Built Environment and Health Spring, 2006 PH 298 section 49. Time: 10am to 12 noon; Tuesdays Spring Semester Location: Tolman 2305 Course control number 76702 Richard J Jackson MD MPH Adjunct Professor Div Envir Health Sciences 759 University Hall University of California School of Public Health 510 642-9400 Fax 642-5815 Dickjackson@berkeley.edu Office Hours: Tuesday 1-3:00 PM GSI: Marlon Maus 510-644-1718 maus10@berkeley.edu Course Description: An interdisciplinary Course on the Built Environment and Health: Breaking down the Silos. The US and other developed, as well as developing countries, are facing increasingly lethal and costly epidemics of acute and chronic diseases related to land use and built environment decisions. While the hazards presented by air and water pollution are well recognized for acute, infectious and toxicological illnesses, there is only now increasing recognition of the hazards presented by building and community designs that fail to recognize human health. Land use and built environment decisions impact every age group, social and racial minority. These impacts range from the very acute (motor vehicle trauma) to the long term (obesity, cancer, heart disease). These decisions have as their bases economic, financial, insurance, housing and other factors. Participants in the sessions would analyze each of these factors and related disease endpoints. Course requirements: 1. Participation 40% 2. Written assignments 30% 3. Oral presentations 30% Written assignments consist of a 3-5 page summary of the supplementary articles listed for each session. These articles should include scholarly and topical papers. The summary will synthesize the information on the topic covered. This summary must be emailed to the instructors by Noon on the Friday before the lecture date so it may be distributed to the entire class through Blackboard. Students will do a 10 minute oral presentation of the topic during the Tuesday session. The students will help lead the class discussion about the topic they have summarized. Every student is expected to present 2 times during the semester. The dates for presentations will be set during the first class session. 2-3 students will present per session. All students are expected to read the assigned reading from the textbook and the summary of the supplementary readings. Students are encouraged to also read the optional supplementary readings and be prepared to discuss the topic. Required Text (available at Cal Bookstore and Ned’s): H. Frumkin, L. Frank, R. Jackson. Urban Sprawl and Public Health. Washington, DC. Island Press. 2004. Topic and Date: 1. January 17. General Introduction to the Issues a. Vocabulary of the Built Environment b. What is density, sprawl c. What is a developer, builder. d. Transects e. Intrinsic efficiencies of urban environments f. New Urbanism g. Why the need for a vision, especially an interdisciplinary one. h. Possible reading from Jane Jacobs or Jim Kunstler i. Legacy: Vitruvius, Camillo Sitte, Olmsted, von Hausman, Collins Required readings: Text: Ch. 1 2. January 24. Historical Perspective a. Brief discussion of the history of human settlements b. Issues of commerce, trade, transportation c. The fundamental efficiency of cities d. Advantages of human specialization. e. Evolution of Urban Health f. Sanitary City g. Advent of sprawl h. How did we get here? i. The pre –automobile era History j. Post war redesign k. National Highway Programs l. Post-automobile era m. GI and VA mortgage programs Required readings: Text: Ch. 2 Marice Ashe will join us 3. January 31. Policy, Health and the Built Environment a. Importance of law: legal basis for the current built environment b. Zoning—especially as a public health tool c. Codes d. Planning commissions e. Important Federal Laws: Air, Water, Highway, TSCA others f. Relevance of Prop 13 and tax policy g. Interconnectedness of policy: housing, agriculture, highway, transportation, labor, tax policy h. Success stories. Required readings: Text: Ch. 2 4. February 7. How built Environments Affect: a. Air Quality i. http://www.californialung.org/downloads/hn/Research_HealthEffects_Pa rticulateMatter.pdf ii. b. Water Quality i. http://www.law.pace.edu/envclinic/Report.html c. Climate See: http://democrats.assembly.ca.gov/members/a41/pdf/AB32.pdf http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/bill/asm/ab_00010050/ab_32_bill_20050815_amended_sen.pdf also entrepreneurial approach: http://www.e2.org/ext/jsp/controller?docId=9387#stateclimateactions Long but very well written on climate change: Required readings: Text: Ch. 4, 7 5. February 14. Getting around: Transportation and the Built Environment a. Dr Alex Kelter (akelter@dhs.ca.gov) head of the California Injury control program will present. Make sure to do the readings, but there will be no student presentations. See: www.dhs.ca.gov/epicenter Come to class prepared to question him on this site. b. Injuries as leading cause of years of life lost i. Road ii. Pedestrian: sidewalk, intersection design c. Stress and Driving i. Blood Pressure, Road Rage etc d. Vehicle issues: i. SUV’s, ii. Emergency vehicles iii. Backover injuries iv. Children and other vulnerable populations e. Parking lots f. Vacant buildings g. Lack of exercise (fitness and obesity issues will be discussed in greater depth on April 4. h. Mass transit: limitations and opportunities i. Transit villages ii. Walkability of dense communities Some other readings and info: http://xnet.kp.org/communitybenefit/chi/tools/docs/assessment/WalkabilityChecklist.pdf Required readings: Text: Ch. 6 6. February 21. Social Capital and Happiness and the Built Environment a. Mental Health issue b. Depression, hyperactivity c. Community resilience d. Cultural quarters e. Live work Play f. Race, class, other issues i. Past urban renewal efforts ii. Age Group issues Required readings: Text: Ch. 8, 9 7. February 28. Schools as important built environments a. As drivers of sprawl, consumers of space, effects on children b. Vision for school gardens c. Water control, d. green spaces, e. Cafeterias, f. Capitalization g. Busing h. Optimal school size i. Playgrounds Required readings: Text: Ch. 5, 10 (appropriate parts) Suggested: http://www.nsbn.org/publications/newsletters/spring2004/kaufman.php\ 8. March 7. Housing policy as Health policy a. Housing as a disease vector b. Safety and perception issues i. Policing ii. Fire iii. Community Watch c. Housing affordability as a major driver d. Financing as health determinant i. Mortgage and Insurance e. Energy efficiency i. Density issues ii. Tree cover iii. Noise f. Environmental Justice g. Brownfield Issues h. Gentrification issues Required readings: Land_use_transport ation_planning.pdf 9. March 14. International and Global issues and the Built environment a. Lessons from other countries and locations i. Scandinavia ii. Heidelberg iii. Taipei iv. Curitiba v. China and India development: dangers and opportunities 1. http://www.efchina.org/home.cfm vi. Others b. Balance of Trade and Economic issues c. Fossil Fuels Required readings: 10. March 21. Disasters: how the built environment can mitigate or aggravate natural disasters a. Lessons from Katrina and other b. Disasters as opportunities for constructing positive environments Required readings: http://www.swissre.com/INTERNET/pwswpspr.nsf/fmBookMarkFrameSet?ReadForm&BM=../v wAllbyIDKeyLu/bber-569h46?OpenDocument March 28 Spring Break. 11. April 4. Built environments and age life stages: this session will give special attention as well to issues of lack of fitness, obesity and overweight. a. In-utero b. Pre-school children c. School age d. Teen and courtship ages e. Young adults, new families f. Middle age g. Older adults and Special Populations Required readings: Text: Ch. 10 (appropriate parts) (Amy Kyle will join us) 12. April 11. The Built Environment and cultural environments a. “Places of the Heart” as culture quarters b. Redevelopment of Blighted and abandoned neighborhoods c. Power of evening rich communities—the 24 hour city d. Gentrification: opportunities and threats. e. Universities, hospitals, industrial parks Required readings: 13. April 18. Economics of built environments—the economic “foot print” a. Costs of car ownership, transport b. Fiscal policies: i. Return on investment ii. “Discounting” c. Long term payback. (infrastructure investment) d. Economics of vibrant communities e. California Sales tax vs property tax policy. Legacies of Proposition 13 f. Building and non-building incentives: “why do they keep it a parking lot?” g. Vacant Properties campaign http://www.vacantproperties.org/ h. Required readings: 14. April 25 and May 2. Visioning the Healthy home and neighborhood a. Density b. Public transport c. Green space, Parks http://www.tpl.org/ d. Walking and bike trails e. f. g. h. i. j. k. l. m. n. o. p. Visioning the Healthy city and nation Vision for architecture Urban planning Creating Change What are the levers of change Builders Developers Mortgagers and banks Insurance Policies Role of citizens Role of Health Professionals Role of Public Health Required readings: Text: Ch. 11 http://www.regionalprogress.org/StepstoSustainability.pdf http://www.swissre.com/INTERNET/pwswpspr.nsf/fmBookMarkFrameSet?ReadForm& BM=../vwAllbyIDKeyLu/bber-569h46?OpenDocument Session 1: Session 2: May 9: Review of Course: Discussion Evaluation END OF INSTRUCTION MAY 9th