Northridge ME, Sclar ED, Biswas P. Sorting out the connections between the built environment and health: a conceptual framework for navigating pathways and planning healthy cities. J Urban Health 2003; 80: 556-68.
Summary: This article details the social determinants of health and presents a framework for understanding the connections between land use decisions, transportation planning, income inequality, the distribution of power, and human health to guide further research.
General Concensus: Students generally praised this article but there were mixed opinions on the logic model. Some thought it perfectly delineated ways the built environment impacts health while others thought it was too broad and provided neither detail nor new information.
Additional Comments:
"I need to think more about why "mental health" is listed under health outcomes and well-being is listed separately with indicators of happiness, despair, QOL." (Nursing)
"It would be nice if the implementation strategies covered more than just HIAs- this
suggests that the only way to integrate health into urban planning is by reacting to
proposals made without consideration to health." (UDPL)