URPL GP 4632-001 PLANNING FOR HEALTHY NEIGHBORHOODS
SYLLABUS
Professor Kristen Day
Class meetings: Tu 4:55-6:35 p.m.
Room: Silver 507
Phone: 718/260-3392; email: kday@nyu.edu
Website on NYU classes
Office hours: By appointment
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course introduces students in urban planning and related fields, to the ways in which urban planning and urban
design, can help to improve community health. Although urban planning and public health are closely related in their
history and their objectives, these fields have been historically taught and practiced independently with limited
interaction. The course focuses on neighborhood scale planning issues that impact health, including transportation,
land use, urban design, community development, and crime prevention. This class will involve discussions, lectures,
guest speakers, readings, and a research report.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
By the end of this course, students will be able to:

Identify ways in which urban planning and design impacts community health in several domains;

Be familiar with planning tools and practices tied to health issues in the urban environment; and

Apply what is learned in the class to the design and planning of healthy places and development of healthsupportive policy in New York City.
READINGS
Readings for the class are posted on the NYU Classes site or should be downloaded from the web. All readings for
the course must be completed prior to class so that you can participate in class discussions.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Attendance and participation in all classes
(Attendance is expected; unexcused absences will count against your grade)
Weekly reactions to reading
Report topic, outline and bibliography
Research report
Total
25 pts.
5 pts.
30 pts.
60 pts.
All assignments must be submitted electronically on NYU Classes BEFORE the beginning of class. No assignments
will be accepted over email; late assignments (after the start of class) will not be accepted.
CRITICAL REACTIONS TO READINGS
This assignment ensures that students read class readings and films carefully and critically, and prepares students to
engage in thoughtful discussions in class. For each individual reading or film, students should complete a one page
(max., do not submit longer reactions), carefully written reaction. Reactions should be typewritten (double-spaced).
Each should include the following information (multiple chapters from one source count as one reading).
1. Full and proper citation for reading (APA format) or title (for films)
2. Author’s primary research question or argument or point
3. Brief summary of main points of the reading or film (1/3 page or less)
In your own words, identify the key findings, recommendations, arguments, etc. in the reading. Do not
summarize the whole reading. Rather, identify its main points or contributions.
4. Critical reaction. *Most important aspect of the assignment (1/2 page)
1
Critical reactions should interrogate the main points of the reading, examining questions such as whether
evidence is provided to support the author’s conclusions, new ideas or research questions generated by this
reading, interface with other readings of the reading lectures from class, critique of how the author has
framed the issues, and especially the implications or film for planning and design. Critical reactions should
not do ALL these things—choose the most important and appropriate strategy for reacting to each reading.
This should be a thoughtful engagement with each reading or film, not merely a superficial reaction.
Reactions to readings/films are due at the beginning of each class. Please bring a copy of your reactions to readings
for your own use in class discussions. Reactions are worth 5 points per day. Reactions are graded as √, √– or √+.
A grade of √ is equivalent to a B/B+. It indicates that you have read readings and responded thoughtfully. A grade
of √+ is equivalent to an A–/A, and acknowledges especially insightful and well-developed responses to readings. A
grade of √– is equivalent to a C+/B–. It indicates that you completed the assignment, but showed minimal effort.
Reactions are assigned for 6 weeks; only the top 5 reactions will be counted for each student. No late or “make up”
reactions are accepted.
RESEARCH REPORT: 30 pts.
Each student will prepare a professional report on a health and planning issue. The report will examine one urban
health issue in the specific context of New York City. The goal of the report is to expand knowledge of how this issue
affects New York City and how urban planning perspectives can help to address this issue. Each team will prepare a
report to the NYC Department of City Planning. Your report should address one of the following issues:
•
Urban planning and physical inactivity: Support for walking for travel and recreation
•
Urban planning and physical inactivity: Support for bicycling for travel and recreation
•
Urban planning and access to healthy foods: Community gardens and urban farms
•
Urban planning and access to healthy foods: Public markets and food retail
•
Urban planning and traffic safety
•
Urban planning and mental health
•
Urban planning and violence
•
Other health issue (please check with instructor in advance)
Each report should address:
(1)
The scope and the nature of this health problem in NYC.
What specific forms does this problem take in NYC?
How big is this problem in NYC and how is it changing with time?
Who is affected by this problem in NYC and how are they affected?
What are the major causes of this problem in NYC?
(If relevant) How does current urban planning contribute to this problem in NYC?
(2)
Urban planning solutions to this issue for NYC
What are local and regional government agencies doing to address the problem?
What are non-profit and other organizations doing to address this problem in NYC?
What are the best practices from other U.S. and international cities to address this problem?
Specific recommendations for new, urban-planning based solutions to this problem for NYC (based
on best practices from elsewhere and your own analysis)?
Final report should include:
Cover page (no page number)
Table of contents
Page numbers
Subheadings to organize the paper
Complete and accurate APA citations in text and reference list
Figures and tables (for each, include a figure number on figure and in text and a caption. Cite
sources for all figures in APA format.)
2
-
Report should be 15 pages in length (double-spaced), plus cover, table of contents, and reference
list. Reports should be written in 3rd person and should address a professional planning audience.
Reports should be based on empirical research and on analysis of professional reports, communications, etc.
Reports will be evaluated based on accuracy and thoroughness (how well are questions above addressed?), writing
quality, and support for conclusions (based on reference to credible sources, well documented in references.)
REPORT OUTLINE AND BIBLIOGRAPHY: 5 pts.
Submit the topic for your research report, an outline (1-2 pages) of the specific issues you will address, and a draft
bibliography of the scholarly and professional sources you expect to use (at least 15 references, APA format.)
SCHEDULE. This schedule is tentative and subject to change.
Date
Week 1
T, 10/28
Week 2
T, 11/4
Topic
Assignments due
Web: Active Design guidelines. At:
http://www.nyc.gov/html/ddc/html/design/active_desi
gn.shtml
Week 2 reading
reaction due
The relationship between
urban planning and public
health; the social ecological
model; health disparities
Physical activity and built
environments: Overview
Guest speaker: Suzanne
Nienaber, Partnerships
Director, Center for Active
Design
Week 3
T, 11/11
Readings
Physical activity and built
environments: How to
implement active design
Web: Active Design guidelines: Shaping the
sidewalk experience; books 1, 2. At:
http://www.nyc.gov/html/ddc/html/design/active_desi
gn.shtml
NYU Classes: Urban Land Institute (2013). 10
principles for building healthy places. Urban Land
Institute.
Report outline and
bibliography due
Week 3 reading
reaction due
NYU Classes:
• Active neighborhood checklist;
• Active Neighborhood checklist training
presentation (discuss these two in one reaction)
Week 4
T, 11/18
Pedestrian traffic safety
Web: (2014). Vision Zero action plan. At:
http://www.nyc.gov/html/visionzero/pdf/nyc-visionzero-action-plan.pdf
NYU Classes: James, P. et al. (2014). A health
impact assessment of a proposed bill to decrease
speed limits on local roads in Massachusetts
(U.S.A.), Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health, 11(10),
10269-10291.
3
Week 4 reading
reaction due
Week 5
T, 11/25
Planning for food
environments: Urban farms
and gardens
Guest speaker: Anastasia
Cole Plakias, Director of
Communications & Sales,
Brooklyn Grange Rooftop
Farm
Week 6
T, 12/2
Planning for food
environments: Food retail
and public markets
Guest speaker: Kelly Verel,
Senior Associate, Project for
Public Spaces
**Meet at Project for Public
Spaces, 419 Lafayette
Street, Seventh Floor, NY
NY (between Astor Place
and East 4th Street, just
south of the Public Theater)
Web: Ackerman, K. (2011). The potential for urban
agriculture in New York City. Growing capacity, food
security, & green infrastructure. NYC: Urban Design
Lab. At:
http://www.urbandesignlab.columbia.edu/sitefiles/file
/urban_agriculture_nyc.pdf
Week 5 reading
reaction due
Watch the documentary film “The Garden” (2008).
Available on NYU Classes if possible or through
Amazon Instant Video at:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002LWHZLM/?tag=go
cous20&hvadid=47540374984&hvpos=1o1&hvexid=&hv
netw=g&hvrand=14550045610579762893&hvpone=
&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_8wiv02mr
0x_b (Will be a charge for viewing on Amazon. May
require download of software for viewing.)
Web: Brannen, S. (2010). Foodworks. A vision to
improve NYC’s food system. NYC City Council. At:
http://council.nyc.gov/downloads/pdf/foodworks_fullr
eport_11_22_10.pdf
Week 6 reading
reaction due
NYU Classes: Cummins et al., (2014). New
neighborhood grocery store increased awareness of
food access but did not alter dietary habits or
obesity, Health Affairs, 33(2), 283-291.
Response: Lehmann, Y. et al. (2014). A new
grocery store and obesity rates, Health Affairs, 33
5), 906-907.
Response: Cummins et al., (2014). Grocery stores
and obesity: The authors reply, Health Affairs,
33(5), 907. (discuss these three in one reaction).
Web: Project for Public Spaces, “Public Market
Services.” At: http://www.pps.org/services/services/
(review this website before class; no written reaction
needed)
Week 7
T, 12/9
Violence, mental health and
social capital
Meet at Kris Day’s home
Web: Watch the film Cities on Speed: Bogota
Change. At:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwgWM3h_l-4
NYU Classes: Svendsen et al. (2010). Sociospatial planning in the creation of bridging social
capital: The importance of multifunctional centers for
intergroup networks and integration, International
4
Week 7 reading
reaction due
Research report
due on Friday
12/12/14, 5 p.m.
Journal of Social Inquiry, 3 (2), 45-73.
5