Title: Exploring the Connection between Built Environment and Health towards the Development of Low Carbon Cities
Speaker: Dr. Soo Chen Kwan

Date: February 22nd, 2018 (THU) 15:45 to 16:45
Venue: Middle-sized Meeting Room (No. 332), 3rd Floor, Inamori Foundation Building, Kyoto University

Abstract:
Built environment (BE) encompasses all human made spaces that create the settings for our daily activities, including work, school, housing, recreation, services, etc., which are then linked by transportation. Therefore, our surrounding BE is inextricably connected to our community lifestyle, with important effects on our local environment, health and well-being. A dearth of studies has been done to find the connections between BE and human health, with the intention to reclaim health in the decision making process of urban planning, aside from the economic and property considerations. The abundance of evidence points to the pervasive impacts of BE on our mental health, social interaction, exposure to air pollution and noise, level of physical activity, injury, crime and overall well-being. Besides, BE plays a fundamental role in complementing the global target of reducing carbon emissions in cities. In this session, the interconnections between BE, health, urban sustainability and carbon mitigations will be discussed.

About the speaker:
Dr. Kwan Soo Chen is a Postdoctoral fellow of the Japan-ASEAN Platform of Transdisciplinary Studies in CSEAS. Her research interests center on the social and environmental determinants of health, specifically on the impacts of the physical surroundings on non-communicable diseases through the environment and population behavioural pathways. Her previous work involves the quantification of health co-benefits from public transport infrastructure as carbon mitigation measure, integrating transport choice, air pollution, traffic injuries and physical activities as elements of the health impact assessment. Currently, she continues her focus on the intersection between urban planning and health in creating sustainable cities.