University of British Columbia
School of Community and Regional Planning
University Faculty with Public Health Specializations
Course Description
Public Health and the Built Environment (Listed on UBC website as Non-Motorized Transportation and Urban Form)
Taken collectively, the recent emergence of an obesity pandemic, increasing awareness of the environmental destruction associated with auto dependence, and increasing energy costs collectively suggest that investments in non-motorized transportation may soon emerge as a form of win – win public policy. At a time when Canadian and U.S. federal mandates are calling for reductions in air pollution associated with vehicular travel, currently dominant approaches to designing urban environments often serve to inhibit non-motorized travel.
This class is set within this socio-political backdrop, students will learn about the role of non-motorized transportation as a tool for the improvement of personal and environmental health. This class will familiarize students with factors that impact the choice to walk and bike and how to apply findings from research to specific transportation planning and programming (investment) processes and projects.