When major roads are built through lower-income neighborhoods, public health issues often are ignored, according to a
study from the
University of Colorado Denver.
Air pollution, crime and numerous traffic hazards point to a serious and persistent gap between public health and planning.
"The public health effects of heavy traffic are broad," says Carolyn McAndrews, Assistant Professor at the
CU Denver College of Architecture and Planning and author of the study. "Studies have found associations between high-traffic roads and high mortality rates, lung cancer, cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, poor birth outcomes and traffic-related injuries."
The study, published this month in the
Journal of Planning Education and Research, focused on busy Verona Road near Madison, Wis., which carries up to 60,000 vehicles a day, 10 percent of which are heavy trucks. Similar roads exist throughout the country.
Designers should take the public health impacts of roads into consideration before construction to minimize hazards earlier, rather than later when it's more difficult to change, McAndrews says. Making public health a priority demonstrates the future of transportation planning and design, she says.
"I think that kind of shift in thinking would set a new and better standard for communities across the country," she says.
Contact Confluence Denver Development News Editor Margaret Jackson with tips and leads for future stories at margaret@confluence-denver.com.
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