The New Zealand Centre for Sustainable Cities and Landcare Research is pleased to post this, Wn ChCh Regeneration Book 11
This evidence-based report draws on the collective expertise of over 100 urban researchers, scientists and policy advisors who attended a sustainability workshop in Christchurch in April.
A limited number of printed copies will be available on request
PODCASTS ADDED
Podcast: Podcast: Barbara Israel: Community Engagement in Policy making and Planning
Podcast: Podcast: Christine Jacobson, Senior Policy Analyst, Porirua City Council
Podcast: Barbara Israel and Christine Jacobson: Questions and answers
Community Engagement in Policy making and Planning:
Prof Barbara Israel, DrPH, MPH, Professor Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, School of Public Health, University of Michigan has published widely in the areas of: the social and physical environmental determinants of health and health inequalities; the relationship among stress, social support, control and physical and mental health; community empowerment and health; and community-based participatory research (CBPR). She has extensive experience conducting community-based participatory research in collaboration with partners in diverse communities. Since 1995, she has worked together with academic and community partners to establish and maintain the Detroit Community-Academic Urban Research Center, initially funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Dr. Israel is actively involved in several of these CBPR projects examining and addressing, for example, the social and physical environmental determinants of cardiovascular disease, the environmental triggers of childhood asthma, access to food and physical activity spaces, diabetes management and prevention, and capacity building for and translating research findings into policy change
Christine Jacobson is a Senior Policy Analyst, Porirua City Council.
The Asia-Pacific region is substantially urban, 45% of the population now resides in urban areas. Urbanization is increasing rapidly, with more than 40 million people being added each year. Moreover, 50% of these people are below 25 years of age.
The region faces the double burden of existing infectious diseases and the emerging life style diseases associated with rising incomes. The promise of greater opportunities in cities is accompanied by changing aspirations of people. Policy makers need to take into account the growing material aspirations of the people while planning developmental activities with improved environmental safe guards. Scientists have an important role in the development of new knowledge to inform this decision making. Total wellbeing involves complex interactions of multiple determinants, and systems approach can improve understanding of the interplay between these determinants and suggest practical approaches. Countries in this region range from developed (e.g. Australia, Japan, the Republic of Korea), to emerging economies (e.g. China, India) to low income nations. The region also has diverse governance systems varying from monarchies, socialist regimes and democracies.
Combining this with differing expertise for undertaking complex analysis, we see that the approach to understanding the complex interactions involved in total wellbeing should vary throughout the region.
Acknowledging the diversity in expertise and data availability between countries, this plan strives for feasible and implementable approaches that could be initiated without delay. Capacity building would be developed around a major activity in the region where policy makers, civil society, scientists, administrators and people from informal sectors need to interact and understand the strength and weaknesses of each individual approach, and to see how that understanding improves through a systems process. Data collection and access will be essential for this analysis. A fast growing city and an institution will be identified in the first phase to initiate the systems thinking process.
New methodologies need to be sensitive and inclusive to be persuasive and successful. Both the people and the policy makers need to be brought on board early to translate systems research into action. The plan includes a number of case studies to illustrate the added value of systems approaches. The issues addressed in these case studies include transport, waste management, health consequences of informal settlements, and growth of new cities in the region.
Concurrently efforts should be initiated to identify international and regional collaborating centres that can execute a systems analysis approach and mathematical modelling on any of the issues identified above. It is anticipated that available funding will increase as the new paradigm is more widely recognised.
This is a draft and comments are welcome.
Themes and streams
1. A vision for the future of public health: for projects or work that suggest new ways of working in public health or successful models of intervention.
2. Sustainable communities and environments: for projects or work that suggest ways of sustaining strong communities and safe environments.
3. Diversity: for projects or activities that reflect health development issues for specific communities or groups of people.
More details available on the website
Jeroen Johan de Hartog,1 Hanna Boogaard,1 Hans Nijland,2 and Gerard Hoek1
1University of Utrecht, Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, Utrecht, the Netherlands; 2Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, Bilthoven, the Netherlands
Background: Although from a societal point of view a modal shift from car to bicycle may have beneficial health effects due to decreased air pollution emissions, decreased greenhouse gas emissions, and increased levels of physical activity, shifts in individual adverse health effects such as higher exposure to air pollution and risk of a traffic accident may prevail.
Objective: We describe whether the health benefits from the increased physical activity of a modal shift for urban commutes outweigh the health risks
Abstract
Objective:
To estimate the effects on health, air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions if short trips(≤ 7 km) were undertaken by bicycle rather than motor car
Method:
Existing data sources were used to model effects, in the urban setting in New Zealand, of varying the proportion of vehicle kilometre travelled by bicycle instead of light motor vehicle.
Results:
Shifting 5% of vehicle kilometres to cycling would reduce vehicle travel by approximately 223 million kilometres each year, save about 22 million litres of fuel and reduce transport-related greenhouse emissions by 0.4%. The health effects would include about 116 deaths avoided annually as a result of increased physical activity, six fewer deaths due to local air pollution from vehicle emissions, and an additional five cyclist fatalities from road crashes. In economic terms, including only fatalities and using the NZ Ministry of Transport Value of a Statistical Life, the health effects of a 5% shift represent net savings of about $200 million per year.
Conclusion:
The health benefits of moving from cars to bikes heavily outweigh the costs of injury from road crashes.
Implications:
Transport policies that encourage bicycle use will help to reduce air pollution and greenhouse emissions and improve public health.
Key words:
Air pollution, bicycles, climate change, environmental health, greenhouse gases, injury, mortality, physical activity, transport.
Aust NZ J Public Health
doi: 10.1111/j.1753-6405.2010.00621. 2010; 54-60
For further infomation contact Graeme Lindsay
Research Fellow
Public Health Medicine Physician
Epidemiology and Biostatistics
School of Population Health, Tamaki Campus
The University of Auckland
Private Bag 92019
Auckland
Register now for this course!
Presented by the New Zealand Centre for Sustainable Cities
This course is designed to bring together key local and international researchers, with policy analysts in local and central government, NGOs and members of the public, to consider the evidence for co-benefits of active journeys — particularly benefits for population health, climate change, and quality of life — and how this evidence can be strengthened and acted upon effectively.
Walking and cycling provide significant health benefits by increasing levels of physical activity. These active modes of transport are associated with substantial relative risk reductions (10-55%) across cardio-vascular disease, cancer, and other diseases. Compared to travel by car, active journeys also reduce air pollution and the carbon emissions that are accelerating climate change. In New Zealand there has been a decline in these active modes and research indicates that mode shift from passive to active travel is difficult to achieve. This is a critical challenge in the face of growing evidence that we need to reduce carbon emissions by around 90% by 2050.
During the day national and international research on the co-benefits of active journeys will be presented including:
There will be plenty of time for discussion and the day will conclude with a round table with policy makers.
http://www.uow.otago.ac.nz/academic/dph/summerschool/course_info/community.html
Final Report of the Global Research Network on Urban Health Equity. July 2010
Shot in stunning locations around New Zealand, this film explores the work of ten communities as they seek to heal damaged waterways and protect them for future generations. Read More
1 Nation, 2 Days, 40 Signs of Change of Emerging Sustainability in Aotearoa
15-16 November 2010
Christchurch, Wellington, Auckland, Dunedin, Palmerston North, Hamilton
Christchurch Convention Centre
Christchurch, New Zealand
Tuesday 5th – Friday 8th July 2011
PODCASTS NOW AVAILABLE:
Podcast: Julie Anne Genter (Quicktime movie, 63 MB)
Podcast: Angus HUlme-Moir (Quicktime movie, 40 MB)
Podcast: Philip King (Quicktime movie, 41 MB)
Julie Anne Genter is a consultant for McCormick Rankin Cagney and a specialist in parking management reform. She has worked with cities in New Zealand and Australia, and presented the new parking paradigm at numerous conferences, seminars and events.
Angus Hulme-Moir has recently completed his master’s degree in environmental studies at Victoria University on the topic of the role that parking policy can play in achieving sustainable transport goals. Angus was a New Zealand Centre for Sustainable Cities Scholarship recipient in 2009.
Philip King, Hamilton City Council, Access Hamilton Coordinator. His role is the face of ‘active travel’ for the council, and invovled construction of the city cycle network, improvements for pedestrians, promotion of walking and cycling using the media and websites, and trying to understand and help with resident’s concerns and fears about being on foot or bike. He is also working to deliver national and local strategies to do what we can to increase levels of sustainable travel and at the same time reduce accidents., air pollution and congestion.
PDF Julie Anne Genter Presentation
PDF Angus Hulme-Moir Presentation
August, 11:30 -1:00pm
The Healthy Urban Atmosphere research programme is New Zealand’s only long-term air quality research programme.
NIWA is leading the programme, which is funded by the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology, and is collaborating with a number of other NZ and overseas organisations.
Here we bring you updates from a selection of the research projects underway.
Public Health Consequences and Cost of Climate Change Impacts on Indoor Environments, David Mudarri, The Indoor Environments Division Office of Radiation and Indoor Air U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Washington, D.C. 20460 January 2010 Read More
