Category: Public Health

Original Research, Public Health

Senior Honors Thesis: Greenspace and Health

By Lizzie Tong In the decades to come, cities must grapple with a myriad of challenges – climate change, increasing population density, rising inequality – and develop mitigation strategies through smart urban design. Cities around the world, including Singapore, Vienna, and Shenzhen, have turned to greenspace as a way to address these concerns and improve overall quality of life for its citizens.  Greenspace can mitigate … Continue reading Senior Honors Thesis: Greenspace and Health

Carolina Planning Journal Board
Land Use and Environmental Planning, Public Health

Saving Patients but Harming the Planet? Hospitals as Stewards of the Trash Crisis

By Emily Gvino According to the Environmental Protection Agency, Americans produce 25% more trash than usual between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, generating 1 million tons more waste every week during this time frame[1]. However, the life cycle of this country’s waste poses a critical issue throughout the year. Urban planners, public works departments, and local officials are already dealing with the downstream impacts of … Continue reading Saving Patients but Harming the Planet? Hospitals as Stewards of the Trash Crisis

Carolina Planning Journal Board
Food Systems, Hazards, International, Original Research, Public Health, Research Triangle

DCRP Students Work on Interdisciplinary Research at the Nexus of Climate Change and Health

Two DCRP students, Emily Paul and Leah Campbell, are working on a group project examining stunting in children under the age of 5 in Peru, a project at the nexus of climate change and health. Continue reading DCRP Students Work on Interdisciplinary Research at the Nexus of Climate Change and Health

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Emergency Preparedness, Hazards, Public Health, Research Triangle

Post-Florence: Where do we go from here?

Robert Simmons, pictured above, was a New Bern resident who lost most of his belongings in the storm. He is seen here evacuating with his kitten named Survivor, leaving his father who chose to stay behind. Robert is one of many New Bern residents whose lives were devastated by Hurricane Florence, which was responsible for more than $100 million damages estimated by September 23rd.1 North … Continue reading Post-Florence: Where do we go from here?

Carolina Planning Journal Board
Public Health, Social Justice

A Prescription for Planning

Drive through any town in the United States and you will likely notice that landscapes change from stately brick houses and white picket fences to depressed shotgun houses and chain link fences.   What you won’t notice?   As you drive toward the city center and home values decrease, a skyrocketing increase in heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure is taking place. In fact, … Continue reading A Prescription for Planning

Carolina Planning Journal Board
Hazards, Public Health

Zombie Preparedness: A Communication Strategy for Emergency Preparedness

Zombies have become a fixture in literary and cinematic culture over the past century. The list of on-screen zombie productions is extensive, ranging from White Zombie in 1932 and Night of the Living Dead in 1968, to this year’s Patient Z and dozens of others in between. In 2016, Netflix boasted a buffet of 19 zombie-themed shows to satiate their viewers’ appetite for the undead. … Continue reading Zombie Preparedness: A Communication Strategy for Emergency Preparedness

Carolina Planning Journal Board
Economic Development, Housing and Community Development, Land Use and Environmental Planning, Public Health, Transportation

Current Planning-Related Legislation in the North Carolina General Assembly

The Planner’s toolbox is being modified constantly by laws passed and policies enacted at every level of government. Being aware of existing laws, as well as proposed legislation, is important for planners, communities, and advocates working throughout the state. Here’s a sample of the planning-related bills currently under consideration at the state level in the North Carolina General Assembly: House Bill 3 / Senate Bill 34: … Continue reading Current Planning-Related Legislation in the North Carolina General Assembly

Carolina Planning Journal Board
Public Health

Pork, GRITS, and Planning

As a native North Carolinian, there are a few things that come to mind as quintessentially Southern. At the top of this list is barbecue. The smell of hickory chips, the taste of tangy vinegar, and the social ritual of the pig pickin’ are, for many, cornerstones of a place-based identity. Unfortunately, our cultural appreciation for authentic barbecue underscores a fundamental tension between the strength … Continue reading Pork, GRITS, and Planning

Carolina Planning Journal Board
Bike Ped, Public Health, Transportation

Bridging the Distance

Supporting Physical Activity and Active Transportation in Rural Communities A version of this piece was originally published at the Safe Routes to School Partnership website. The majority of Americans live in urban or suburban areas, though around 15 percent of Americans live in nonmetropolitan regions, which make up 72 percent of US land. Although the proportion of Americans who are rural residents has recently declined, … Continue reading Bridging the Distance

Carolina Planning Journal Board
Public Health

Academic Performance and Physical Activity: A Brief History Lesson

What do we know about the relationship between physical activity and fitness, and academic performance? This brief lesson, drawn from a 2014 article by Castelli and others, provides an overview of how this area of research has evolved and where we are today. Paving the Way Research on psychological benefits of physical activity began in the 1950s and 1960s, with the first large-scale study of … Continue reading Academic Performance and Physical Activity: A Brief History Lesson

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