Course Description
The relationship between health and the built environment at regional, neighborhood, and site scales. Through historic precedents, current research, and case studies, students explore topics such as environmental justice, neighborhood design, mobility, recreation, food access, and healing landscapes. Students learn health assessment tools as well as planning and design interventions that improve public health.
Additional Requirements for Graduate Students:
Through additional readings, discussions, and projects or
research papers, this interdisciplinary seminar seeks to bring
together students from multiple disciplines concerned with the
current health crisis in order to develop new ideas about how
the designed environment can offer sustainable solutions. A
final in-depth project is required that will be either a
project analyzing a site or a traditional research paper
highlighting the relationship of health and the built
environment. This includes the preliminary proposal and
presentation to class for feedback, as well as the final
presentation and report.
Athena Title
Designing Healthy Places
Semester Course Offered
Offered every year.
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
1. Recognize the causal factors in the relationship between the built environment and health. 2. Discuss how the relationships between land use planning, landscape architecture, and public health have changed over history. 3. Use assessment tools to evaluate health impacts of existing places and proposed projects at neighborhood and site scales. 4. Cite “best practice” examples of policy, planning, and design interventions that have improved different aspects of community health. 5. Explain how community-based research, participatory design, and creative placemaking can address health inequities.
Topical Outline
Through readings, lectures, discussions and projects or research papers, this interdisciplinary seminar seeks to bring together students from multiple disciplines concerned with the current health crisis in order to develop new ideas about how the designed environment can offer sustainable solutions. The course traces this topic from ancient history up to the present with a focus on how environmental design can solve contemporary health concerns. This course links landscape architecture, planning, and architecture with the interests of public health and individual wellness. Textbooks:Dannenberg, Andrew, Howard Frumkin and Richard Jackson, ed. 2011. Making Healthy Places: Designing and Building for Health, Well-Being, and Sustainability. Island Press.Vlohov, D. and Bouford, J.I., Pearson, C., Norris, L. eds. 2010. Urban Health: Global Perspectives. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Additional readings will be available during the course. Assignments: The following assignments are required in the class for successful completion of the course: 1) Completion of weekly reading assignments, including a short précis analyzing the readings and two prepared questions from the readings that are fuel for discussion. 2) A final project is required that will be either a project analyzing a site or a traditional research paper. This includes the preliminary proposal and presentation for feedback, as well as the final presentation and report. 3) In addition, two mid-term exams will cover readings and class lectures. Topical Outline: Week 1: Introduction and history of health and the environment (from ancient civilizations to the industrial revolution). Week 2: History of health and the environment from the industrial revolution to the 20th century. Week 3: Current issues and problems in health and wellness related to urban design, planning, and architecture. Week 4: Measuring healthy places. Week 5: Community design impacts on health and wellness. Week 6: Design and planning for physical activity and health. Week 7: Economic justice factors in healthy environments. Week 8: Health facilities and design. Week 9: Mental health and the built environment. Week 10: Educational institutions and healthy design. Week 11: Transportation choices and health. Week 12: Case studies in healthy places. Week 13: Site examination: Evaluating places based on health assessment tools. Week 14: Preliminary presentations of student case studies and research for feedback. Week 15: Summary lecture and findings. FINAL: Present research and case study findings in a public forum.