How Diverging Interests in Public Health and Urban Planning Can Lead to Less Healthy Cities

Abstract

Modern urban planning is intricately linked to public health concerns, with early twentieth-century planners segregating land uses and regulating development to help improve public health. Over time, this segregation created sprawling cities, now associated with poor health outcomes. This research explores how “ideas, interests, and institutions” (the 3Is) related to public health and planning have interacted in the planning of our cities. Using Brisbane, Australia, as a case study, we explore influences in public health and urban planning to better understand how their interaction influenced local government institutions and the development of Brisbane’s urban form.