A wide-ranging review of the research literature reveals that living in an environment with plentful greenery seems to be associated with a number of indicators of good health. The study reveals what the authors say is “fairly strong evidence”  that there is a positive association between greenness and physical activity. As well as having phyical…

We are building cities to attract investment, not cities for people to live in, argued David Harvey, the distinguished geographer, speaking in Montevideo. Harvey argued that in times of economic crisis, one escape strategy has been to invest in the built environment, as a way to create opportunities for capital and to get potentially rebellious…

Public spaces are integral to healthy and prosperous cities. This was the theme of  a major conference last week in the run-up to next year’s Habitat III global summit. Place-making needs to be seen as contributing to the 2015-2030 Sustainable Development Goals.  The Future of Places conference in Stockholm was the third and last in a series that has…

America’s obesity crisis is creating a new concern to make healthy cities, though the rhetoric outstrips the plans. A recent blog on a health website says that more than half of U.S. adults don’t meet the recommended daily requirements for aerobic exercise or physical activity. It makes the case for better planning and design to…