The built environment, which includes aspects of urban planning and city design, could provide many effective tools to address public health issues, an urban planning expert said at a health care forum in the capital on Tuesday.
Making stairways more accessible, using trees and shrubbery to reduce outdoor temperatures in certain areas and incorporating easily accessible gyms in buildings and neighbourhoods would have important effects on public health and could help reduce the prevalence of chronic diseases such as diabetes, Dr Erik Ferguson, assistant professor of urban planning from the American University of Sharjah, told health care professionals at the MEED Arabian Global Health Forum 2010.
“Modern-day cities, compared to traditional Arab and European city designs, emphasise luxury and convenience but in the process often do away with design features that could help improve public health considerably,” Dr Ferguson said.
Traditional Arab and European cities were built around compact neighbourhoods, low skylines and narrow streets interspersed with occasional boulevards. Modern-day cities however incorporate many high-rise structures with great distances between them.
“The structure of a modern city does not help include ‘walkability’ but instead encourages residents to drive to different destinations. These kinds of features are a key concern for residents’ health because they make physical activity voluntary,” Dr Ferguson said.
He added that modern amenities in city planning often compromised on other essential features which could help residents get more exercise.
Dr Ferguson said that opportunities to get exercise were further reduced by the absence of pavements, with streets being built only to serve motor vehicles and not pedestrians.
He however added that a few simple changes to urban planning could change the situation.
“For instance, putting the stairwell next to the elevator can encourage residents to climb the stairs. Using shaded trees can reduce the temperature of an area making it easier for people to be outdoors,” he said.
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