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External Resources by Health Topic

Click on the links below to view external resources, organized by topic area:

Access to Community Resources

Design for Health  Design for Health (DFH) is a collaborative project that serves to bridge the gap between the emerging research base on community design and healthy living and the everyday realities of local government planning. There is a resource page with information on accessibility. Go back to the HAPI research brief page on access to community resources. Top of page

Air Quality

Air Quality and Compact Development Study A study from the Journal of the American Planning Association, with the article available for free, examines air quality problems in compact areas. Air Pollution and Respiratory Health This part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site contains a wealth of information. European Collaborative Action on Urban Air, Indoor Environment and Human Exposure The European Collaborative Action (ECA) is a multidisciplinary collaboration of European scientists studying indoor air quality.  The resource page contains links to over twenty years worth of publications written as part of their research. Go back to the HAPI research brief page on air quality. Top of page

Climate Change

Design for Health  Design for Health (DFH) is a collaborative project that serves to bridge the gap between the emerging research base on community design and healthy living and the everyday realities of local government planning. There is a resource page with information on climate change. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Assessment Reports The IPCC is a scientific body under the auspices of the United Nations (UN). It reviews and assesses the most recent scientific, technical and socio-economic information produced worldwide relevant to the understanding of climate change. In 2013, the IPCC published a series of assessment reports consider how patterns of risks and potential benefits are shifting due to climate change. There are versions of the reports for a technical audience, as well as separate versions suitable for a general audience. Public Health Institute’s Center for Climate Change & Health This website features a searchable resources page, listing an array of fact sheets, research, policy papers, presentations and reports on the impacts of climate change and public health outcomes. Sustainable Urban Development Planner for Climate Change Adaptation (SUDPLAN) Project SUDPLAN is a web-based planning, prediction and training tool for European city planners to assess environmental factors that contribute to climate change, with the aim to support long term urban planning decisions. United Nations-Habitat’s Cities and Climate Change Initiative (CCCI) The CCI seeks to enhance the preparedness and mitigation activities of cities in developing countries. It emphasizes good governance, responsibility, leadership, and practical initiatives for local governments, communities, and citizens. The website features the reports of climate change vulnerability assessments that have been conducted internationally. United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Climate Change Resource Kit UNEP’s Climate Change sub-program has resources to facilitate the transfer of knowledge of climate change for sustainable development. Urban Planning Tools for Climate Change Mitigation [PDF] This report published by the Lincoln Land Institute reviews existing tools that help urban planners address climate change mitigation, analyzing the tools’ scope, scale, methodology, and policy support, and presents four case studies illustrating how existing tools at various stages of development have been used. World Health Organization’s Program on Climate Change and Human Health This website provides evidence and supports capacity building and implementation projects to strengthen the health system response to climate change, and to ensure that health is appropriately considered in decisions made by other sectors, such as energy and transport. Go back to the HAPI research brief page on climate change. Top of page

Disasters

Knowledge Center on Public Health and Disasters This website, developed in partnership between the Pan American Health Organization (PANO) and World Health Organization contains information on a wide range of topics related to disasters and health, including disaster risk reduction, preparedness, response, and rehabilitation and reconstruction. Texas A&M University Hazards Reduction and Recovery Center HRRC researchers focus on hazard analysis, emergency preparedness and response, disaster recovery, and hazard mitigation. Their website contains many downloadable presentations on disaster resilience and mitigation, risk and recovery. United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)- Disaster Risk Reduction UNEP’s sub-programme works to prevent and reduce the impacts of natural hazards on vulnerable communities and countries through sustainable natural resource management. United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction This UN Office supports national- and local-level efforts across the globe to reduce community vulnerability and build resilient communities. The website has an extensive list of resources including the risk reduction website PreventionWeb, publications on good practices, country profiles and the Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction which provides analysis of global disaster risks and trends. World Health Organization – Emergencies This webpage provides links to descriptions of activities, reports, news and events, as well as contacts and cooperating partners in the various WHO programmes and offices working disaster prevention and response. World Health Organization’s Gender Women and Health Program This website provides data, resources and other information to ensure that gender considerations are adequately addressed during disaster relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction activities. Go back to the HAPI research brief page on disasters. Top of page

Food Options

American Planning Association – Food Systems The American Planning Association devotes a section of it’s website to community and regional food planning.  The website contains tools, reports, policy papers and other information on  the topic. Design for Health  Design for Health (DFH) is a collaborative project that serves to bridge the gap between the emerging research base on community design and healthy living and the everyday realities of local government planning. There is a resource page with information on food access. Equitable Development Toolkit Created by PolicyLink, the Equitable Development Toolkit provides resources on policy strategies and approaches to increase access to healthy foods. Food Environment Atlas Developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Food Environment Atlas displays mapping data on food access by U.S. county. Food Systems Planning and Healthy Communities Lab Housed at the University of Buffalo, New York (U.S), this lab is dedicated to research that critically examines the role of planning and policy in facilitating sustainable food systems and healthy communities. Their website provides information on current and past research initiatives, and publications written by authors at the lab. Go back to the HAPI research brief page on food options. Top of page

Geographic Healthcare Access

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Research Tools and Data The AHRQ is an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service with the goal to produce evidence to make health care safer, higher quality, more accessible, equitable, and affordable. Their website provides data, publications and research findings on healthcare in the United States. Design for Health  Design for Health (DFH) is a collaborative project that serves to bridge the gap between the emerging research base on community design and healthy living and the everyday realities of local government planning. There is a resource page with information on access to healthcare services. FastStats: Access to Healthcare This webpage, managed by the U.S. Centers of Disease Control, provides dozens of links to data sources that contain information about access to healthcare in the United States. RAND Corporation: International Healthcare Access Research Access an array of publications and reports on the social, cultural, economic, and geographic factors that influence health care access worldwide. Go back to the HAPI research brief page on geographic healthcare access. Top of page

Housing

Design For Health Design for Health (DFH) is a collaborative project that serves to bridge the gap between the emerging research base on community design and healthy living and the everyday realities of local government planning. There is a resource page with information on housing. HousingPolicy.org This website, developed by the Center for Housing Policy, is a comprehensive resource to state and local housing policy.  It’s focus is on expanding the supply of affordable housing to working families.  Sections of the online toolbox include housing for older adults, energy-efficient housing, and transit-oriented development. National Center for Healthy Housing (NCHH) NCHH conducts research conducts research (based in the United States) on key aspects of childhood lead poisoning and lead hazard control and reducing exposure to allergens and other residential hazards. Harvard Joint Center on Housing Studies The Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies advances understanding of housing issues and informs policy.  Their website contains many research and policy papers, with the goal to help government, business, and civic leaders make decisions that effectively address the needs of cities and communities. World Health Organization – Housing and Health  The World Health Organization web site on housing and health has information about housing and thermal comfort, mental health, aging, home safety, indoor air quality, and physical activity. Go back to the HAPI research brief page on housing. Top of page

Mental Health

Active Living Research: Tools and Measures
This Web site provides links to over fifteen urban-design and park audit tools, produced by researchers from a variety of institutions, including the University of Minnesota, Harvard School of Public Health, and the University of Western Australia.

Design for Health
Design for Health (DFH) is a collaborative project that serves to bridge the gap between the emerging research base on community design and healthy living and the everyday realities of local government planning. There is a resource page with information on mental health.

Healthy Nature, Healthy People
This systematic review of the literature on parks and human health finds benefits in stress reduction. Published in Health Promotion International it is available at many university libraries.

Healthy Places: Mental Health
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control has a resource list of material that connects mental health and community design.

InformeDesign
InformeDesign is a research and communication tool for designers. Its search engine provides research summaries on many health themes. Each article summary has the following elements: design issue, design criteria, key concepts, research method, limitations, and commentary.

Restorative Commons: Creating Health and Well-Being through Urban Landscape [PDF]
Published by the U.S. Forest Service in 2009, this technical report features chapters on theory, though pieces, case studies and interviews about how common spaces in the urban landscape can have “restorative” benefits.

Sustainable Sites Initiative
This collaboration between the American Society of Landscape Architects, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, and the United States Botanic Garden has produced voluntary guidelines and benchmarks for site planning and land design.

Therapeutic Landscapes Network
Focusing on gardens and other landscapes, with a particular emphasis on gardens in healthcare settings, the web site of the Therapeutic Landscapes Network is a well-designed and maintained resource. Its section on evidence-based design includes online searchable databases and lists of books and articles.

Go back to the HAPI research brief page on mental health.

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Mobility and Universal Design

The Center for Universal Design (CUD) CUD is a technical assistance, and research center based at North Carolina State University (USA) that evaluates, develops, and promotes accessible and universal design in housing, commercial and public facilities, outdoor environments, and products. Their comprehensive resources page provides information on universal design topics ranging from assistive technologies to policy. There is also a section linking to international agencies focused on universal design issues. Center for Inclusive Design and Evironmental Access Based at the SUNY Buffalo, the IDeA Center is dedicated to making environments and products more usable, safer and healthier in response to the needs of an increasingly diverse population. HomeMods.org This web site is a project of the University of Southern California’s National Resource Center on Supportive Housing and Home Modification, and is dedicated to promoting aging in place and independent living for persons of all ages and abilities. InformeDesign InformeDesign is a research and communication tool for designers. Its search engine provides research summaries on many health themes. Each article summary has the following elements: design issue, design criteria, key concepts, research method, limitations, and commentary. International Best Practices in Universal Design: A Global Review [PDF] This report from 2007 compares the accessibility codes and standards from developed and developing nations in order to determine the “best practices” in universal design. The report findings are accompanied with photographs, drawings and technical specifications. Go back to the HAPI research brief page on mobility and urban design. Top of page

Noise

Controls for Noise Exposure This section of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control website features resources and publications by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) focused on hearing loss and noise reduction. Design For Health Design for Health (DFH) is a collaborative project that serves to bridge the gap between the emerging research base on community design and healthy living and the everyday realities of local government planning. There is a resource page with information on noise. Noise Mapping England This website, which is part of the UK’s Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, features noise maps that are intended to inform noise reduction action plans of urban areas, industrial sites, and major transport sources in England. Noise: Environmental Protection Department of Hong Kong This website features data & statistics, study reports on noise exposure in Hong Kong, and provides innovative noise mitigation strategies. Noise: Health Effects, Research Activities The European Commission’s web site on environmental noise includes a number of policy documents and also discusses health effects. Noise Observation and Information Service for Europe The Noise Observation and Information Service for Europe (NOISE) included maps of noise exposure by country. NoiseOFF NoiseOFF is a free online resource for citizens, elected representatives, law enforcement professionals, educators, researchers, students and activists from the United States and abroad. The website comprises a working toolkit that people can use to reduce noise pollution in their lives and communities. World Health Organization/Europe – Noise WHO Europe has information on noise, housing, and sleep. Go back to the HAPI research brief page on noise. Top of page

Physical Activity

Active Living by Design
Resources on this website include publications, policy briefs, and research reports divided into the following categories: community development; design; land use; parks, trails, and greenways; places and settings; public health; and transportation.

Active Living Research
This website provides research articles, briefs and summaries on evidence-based strategies that can promote daily physical activity for children and families. The information on this website focuses on research conducted in the United States.

Building Healthy Places Toolkit: Strategies for Enhancing Health in the Built Environment
A publication by the Urban Land Institute, in collaboration with The Center for Active Design, outlines evidence-supported opportunities for enhancing health outcomes in real estate developments.

Built Environment and Public Health Clearinghouse (BEPHC)
This online clearinghouse, housed at Georgia Tech University (USA), is a resource for training and relevant news about the intersection of health and place.

Design for Health (DFH)
Design for Health (DFH) is a collaborative project that serves to bridge the gap between the emerging research base on community design and healthy living and the everyday realities of local government planning. There is a resource page with information on physical activity.

InformeDesign
InformeDesign is a research and communication tool for designers. Its search engine provides research summaries on many health themes. Each article summary has the following elements: design issue, design criteria, key concepts, research method, limitations, and commentary.

World Health Organization/Europe – Physical Activity
WHO/Europe’s physical activity website contains publications, infographics, data, and policy papers on physical activity promotion in health policy and in other relevant sectors in Europe.

Go back to the HAPI research brief page on physical activity.

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Physiology and Psychology of Aging

AARP Public Policy Institute – Livable Communities Topic Area
The resources page features publications on land use, housing and transportation; highlight relevant and timely news stories; provide a toolkit to educate the public on livable communities practices and encourage the use of livable communities policies and strategies; provide a online venue for livable communities-related videos and webcasts; and grants access to dialogue with experts and stakeholders through group discussion on current livable communities topics.

National Institute on Aging – Initiative on Global Aging
The NIA’s Initiative on Global Aging feature has pioneered cross-national research, sponsoring collaborative international projects, and disseminating findings in aging-related conditions and concerns affecting people worldwide. The website features links to international datasets and publications on health and aging.

World Health Organization’s Ageing and Life Course Program
The WHO’s ageing and life course program feautres publications on active aging, aging and development, elder abuse, gender and aging, and healthcare issues.

Go back to the HAPI research brief page on the physiology and psychology of aging.

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Safety

Healthy Urban Development Checklist [PDF]
Chapter 12 (pages 89-96) of the Healthy Urban Development Checklist features information on community safety and security, providing a checklist of questions to consider when assessing a policy, plan or proposal.

Design for Health
Design for Health (DFH) is a collaborative project that serves to bridge the gap between the emerging research base on community design and healthy living and the everyday realities of local government planning. There is a resource page with information on safety.

International Centre for the Prevention of Crime (ICPC)
IPCP is an international forum and resource centre dedicated to the exchange of ideas and knowledge on crime prevention and community safety. There website features an extensive selection of research, reports and publications on crime prevention.

RAND Corporation: Public Safety Research
Access an array of publications and reports on public safety, including subtopics on crime and violence.

Safety and Human Factors Research at the Transportation Research Board (TRB)
The TRB website has an extensive list of resources related to transportation safety.

UN-Habitat – Safety
Through the UN Habitat’s publication page, reports and studies on urban crime prevention and safety are searchable though it’s online library.

Go back to the HAPI research brief page on safety.

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Social Capital

Design for Health (DFH)
Design for Health (DFH) is a collaborative project that serves to bridge the gap between the emerging research base on community design and healthy living and the everyday realities of local government planning. There is a resource page with information on social capital.

The World Bank’s Social Capital Initiative
The publications page of the Social Capital Initiative features a series of discussion papers on four subtopics relating to social capital: 1) the role that social capital can play in the provision of goods and services, 2) the reconstruction or revitalization of social capital after conflict or political transition, 3) rural development efforts, and 4) enterprise development.

Go back to the HAPI research brief page on social capital.

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Toxics

Health and Environment Linkages Initiative -Toxic hazards
Toxic Hazards is a priority area for the World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations Environmental Program’s Health and Environment Linkages Initiative, particularly as it relates to agrochemicals.

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Environmental Health- Toxic Substances Hydrology Program
This USGS program provides scientific information needed to develop policies and practices that help avoid exposure to toxic substances, mitigate environmental deterioration from contaminants, provide cost-effective cleanup and waste-disposal strategies, and reduce future risk of contamination. Their online bibliography provides links to over 5,500 references to studies, publications, articles and tools on toxic substances.

Go back to the HAPI research brief page on toxics.

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Water Quality

Nonpoint Education for Municipal Officials (NEMO) NEMO is a program of the Center for Land Use Education and Research, University of Connecticut (USA). This program is designed for local land-use officials addressing the relationship of land use to natural-resource protection. The Web site has a wealth of planning, regulatory and design information on how to better protect water quality and manage stormwater runoff. United Nations- Water UN-Water is the United Nations inter-agency coordination mechanism for all freshwater and sanitation related matters. The searchable publications page provides access to hundreds of reports and publications on water and sanitation. Water-Related Environmental Public Health The CDC Web site contains useful links to information about planning-related water issues, including ground water. The Health Studies Branch also promotes clean water. World Health Organization Drinking Water Quality The World Health Organization (WHO) provides an informative, internationally-focused Web site dealing with drinking-water issues. Go back to the HAPI research brief page on water quality. Top of page