Sustainable and health-oriented transport planning and urban planning

Abstract

The proportion of people living in cities is increasing in developed as well as developing countries. Besides the positive effects of urbanisation there are also negative impacts on human health, for example due to heat islands, air pollution and noise. Health is of high importance for the citizens, and in our societies the awareness for health impacts is increasing due to more welfare. However urban planning as well as transport planning are not considering health impacts sufficiently, so far. Consequently, a sustainable, health-oriented and integrated urban and transport planning approach is urgently needed to provide a high quality of life in a healthy urban environment. Upcoming changes in vehicle technology and transport services will induce and require new urban forms. The growing individual interest in improving the personal health situation will furthermore contribute to the high demand for an integrated approach. In order to derive adequate processes and measures in the field of urban and transport planning to improve human health and environmental conditions, the interdependencies between urban form, transport system and health are elaborated.