Scoping Review on the Relations between Urban Form and Health: A focus on Canadian quantitative evidence

PUBLICATION

By Gavin R. McCormack, PhD; Jason Cabaj, MD; Heather Orpana, PhD; Ryan Lukic, BHSc; Anita Blackstaffe, MSc; Suzanne Goopy, PhD; Brent Hagel, PhD; Noel Keough, PhD; Ryan Martinson, MEng; Jonathan Chapman, MA; Celia Lee, MEDes; Joyce Tang, MLA; Gabriel Fabreau, MD.

The design of our communities affects how much we walk, the food we choose, how much time we spend outdoors.  But what do we know about the the built environment and health outcomes in Canada?   

Sustainable Calgary was thrilled to be a community partner on this research, which gives meaning to our work co-designing healthy places.

The results of this research, published in Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention in Canada, indicate that the relationships between community design, obesity and diabetes in Canada are what we might predict: more walkable areas and neighbourhoods with grocery and health food stores are correlated with lower weights and better health. Population density is also linked to cardiovascular conditions - they decrease as density increases.  Studies measured walkability, walkscore, land use, access to healthy foods, access to fast food, population density, and dwelling density to evaluate the built environment.

Injuries and the built environment were also found to be related, but Dr. McCormack’s work suggests there is more to learn. Injuries are more likely where there is more traffic, but increasing street connectivity can increase or decrease injuries. Presumably, this depends on the design of the street, which affects behaviour.  However, Canadian research isn’t specific enough to tell us exactly why and how design influences the likelihood of injury. The research identifies associations between urban form and weight status, blood pressure, metabolic syndrome, diabetes, cardiovascular outcomes, injuries and mental health.  Most Canadian studies focus on weight and injury, and speak to the preventable burden of injuries and chronic illness on Canadians and the healthcare system.

They also speak to what we’re missing. There is still a lot to learn about mental health and seniors’ health in Canada, and what city design has to do with it - in a nation where ¼ Canadians will be seniors by 2034.  

Check out Sustainable Calgary’s press release here, or the full article here.