Up Close podcast on designing cities with our health in mind

Urban public health researcher Prof Mark Stevenson describes the better human health outcomes to be had in cities that emphasise active transport modes like cycling and walking, while discouraging dependence on cars. Presented by Lynne Haultain.

"We wanted to quantify for the first time the relationship between how our cities are planned, how that influences our transport choices, and then ultimately the health of citizens in those cities." -- Prof Mark Stevenson

Listen to the podcast or read the transcript here.

Prof Mark Stevenson

Mark Stevenson is an epidemiologist and Professor of Urban Transport and Public Health at the University of Melbourne. He is a National Health and Medical Research Council (Australia) Fellow, an Honorary Professor in the Peking University Health Science Centre, China and an advisor for injury to the Director General of the World Health Organisation.

Prof Stevenson has worked on numerous national and international projects that have directly influenced transport policy and worked with both Federal and State Governments in Australia and internationally. He has led many research groups and is internationally recognized in the field of transport safety and public health. Prof Stevenson is the director of the newly established Urban Design, Transport and Health research hub comprising a cross-disciplinary research team exploring how the effects of urban form and transportation influence the health of residents in cities

Prof Mark Stevenson and colleagues' trio of papers on urban design, transport and health available free from The Lancet (requires registration).

Land use, transport, and population health: estimating the health benefits of compact cities
City planning and population health: a global challenge
Use of science to guide city planning policy and practice: how to achieve healthy and sustainable future cities

See also: Why city planners want to kill off cars before cars kill you from Quartz.