Dr. Daniela Fecht (Research Associate, Small Area Health Statistics Unit (SAHSU), Imperial College)
Abstract: Seventy-five percent of the population in Europe today live in urban areas. Analysing the effects of urban form and structure on the health of the urban population is therefore of great public health interest. So far, not much is known about the overall effects of urban form and structure on the health of city dwellers. This study presents a novel approach to investigate whether associations exist between a variety of urban characteristics and mortality rates in cities in Great Britain. Results suggests that transport network pattern effect overall mortality rates in cities whilst only weak associations could be detected with land cover mix and population patterns. Associations between urban form and mortality observed in this study can highlight characteristics of urban form and structure that have negative effects on the overall health of urban communities. Future urban planning and regeneration strategies can benefit from such knowledge to promote a healthy living environment for an increasing urban population.
Biography: Daniela Fecht is a research associate at the Small Area Health Statistics Unit (SAHSU), Imperial College London. Her main research areas are environmental epidemiology with particular focus on urban environments, environmental justices and small scale exposure assessment. She has a first degree in geography and a PhD in environmental epidemiology from Imperial College. Her research examines the effects of social and physical environments on population health and how these vary across different subpopulations. She is particularly interested in the built environment as a determinant of social and environmental health and how urban design and patterns of green space can benefit human health and wellbeing.