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C40 Cities launches tool to help create healthier cities
The Healthy Neighbourhood Explorer tool is built on the principles that residents can access services and amenities within a short distance from their homes.
C40 Cities has launched an urban planning tool to help cities understand how changes to neighbourhoods can provide health benefits to local communities.
The Healthy Neighbourhood Explorer tool is built on the principles that cities should aim to create conditions for residents to access essential services and a wide range of urban amenities within a short distance via bike or foot from their homes.
Healthy neighbourhood approach
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C40 believes through a healthy neighbourhood approach, cities can also identify and remove barriers that deter residents from walking and cycling, such as poor traffic safety, a poor land-use mix and high air pollution.
It highlights the body of evidence that shows designing cities to offer more services and amenities close to people’s homes improves the health and wellbeing of residents.
“From Bogotá to Vancouver, Melbourne to Paris, cities are demonstrating the transformative potential of urban planning”
Leading programmes to improve neighbourhood health include Bogotá’s Barrios Vitales and Manzanas del Cuidado, Vancouver’s Complete Neighbourhoods and Melbourne’s 20 Minute Neighbourhoods, as well as the Paris 15-Minute City.
“Most of our health is determined not by the health sector, but by the places that we live, work and socialise in,” said Carolyn Daher, public health specialist, at Barcelona Institute for Global Health.
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“For city residents, urban planning contributes significantly to our health and well-being. The Healthy Neighbourhood Explorer is a valuable tool that helps visualise and understand these connections.”
Developed in partnership with Chaire-ETI, Inetum and Novo Nordisk, the tool also gives a snapshot of the Healthy Neighbourhood Index score to explore how C40 cities and neighbourhoods rank on different Healthy Neighbourhood Explorer city indicators and help them design urban planning actions to improve the health of local communities. The key indicators are:
Mobility
Retail quality: scores an area based on the density of retail establishments on offer (for example, groceries, clothing, restaurant) within the selected urban area.
Intersection density: reflects the density of road intersections within the selected urban area. Road intersections are junctions where two or more roads converge or diverge.
Population density: reflects the density of residents living within the selected urban area.
Land-use mix: measures the balance between residential and non-residential areas within the selected urban area.
Liveability
Access to amenities: evaluates the number of accessible amenities within a 15-minute walk. It combines accessibility scores for each amenity: health, sports, leisure, education, and retail amenities.
Traffic safety: based on the rate of fatal vehicle accidents within the selected urban area.
Outdoor air quality: measures average outdoor concentrations of pollutants compared to World Health Organisation limits. Pollutants covered are particulate matter (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and reflect annual mean concentrations (ug/m3).
Access to green space: combines two aspects: total area of green space and green space per inhabitant, available within a 15-minute walk. Green space includes both parks and other natural environments.
Urban crime rate: evaluates urban crime rate based on the crime rate within a population.
“C40 cities worldwide are embracing healthy neighbourhoods, recognising the profound impact urban design can have on public health. From Bogotá to Vancouver, Melbourne to Paris, cities are demonstrating the transformative potential of urban planning,” said Mark Watts, C40 Cities executive director.
“The launch of the Healthy Neighbourhood Explorer tool marks a significant step forward in this journey, empowering city governments to create neighbourhoods where residents can access essential services and amenities within a short walk or bike ride from their homes, boosting health and cutting emissions from fossil fuels.”
Why not try these links to see what our SmartCitiesWorld AI can tell you.
(Please note this is an experimental service)
How does the Healthy Neighbourhood Explorer measure access to urban amenities?What indicators determine the Healthy Neighbourhood Index score in cities?How can urban planning reduce barriers to walking and cycling in neighbourhoods?Which pollutants are monitored to assess outdoor air quality in urban areas?How do land-use mix and population density impact residents' health outcomes?Latest City Profile
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