Urban Land Use and Health

It is well established that local environmental conditions directly impact human health. As the world population and land surface both become increasingly urban, understanding the health consequences of urban land use–driven environmental change is critically important. Understanding these relationships is a necessary condition in planning urban development in ways that may be co-beneficial for both the environment and human health. Environmental influences on health include but are not limited to air pollution and asthma, access to green space and mental and physical health, and water pollution and water-borne diseases. However, it is not only the local environment that affects health; the regional and global environments also contribute to health outcomes. This chapter explores the interdependencies between regional and global environments and human health, using urban land use as an analytical lens.