s not an excuse for inaction. On the contrary, we should be working feverishly to dramatically reduce our emissions, a goal of Region Forward, in order to minimize further impacts. This two-part series outlines how the region can adapt to some of the effects of climate change. Part one and two.
Lessons for a growing, vibrant region from a struggling one: One may question whether recession-proof metro Washington really has anything to learn from the Detroit region. The answer: yes. A series of posts looked at an issue that the region will be confronting in the coming years: balancing the desire to maintain economic growth in light of likely reduced federal spending and employment. Detroit knows all too well how overreliance on one sector can leave you vulnerable. One promising area to focus on in economic diversification: clean energy efficiency. It makes business sense even if you happen to be one of those climate change deniers.
Sticking with the Motor City, two regional housing planners muse about their takeaways from a conference in Detroit focused on infusing equity concerns into various elements of urban planning, including housing, transportation, the environment, etc. Part one, two, three, and four.
St. Elizabeths redevelopment; Geoengineering, really?; bag taxes; the urban future of India & China; and more!
December 28th, 2011
We’ve got a year-in-review post in the works that will highlight some of the most-read and most-shared blog posts from Region Forward over the past year. Look for that next week.
In the meantime, there’s a few current news stories that focus on issues we’ve blogged about this year. We thought we’d share these stories for some additional perspective on these issues:
“Cities Face Tough Choices as U.S. Slashes Block Grants Program” This New York Times piece outlines the impacts that reduced Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) funding is having on cities and their residents. Back in April, when Congress was debating whether to cut CDBG funding, Alicia Lewis warned that short-sighted cuts would have very negative results for productivity and prosperity.
Good news and bad news for redevelopment in Southeast Washington, DC. Mayor Vince Gray’s economic development team is “wooing” Microsoft to build a campus at St. Elizabeths in SE Washington as part of the city’s revitalization efforts for the area. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is already confirmed to relocate its headquarters there, though it was recently announced that the DHS move would be delayed by 5 years. In April, regional planner John Mataya wrote about the efforts to build innovation cluster in SE Washington.
“[Indian] Government Plans New Urban Hubs Around Big Cities” This piece from The Times of India delineates some of the Indian government’s plans for handling its immense and rapidly growing urban population. India’s on track to overtake China as the most populous country in the world in the few decades, exactly at the same time that the world’s population is becoming majority urban for the first time in history. How countries like India and China manage their incredible growth is a key element in international efforts to combat climate change. If they manage it well, utilizing smart growth principles, they can emerge as leaders in this new urban world. If not, sprawl could proliferate on a scale that would make LA’s or DC’s traffic congestion pale in comparison.
The full impact of bag taxes. Montgomery County is set to implement its 5-cent tax on paper and plastic shopping bags beginning January 1, 2012. The move is aimed to reduce pollution and raise revenues and is modeled after the District’s bag tax that was introduced in 2010. While some have criticized the District’s tax for not raising enough revenue, back in May we encouraged people to consider the aims of the tax and to realize that lower revenues, in this case, is actually a sign of success.
Geoengineering – using technological solutions to modify the earth’s climate (or at least shield it from the effects of climate change) – is beginning to move from a somewhat fanciful theoretical concept to something we may actually have to consider, especially if the US and other major nations continue to drag their feet on emissions reductions. That’s a scary thought, given how little we know about what the side effects of geoengineering may be. Back in March we warned about the dangers of relying on technology alone to solve our climate problem.
Get involved and help make metro DC cleaner, greener, and more sustainable
December 22nd, 2011
The last time we put out a call here for public participation, you guys responded with lots of inquiries and helped us recruit some great members for the Region Forward Coalition.
That was the second time the blogosphere and twitterverse came through for us by finding some awesome talent for regionally-focused groups. Ready for round 3?
The Metropolitan Washington Air Quality Committee is recruiting new members for the Air and Climate Public Advisory Committee (ACPAC) for 2011. ACPAC advises on air quality, climate and energy, and environmental issues to several policy committees at MWCOG.
ACPAC represents diverse community interests and opinions and provides an opportunity to provide input to local leaders. Members represent communities across the region and come from a variety of backgrounds, such as the health, business, education, scientific, and environmental sectors.
Here’s some more details on ACPAC: It’s made up of 18 total members, six each from the District, Maryland, and Virginia. There are currently four spots open: two for MD and one each for DC and VA.
Some of the topics upcoming in 2012 for ACPAC include providing input on the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board’s (TPB) Transportation Priorities Plan, the Climate Adaptation Guidebook for the metro Washington region, and the energy efficiency and sustainability outreach program currently under development.
Region Forward includes some very ambitious air quality and climate targets, like reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 20% below 2005 levels by 2020 and by 80% by 2050, as well as going above and beyond the federal standards for air quality. These targets are based on the science which says that these are the levels of emissions necessary to avoid the worst effects of climate change.
Meeting these targets won’t be easy, and everyone – citizen, corporation, and politician – has to be involved. Here’s a chance for RF followers to do so.
If you want to have a say in the local public policy process and help the region meet the RF goals for air quality and greenhouse gas emissions, here’s your chance. Please fill out the online interest form today or contact Maia Davis for more information. ACPAC is recruiting members through January 15, 2012.
HIV/AIDS: A major problem the DC region must overcome
December 21st, 2011
City rankings are abundant, measuring everything from how generous cities are in terms of charitable giving, how many dog parks and skate parks there have per capita, and how artistic cities are based on concentration of artists.
The Washington region often finds itself at the top of city rankings, for better or for worse. Just today, Richard Florida blogged at Atlantic Cities about how the DC area ranks the highest in the nation in terms of “economic advantage,” an index which includes “three measures of regional productivity and wealth: median household income, per capita income and average wages and salaries.”
On the other hand, we also often find ourselves sitting at or near the top of “most congested” rankings, with this year’s edition of the annual Texas Transportation Institute showing the DC region tied with Chicago as having the worst traffic congestion in the country.
Another area where metro Washington really needs to see some dramatic improvement is in relation to its rates of HIV/AIDS. Despite being the seventh largest region in terms of population, metro Washington has the third highest number of cumulative AIDS cases in the country. And it’s not just a problem in DC proper, 47% of the region’s AIDS cases are located outside the District of Columbia.
HIV/AIDS is, therefore, a regional epidemic. And lingering stigmas and misinformation are continuing to fuel the epidemic. Although the number of newly diagnosed AIDS cases in the region declined from 1,320 in 2006 to 842 in 2009, that’s still far too many. That’s why the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) and several other sponsors recently held a Regional HIV/AIDS Forum to devise a regional strategy to combat HIV/AIDS in metro Washington.
Jeffrey Crowley, Director of the Office of National AIDS Policy, was one of the speakers at the Forum and he emphasized President Obama’s commitment to fighting the virus, noting that even as other areas have experienced funding cuts, HIV/AIDS research and treatment has received increased funding during his administration. Crowley also noted that his office was in the process of creating the first National HIV/AIDS Strategy with the primary goals of reducing infections and increasing access to care and treatment for people with HIV/AIDS.
An expert panel including health officials from Montgomery, Prince George’s, and Fairfax Counties, and the District of Columbia discussed issues related to HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment in metro Washington. All of the speakers noted that stigma associated with the virus, by impeding treatment, remains a major barrier to reducing new HIV infections. They all also emphasized the fact that the virus knows no boundaries, reinforcing the regional nature of the epidemic.
There are, however, imbalances in how and the speed with which treatment occurs throughout the region. Dr. Mohammad N. Akhter, Director of the DC Department of Health indicated that Mayor Vincent Gray is working to bring President Obama into a Regional HIV/AIDS Strategy, modeled partly on the national strategy, which would start by performing a treatment and needs assessment as a region.
The forum, which was attended by 100+ experts, officials, and community members, was a first step towards building a regional strategy to combat the HIV/AIDS problem in metro Washington.
For more information about the regional HIV/AIDS strategy contact Carla Sanchez, a health planner at COG. Below is a clip from ABC 7 about the Forum:
