Urban planning and public health: Analytical review

View or download the full article: 
PDF icon health-risk-analysis-2022-1-17.pdf
UDC: 
613.1; 721.01
DOI: 
10.21668/health.risk/2022.1.17.eng
Authors: 

B.A. Revich

Organization: 

Institute of Economic Forecasting, 47 Nakhimovsky prospect, Moscow, 117418, Russian Federation

Abstract: 

This review focuses on certain challenges related to hygienic assessment of urban planning. Studies by Soviet (and later Russian) hygienists that have been accomplished since 1970ties have brought about optimal solutions for planning urban districts, climatic peculiarities taken into account. Specific hygienic standards have been developed with respect to insolation, building density, minimum safe distances from housing to parking areas, recommendations on creating green spaces along the busiest motorways as well as some other parameters that are now a part of regulatory documents on construction. A comfortable urban environment can hardly be created in Russian cities without adherence to hygienic standards regarding ambient air quality, noise levels, insolation, creating easily available open green spaces. All this should be implemented without any limitations on building density, especially in downtowns areas. Hygienic standards stipulate transition from fossil fuels to more environmentally friendly ones in cities located in Siberia and the Far East. There are also other multiple indicators of urban environment quality that shouldn’t be neglected. The review also considers how important insolation is for health of urban citizens, especially bearing in mind the latest data on significance of vitamin D for prevention of osteoporosis. A great attention is paid to positive effects produced by open green spaces on population health including mental health, higher levels of physical activity, better social interactions and mutual trust, and reduced social isolation. All these aspects are becoming truly vital after the COVID-19 pandemic. Green spaces are also important since they help mitigate certain negative consequences of living in an aggressive urban environment.

Keywords: 
public health, COVID-19, urban planning, building density, ambient air, noise, insolation, green spaces, vitamin D
Revich B.A. Urban planning and public health: analytical review. Health Risk Analysis, 2022, no. 1, pp. 147–161. DOI: 10.21668/health.risk/2022.1.17.eng
References: 
  1. Revich B.A., Kharkova T.L., Kvasha E.A. Selected health parameters of people living in cities included into «Clean air» federal project. Health Risk Analysis, 2020, no. 2, pp. 16–27. DOI: 10.21668/health.risk/2020.2.02.eng
  2. Urban green space interventions and health: A review of impacts and effectiveness. Full report (2017). WHO, Regional Office for Europe, 2017, 57 p.
  3. Tompson W.C., Aspinali P., Roe J., Robertson L., Miller D. Mitigating stress and supporting health in deprived urban communities: The importance of green space and the social environment. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health, 2016, vol. 13, no. 4, pp. 440. DOI: 10.3390/ijerph13040440
  4. Engemann K., Pedersen K.B., Arge L., Tsirogiannis C., Mortensen P.B., Svenning J.-C. Residential green space in childhood is associated with lower risk of psychiatric disorders from adolescence into adulthood. PNAS, 2019, vol. 116, no. 11, pp. 5188–5193. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1807504116
  5. Mitchell R., Popham F. Effect of exposure to natural environment on health inequalities: an observational population study. Lancet, 2008, vol. 372, no. 9650, pp. 1655–1660. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(08)61689-X
  6. Villeneuve P.J., Jerrett M., Su J., Burnett R.T., Chen H., Wheeler A.J., Goldberg M.S. A cohort study relating urban green space with mortality in Ontario, Canada. Environ. Res., 2012, vol. 115, pp. 51–58. DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2012.03.003
  7. Wilker E.H., Wu C.D., Mcneely E., Mostofsky E., Spengler J., Wellenius G.A., Mittleman M.A. Green space and mortality following ischemic stroke. Environ. Res., 2014, vol. 133, pp. 42–48. DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2014.05.005
  8. Park B.J., Tsunetsugu Y., Kasetani T., Kagawa T., Miyazaki Y. The physiological effects of Shinrin-yoku (taking in the forest atmosphere or forest bathing): evidence from field experiments in 24 forests across Japan. Environ. Health Prev. Med., 2010, vol. 15, no. 1, pp. 18–26. DOI: 10.1007/s12199-009-0086-9
  9. Lee J., Park B.J., Tsunetsugu Y., Ohira T., Kagawa T., Miyazaki Y. Effect of forest bathing on physiological and psychological responses in young Japanese male subjects. Public Health, 2011, vol. 125, no. 2, pp. 93–100. DOI: 10.1016/j.puhe.2010.09.005
  10. Song C., Ikei H., Miyazaki Y. Physiological effects of nature therapy: A review of the research in Japan. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health, 2016, vol. 13, no. 8, pp. 781. DOI: 10.3390/ijerph13080781
  11. Cohen D., Sehgal A., Williamson S., Golinelli D., Lurie N., McKenzie T.L. Contribution of public parks to physical activity. Am. J. Public Health, 2007, vol. 97, no. 3, pp. 509–514. DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2005.072447
  12. Cohen D.A., Marsh T., Williamson S., Derose K.P., Martinez H., Setodji C., McKenzie T.L. Parks and physical activity: why are some parks used more than others? Prev. Med., 2010, vol. 50, suppl. 1, pp. S9–12. DOI: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2009.08.020
  13. Maas J., Verheij R.A., de Vries S., Spreeuwenberg P., Schellevis F.G., Groenewegen P.P. Morbidity is related to a green living environment. J. Epidemiol. Community Health, 2009, vol. 63, no. 12, pp. 967–973. DOI: 10.1136/jech.2008.079038
  14. Schipperijn J., Bentsen P., Troelsen J., Toftager M., Stigsdotter U.K. Associations between physical activity and characteristics of urban green space. Urban For. Urban Green., 2013, vol. 12, no. 1, pp. 109–116. DOI: 10.1016/j.ufug.2012.12.002
  15. Ellaway A., Macintyre S., Bonnefoy X. Graffiti, greenery, and obesity in adults: secondary analysis of European cross sectional survey. BMJ, 2005, vol. 331, no. 7517, pp. 611–612. DOI: 10.1136/bmj.38575.664549.F7
  16. Cattella V., Dines N., Gesler W., Curtis S. Mingling, observing, and lingering: Everyday public spaces and their implications for well-being and social relations. Health Place, 2008, vol. 14, no. 3, pp. 544–561. DOI: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2007.10.007
  17. Astell-Burt T., Mitchell R., Hartig T. The association between green space and mental health varies across the life course. A longitudinal study. J. Epidemiol. Community Health, 2014, vol. 68, no. 6, pp. 578–583. DOI: 10.1136/jech-2013-203767
  18. Dzhambov A.M., Dimitrova D.D., Dimitrakova E.D. Association between residential greenness and birth weight: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Urban For. Urban Green., 2014, vol. 13, no. 4, pp. 621–629. DOI: 10.1016/j.ufug.2014.09.004
  19. Burden of disease from environmental noise: quantification of healthy life years lost in Europe. Copenhagen, WHO, Regional Office for Europe, 2011, 106 p.
  20. Yang C.Y., Bao Z.Y., Zhu Z.J. An assessment of psychological noise reduction by landscape plants. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health, 2011, vol. 8, no. 4, pp. 1032–1048. DOI: 10.3390/ijerph804103
  21. Terentiev N.E., Revich B.A. Green environment in megacities as health saving factor. Problemy teorii i praktiki upravleniya, 2018, no. 9, pp. 43–53 (in Russian).
  22. Cities and Climate Change. OECD Publ., 2010, 278 p.
  23. Bowler D.E., Buyung-Ali L., Knight T.M., Pullin A.S. Urban greening to cool towns and cities: A systematic review of the empirical evidence. Landscape and Urban Planning, 2010, vol. 97, no. 3, pp. 147–155. DOI: 10.1016/j.landurbplan.2010.05.006
  24. Drobotov V.I., Shagieva E.V. Formation of town-planning entities in adverse climatic conditions. Vestnik Volgogradskogo gosudarstvennogo arkhitekturno-stroitel'nogo universiteta. Seriya: Stroitel'stvo i arkhitektura, 2018, vol. 71, no. 52, pp. 166–173 (in Russian).
  25. Chepchugov M.A. Sealing development as a form of effective (qualitative) city development. Noema (Arkhitektura, Urbanistika, Iskusstvo), 2019, vol. 3, no. S3, pp. 44–50 (in Russian).
  26. Dubynin N., Bobkova T., Dubynin V., Panova A. Architecture in the context of contemporary ecology. Proekt Baikal, 2019, vol. 16, no. 60, pp. 123–127. DOI: 10.7480/projectbaikal.60.1484 (in Russian).
  27. Berg P.G., Eriksson F., Eriksson T. Paradoks uplotnitel'noi zastroiki: umen'shenie zelenykh prostranstv s rostom ikh vostrebovannosti [The paradox of compact building: a decrease in green spaces with an increasing demand for them]. Formirovanie komfortnoi gorodskoi sredy. Vodnye landshafty v epokhu urbanizatsii: sbornik trudov mezhdunarodnoi konferentsii. In: M.E. Ignat'eva, I.A. Mel'nichuk, A.B. Bubnova eds. St. Petersburg, Saint Petersburg State Forest Technical University Publ., 2019, pp. 49–50 (in Russian).
  28. Akimova M.I., Chechulina A.S. Infill development of large cities: internal and external. Izvestiya vuzov. Stroitel'stvo, 2015, vol. 678, no. 6, pp. 55–62 (in Russian).
  29. Timofeeva S.S., Kustov O.M. Insolation as a factor of litigation. Vestnik IrGTU, 2015, vol. 99, no. 4, pp. 105–110 (in Russian).
  30. Shmarov I.A, Zemtsov V.A., Korkina E.V. Insolyatsiya: praktika normirovaniya i rascheta [Insolation: practice of regulation and calculation]. Zhilishchnoe stroitel'stvo, 2016, no. 7, pp. 48–53 (in Russian).
  31. Kent S.T., McClure L.A., Judd S.E., Howard V.J., Crosson W.L., Al-Hamdan M.Z., Wadley V.G., Peace F., Kabagambe E.K. Short and Long-Term Sunlight Radiation and Smoke Inci-dence. Ann. Neurol., 2013, vol. 73, no. 1, pp. 32–37. DOI: 10.1002/ana.23737
  32. Danilov P.B., Benuzh A.A. Evolution of insolation requirements for residential real estate in Moscow. Nedvizhimost': ekonomika, upravlenie, 2019, no. 2, pp. 42–44 (in Russian).
    33.Grabovyy P.G., Manukhina L.A. National strategy of introduction of energy resources and ecologically safe (green) technologies and productions in construction and housing and communal services. Nedvizhimost': ekonomika, upravlenie, 2014, no. 1–2, pp. 6–8 (in Russian).
  33. Fokin S.G., Bobkova T.E., Shishova M.S. Assessment of hygienic principles in the standardization of insolation under the conditions of a city in case of Moscow. Gigiena i sanitariya, 2003, no. 2, pp. 9–11 (in Russian).
  34. Andreeva P.N. The insolation rights and renovation programme in Moscow. Pravovaya politika i pravovaya zhizn', 2018, no. 1, pp. 42–48 (in Russian).
  35. Kharchenko S.V. Relief as a factor of solar exposure in urban areas. Vestnik Moskovskogo universiteta. Seriya 5: Geografiya, 2013, no. 4, pp. 30–35 (in Russian).
  36. Schwarz G.Ya. Renaissance of Vitamin D: molecular biological, physiological and pharmacological aspects. Meditsinskiy sovet, 2015, no. 18, pp. 102–103. DOI: 10.21518/2079-701X-2015-18-102-103 (in Russian).
  37. Karonova T.L., Mikheeva E.P., Nikitina I.L., Belyaeva O., Todieva A.M., Popova P.V., Andreeva A.T., Globa P.Yu., Beletskaya I.S. [et al.]. Uroven' obespechennosti vitaminom D u zhitelei Severo-Zapadnogo regiona RF i znachenie defitsita vitamina D dlya zdorov'ya [The level of vitamin D supply in residents of the North-Western region in the Russian Federation and the importance of vitamin D deficiency for health]. Osteoporoz i osteopatiya, 2016, vol. 19, no. 2, pp. 45–46 (in Russian).
  38. Kalinichenko S.Yu., Tyuzikov I.A., Gusakova D.A., Vorslov L.O., Tishova Yu.A., Grekov E.A., Fomin A.M. Vitamin D as a novel steroid hormone and its role for men’s health. Effektivnaya farmakoterapiya, 2015, no. 27, pp. 38–47 (in Russian).
  39. Zakharova I.N., Dolbnya S.V., Kuryaninova V.A., Klimov L.Y., Kipkeev S.O., Tsutsaeva A.N., Yagupova A.V., Enina E.A. [et al.]. Role of vitamin D in pre-school children’s health. Meditsinskii sovet, 2021, no. 1, pp. 37–49. DOI: 10.21518/2079-701X-2021-1-37-48 (in Russian).
  40. Reiting ustoichivogo razvitiya gorodov Rossii 2020 [Rating of sustainable development of cities in Russia 2020]. SGM, 2020, no. 8. Available at: https://www.agencysgm.com/projects/%D0%91%
    D1%80%D0%BE%D1%88%D1%8E%D1%80%D0%B02019.pdf (20.04.2021) (in Russian).
  41. IESE Cities in Motion Index 2020. IESE Business School University of Navarra, 2020. Available at: https://media.iese.edu/research/pdfs/ST-0542-E.pdf (20.04.2021).
  42. Maksimchuk O.V., Baulina O.A., Klyushin V.V. "Smart" living as one of the aspects of the formation of a "smart" city. Sotsiologiya goroda, 2017, no. 1, pp. 61–77 (in Russian).
  43. Bashkaev T. Vektor razvitiya – effektivnost' [The vector of development is efficiency]. Moskovskii tsentr urbanistiki, 2020. Available at: https://urbanru.ru/almanahs/vektor-razvitiya-effektivnost-timur-bashkaev/ (09.04.2021) (in Russian).
  44. Zaitseva N.V., May I.V. Main results, prospects of application and improvement of the health risk assessment of the population of Siberian cities – participants of the “Clean air” project (Bratsk, Norilsk, Krasnoyarsk, Chita). Gigiena i sanitariya, 2021, vol. 100, no. 5, pp. 519–527. DOI: 10.47470/0016-9900-2021-100-5-519-527 (in Russian).
  45. Revich B.A., Shaposnikov D.A. The COVID-19 pandemic: New knowledge on the impact of air quality of the spread of coronavirus infection in cities. Stud. Russ. Econ. Dev., 2021, vol. 32, no. 4, pp. 357–363. DOI: 10.1134/S1075700721040134
  46. Teller J. Urban density and COVID-19: towards an adaptive approach. Buildings and Cities, 2021, vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 150–165. DOI: 10.5334/ bc.89
Received: 
23.09.2021
Approved: 
18.01.2022
Accepted for publication: 
13.03.2022

You are here

Home