Neighborhood and Built Environment
Our health outcomes are strongly influenced by the physical environment we live in, including where we live, work and play. Historically racist laws, such as redlining, have placed increased health burdens on communities of color; ensuring those communities are located nearer to air pollution hazards and have less access to safe, stable housing and resources to achieve optimal health. These laws and policies create disparities in exposure to COVID-19 at places of employment, negatively impact the community’s ability to thrive in the face of stay at home orders intended to prevent the spread of COVID-19, and contribute to underlying health conditions that lead to more severe outcomes for those that contract COVID-19. Laws and policies to create greater equity in neighborhoods and the built environment must be developed, implemented, evaluated, strengthened, and spread.
Resources
Racial Residential Segregation and Health Justice: Public Health Impacts of Housing Policies in the United States
COVID-19: State and Local Government Actions to Address Housing Insecurity
Links to Additional Neighborhood and Built Environment Resources
Spotlight
From Dust Bowl to Green Heart: How Trees and Policy Can Shape Public Health
The Great American Outdoors Act: A Tool to Advance Public Health
Merging Lanes: Bringing the Environmental Impacts of Driving to New Driver Education
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- public health authority and emergency powers,
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- health data privacy,
- protections for disadvantaged and vulnerable individuals,
- crisis standards of care, and
- ethical decision making.
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Explore the Network’s Legal Assistance Library to find answers to commonly asked questions on a variety of public health topics.