Using Urban Architecture to Build Health-Friendly Living Environments

by Healthful Vitality · Published May 31, 2021 · Updated December 5, 2022

Healthful Vitality | 05/31/2021 | By Dr. Ahinsa Madumali | Using Urban Architecture to Build Health-Friendly Living Environments

From the ancient era of living in caves or temporary shelters, human settlements have evolved through various stages of civilizations to current astonishing architectural and engineering designs of houses, towns, and country planning [1]. However, even with such developments in urban architecture, it is estimated that more than 1.8 billion people worldwide lack adequate housing, and most of them live in life-threatening unhealthy conditions in informal settlements or slums of overcrowded cities [2]. This high prevalence of poor living environments is an adverse effect of recent rapid urbanization, where people continually move from rural to urban areas. We analyze the prospect and benefits of using urban architecture to build health-friendly living environments.

Theoretical Foundation of Using Urban Architecture to Build Health-Friendly Living Environments

Theoretically, the speed of urbanization should be compatible with the level of industrial development, employment generation, tolerance capacity of the natural resources and space [3]. However, the endless educational and occupational goals of the growing world’s population have exceeded the limits of tolerance and created a lot of poorly designed unhealthy living environments in most of the major cities around the world. Notably, world population growth has also accelerated during the last two centuries and is expected to increase by 2 billion in the next three decades [4].

Therefore, providing health-friendly living environments for this growing population is becoming a huge challenge that responsible people must promptly address to avoid a significant health collapse shortly. Indeed, modern urban architecture can contribute significantly in this context, but if appropriately used to its maximum potentials.

Impact of the living environment on the quality of life and health status

WHO defines the quality of life as “an individual’s perception of their position in life in the context of the culture and value systems in which they live and in relation to their goals, expectations, standards and concerns” [5]. In fact, living in a better place with essential infrastructure and facilities has always been perceived as having a better quality of life. Moreover, WHO has also recognized “Physical environment” as a major determinant of health as the individual’s health status is determined by personal as well as environmental factors.

A physical environment with clean water, air, and soil, safe homes, workplaces, and roads contribute to better health [6]. After all, poor environmental and sanitary conditions have associated with high infant morbidity and mortality in most developing countries. In reality, even in developed countries, overcrowding and polluted air with inadequate ventilation have become major risk factors for respiratory diseases [7].

Using Urban Architecture to Build Health-Friendly Living Environment- Concept

Living environment and global agendas

World’s leading organizations have included improving living environments in their goals and agendas. Notably, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights has recognized “Adequate housing” as a human right which must be primarily protected to prevent violations of other fundamental human rights such as right to work, education, health, and security [2, 8]. The United Nations has included “Ensuring environmental sustainability” as the seventh of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and by 2015 they have stated that the number of persons living without access to improved sanitation in urban areas is still rising due to the rapid growth of urban population [9].

Types of settlements, where do we live?

Although no international definitions have been established to delineate cities, rural and urban areas, differentiating these settlements from one another according to their functional base has become more meaningful [10]. Important to realize, a rural area is a geographical area that is outside towns and cities with a low population density and more agricultural activities [11]. Another key point, human settlements with a high population density and more built-up environments are often defined as urban areas. These are the end products of urbanization and are mainly engaged in industrial activities. [12]. Notably, cities are large human settlements engaged with non-agricultural tasks with administratively defined boundaries. Indeed, these cities have the highest population densities where more than half of the world’s population currently lives [13].

Health problems associated with overcrowded cities

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases and cancers are the leading causes of premature mortality worldwide. Admittedly, lack of physical activity, which has been a major problem associated with sedentary city life is one of the main causes of these NCDs. Moreover, most overcrowded cities do not have enough spaces for exercise and other physical activities [14]. At this level, the complicated social system and daily life, the increased cost of living and the communication network have increased the psychological stress associated with modern city life [15].

In this situation, with increasing populations in cities, constructers have placed more importance on the development of industrial or residential buildings and transportation facilities, while walking paths, swimming pools, playgrounds, and other places where people can engage in physical activities and mind relaxation received little attention. Although high-rise buildings have become a popular solution to inadequate housing for the city’s growing population, some professionals still debate the health outcomes of living on high floors [16].

Using Urban Architecture to Build Health-Friendly Living Environment- Girl Drinking Water in Wholesome Condition Concept

Dispersion of population density of overcrowded cities towards better urban settlements

The possibility of redesigning and reconstructing all the busy cities as compatible with health is rarely possible. However, any person who has fed up with limited and polluted city environments, daily struggling in traffic jams even with the high cost of living will readily move to a better living place if their careers and occupations are also secured. Undoubtedly, remote urban areas developed considering the global health recommendations with the use of urban architecture will provide great solutions for the problems associated with major cities around the world. In ancient times, human agricultural civilizations were built near reliable sources of drinking water, as they lacked technologies [1].

However, with the advancement of irrigation technologies, they moved to safer places away from water sources, water was transported via canals or pump systems. Today, people have aggregated around job opportunities making cities more crowded, while large areas of unused lands and great transportation technologies exist. However, should people cage themselves in these unhealthy overcrowded cities and suffer more? No, history is directing us towards a next-level evolution. Indeed, there are great possibilities of living in well-built environments constructed in unused lands away from workplaces and traveling to cities for work purposes on daily basis.

Need for advanced urban architecture with multidisciplinary approach to achieve the goal

Why is using urban architecture to build health-friendly living environments critical? Healthy and eco-friendly settlements with essential infrastructure should be the primary goal when converting these low-cost, unused lands into human habitats. Certainly, when constructing these remote urban areas to accommodate city population, it is essential to work with a well-organized manner. A multidisciplinary approach is essential with a group of various professionals including architects, engineers, health care professionals, sociologists, constructers, politicians and other policy makers. Indeed, following considerations will be essential while managing the advance technologies and urban architectural designs.

1. Healthy housing

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, healthy housing must provide several fundamental physiological and psychological needs. Basic physiological needs are protection from hazardous elements, preventing body hypothermia or hyperthermia, providing a reasonably pure atmosphere, adequate natural and artificial lighting without glare, protection against excessive noise, and most importantly, providing adequate space for exercise and for children to play. The psychological needs for a healthy home include adequate privacy, an appropriate environment for normal family and community life that facilitates the performance of household tasks without undue physical and mental fatigue, maintaining personal and environmental cleanliness and aesthetic satisfaction, being in accordance with social standards [17].

2. Green buildings

Green building design is being widely adopted worldwide and is defined as buildings that focus on minimizing impacts to the environment through reductions in energy and water use while minimizing disturbances from the construction site to the surrounding environment. to the surrounding environment. Indeed, green buildings have well-documented lower levels of formaldehyde, allergens, volatile organic compounds, environmental tobacco smoke, and gases like NO2, and the benefits related to reducing water and energy consumption with recent research. They also have targets of improving human health by designing healthy indoor environments [18].

Using Urban Architecture to Build Health-Friendly Living Environment- Electric Car Concept

3. Safe and fast transport facilities

Every year around the world, traffic collisions kill and disable millions of people, urban air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions related to motor vehicles make large numbers of people sick and contribute to climate changes. Recent evidence suggests that healthy transportation with improved urban design is vital for health and environmental sustainability [19]. Goals must go well beyond the usual roads connecting these urban residential areas and city workplaces through which people will have to travel in a personal vehicle. Most of these urban areas will have to be built a hundred miles away from cities.

Electric locomotives with advanced rail networks are a transportation option that is already available in countries where city crowding has become a major problem, such as the US, Canada, Europe, Russia, China, India, Japan and Australia for use on freight routes and high volumes of traffic. Those electric locomotives always have a speed of more than 300 km / h and cost up to 50% less than diesel locomotives. Due to the absence of emissions and traffic jams, electric locomotives are always environmentally and health friendly [20].

Challenges and limitations

Undoubtedly, there are challenges for using urban architecture to build health-friendly living environments. People spend 50% or more of each day inside their homes [17]. With the current COVID 19 pandemic, people are encouraged to work at home and the time spent at home has increased even more. So, it makes sense that the living environment is one of the main influences on health and well-being. Professionals will have to go through many difficulties and challenges while making the theory a reality. Giving a clear picture to governments and other policymakers about the proposed theory of healthy and eco-friendly remote urban settlements for the city population should be the first step to be taken by a well-organized team of architects, engineers, health professionals, and environmentalists.

When approved and resources are provided, using them in the most effective way with minimal wasting is essential to show a positive return on investment (ROI) and maintain continuity of such plans and designs. However, even with a negative ROI when making costs and estimates based on a short period of time, this theory should not be terminated, as a healthy population is critical for a sustainable future, as well as ensuring human existence.

Indeed, using urban architecture to build health-friendly living environments should inspire, motivate, and empower all stakeholders as a growing number of studies find links between urban architecture and health, including mental health. No doubt, it requires urgent actions of policymakers and urban practitioners as urban architecture can improve wellbeing of people, communities and societies.

References

1. Human history. (2021, May 27). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_history

2. Housing Rights: UN-Habitat. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://unhabitat.org/programme/housing-rights

3. YU Fawen ,Study on Rural Eco-Governance in the Context of New-Type Urbanization. Chinese Journal of Urban and Environmental Studies. (2018). http://dx.doi.org/10.1142/S2345748118500148

4. Growing at a slower pace, world population is expected to reach 9.7 billion in 2050 and could peak at nearly 11 billion around 2100 | UN DESA Department of Economic and Social Affairs. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.un.org/development/desa/en/news/population/world-population-prospects-2019.html

5. WHOQOL – Measuring Quality of Life| The World Health Organization. (2012). Retrieved from https://www.who.int/tools/whoqol

6. Determinants of health. (2017). Retrieved from https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/determinants-of-health

7. D’Souza RM. Housing and environmental factors and their effects on the health of children in the slums of Karachi, Pakistan. J Biosoc Sci. 1997 Jul;29(3):271-81. Retrieved from https://europepmc.org/article/med/9881135

8. The Right to Adequate Housing: Fact Sheet No. 21/Rev.1 UN-Habitat. (2014). United Nations, Geneva. Availabe for downlaod at: https://unhabitat.org/the-right-to-adequate-housing-fact-sheet-no-21rev-1

9. Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). (2018). Retrieved from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/millennium-development-goals-(mdgs)

10. Dijkstra L, Florczyk AJ, Freire S, Kemper T, Melchiorri M, Pesaresi M, & Schiavina, M. Applying the Degree of Urbanisation to the globe: A new harmonised definition reveals a different picture of global urbanisation. Journal of Urban Economics. 2020; 103312. doi:10.1016/j.jue.2020.103312. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0094119020300838

11. Rural area. (2021, May 19). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rural_area

12. Urban area. (2021, April 27). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_area

13. City. (2021, May 29). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City#:~:text=A city is a large,primarily on non-agricultural tasks.

Using Urban Architecture to Build Health-Friendly Living Environments

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Using Urban Architecture to Build Health-Friendly Living Environments

Theoretical Foundation of Using Urban Architecture to Build Health-Friendly Living Environments

Impact of the living environment on the quality of life and health status

Living environment and global agendas

Types of settlements, where do we live?

Health problems associated with overcrowded cities

Dispersion of population density of overcrowded cities towards better urban settlements

Need for advanced urban architecture with multidisciplinary approach to achieve the goal

1. Healthy housing

2. Green buildings

3. Safe and fast transport facilities

Challenges and limitations

References

Related Article: City Life and Health

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