A healthy neighborhood is one in which most trips – to school, shops, services, work, recreation, and public transit can be made by foot or bike within 10 minutes. At the 55th IMCL Conference we shall review some of the most innovative efforts to create healthy 10-minute neighborhoods. The goal of the HealthyHoods research initiative … Read more
Social health is the foundation for physical health. At the 55th IMCL Conference we shall discuss how findings in public health and social sciences should impact the way planners and urban designers shape neighborhoods. The quality and quantity of our daily social interaction, and our sense of belonging strongly influence both physical and mental health[1]. … Read more
Contact with nature has been shown to support health in innumerable ways. At the 55th IMCL conference we will hear about ways in which professionals in public health are working with cities to strengthen their commitment to improving access to nature in the city for physical, mental, and social health reasons, as well as new … Read more
How a neighborhood is designed has a huge impact on the health of its residents. The environment affects how much exercise we get, how strong our social immune system is, whether we can eat a healthy diet, and whether we have access to the health benefits of nature. While universities are developing this interdisciplinary field … Read more
Is it possible, in this day and age, for a North American city at the heart of a metro area with a million-and-a-half population, to still be walkable and have a transit ridership share of almost one-quarter of all peak-time trips? And is it realistic for such a city to aim for a 50% non-car … Read more
The Canadian capital city, Ottawa, has managed to maintain itself as a truly pleasant walking city in part because of its growing ability to mind the small scale in addition to the large scale. In the last decade or so, it has made some interesting strides in the way it combines planning regulation with enhancement … Read more
Every city has its share of megaprojects, tall buildings, major redevelopments, sports complexes, arts centres, flashy condo towers and starchitect-designed office buildings. But does every city have the sensitivity of the human scale, the feel for the fine-grained detail of its public realm, the attention to small things that add up to pleasant, livable urban … Read more
Every city has its share of megaprojects, tall buildings, major redevelopments, sports complexes, arts centres, flashy condo towers and starchitect-designed office buildings. But does every city have the sensitivity of the human scale, the feel for the fine-grained detail of its public realm, the attention to small things that add up to pleasant, livable urban … Read more
This is the sixth blog on issues to be addressed at the 55th International Making Cities Livable Conference, May 14-18, 2018, in Ottawa. To improve neighborhood health we need to use the most effective tools for the task. Here are some of the tools that have been succcessfully used, that will be discussed at the conference. Form-based … Read more
This is the fifth blog on issues to be addressed at the 55th International Making Cities Livable Conference, May 14-18, 2018, in Ottawa. Significant improvements to neighborhood health require strategies to muster public will and mobilize resources. Here are a few of the effective strategies that will be shared at the Conference. Perhaps the most important urban … Read more