Not The Only Option

Public health and urban planning offer an effective option to address many modern public health issues. However, they should not be considered the only option. One field of study which is already deeply involved in the intersection between public health and urban planning is environmental conservation. While public health is useful for measuring the impact of innovative urban design or suggesting particular areas where health incomes could be improved, in terms of actually guiding urban planning principles environmental concerns could be said to play a greater role. 

One of the major focuses of contemporary city design is how to create greener communities with a minimal impact on the environment. Common approaches to this include building green spaces like parks and community gardens and creating communities with good public transportation and high walkability levels. The primary goals of these innovations are to help protect the environment, but each one also offers a public health benefit as well. Green spaces, walkable neighborhoods, and good public transit all encourage people to make at least part of a journey on foot, increasingly exercise levels. They also lower pollution levels, which can reduce the prevalence of lung disease and cancers caused by exposure to air pollution. Urban agriculture such as community gardens has multilayered benefits, preventing erosion and improving local water quality as well as providing an accessible source of fresh produce (Knizhnik 2012).

From this perspective it can be argued that the more important partnership is between urban planning and environmental studies, and that public health simply benefits from positive side effects of these projects and is an important consideration.