{"id":27304,"date":"2022-05-12T10:45:30","date_gmt":"2022-05-12T14:45:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/landscape-architecture\/2022\/05\/12\/nli-director-joins-80-researchers-worldwide-to-create-parameters-for-healthy-and-sustainable-cities\/"},"modified":"2026-05-30T04:41:28","modified_gmt":"2026-05-30T08:41:28","slug":"nli-director-joins-80-researchers-worldwide-to-create-parameters-for-healthy-and-sustainable-cities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/landscape-architecture\/2022\/05\/12\/nli-director-joins-80-researchers-worldwide-to-create-parameters-for-healthy-and-sustainable-cities\/","title":{"rendered":"NLI Director Joins 80 Researchers Worldwide to Create Parameters for Healthy and Sustainable Cities"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Director of the Natural Learning Initiative, Dr. Deepti Adlakha\u2019s latest research work was published as part of <em>The Lancet Global Health Series on Urban Design, Transport and Health<\/em>. Urban design and city planning influence how we can travel, the quality of the air we breathe, our access to essential facilities and services, our participation in social events, and our enjoyment of green spaces. All this is vital to our physical and mental health. In 2016, a series of papers in The Lancet highlighted the myriad links between cities and health and proposed a set of city planning indicators. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-medium\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/deepti-headshot_1500x844-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"Deepti Adlakha\" class=\"wp-image-27427\" \/><figcaption>Director of the Natural Learning Initiative Deepti Adlakha, Ph.D.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In this follow-up series <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thelancet.com\/series\/urban-design-2022\" target=\"_blank\">published in <em>The Lancet Global Health<\/em><\/a>, authors show how the indicators can benchmark and monitor progress to guide urban policy to achieve population health and sustainability targets. They provide tools that other cities can use to replicate the indicators and explore \u201cwhere to next\u201d to create healthy and sustainable cities, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-medium\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/lancet-urban-series-webinar-300x263.jpg\" alt=\"Lancet save the date series\" class=\"wp-image-30098\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-ncst-buttons\"><div class=\"wp-block-ncst-button is-style-secondary\"><a href=\"https:\/\/researcheracademy.elsevier.com\/publishing-premium-journals\/lancet\/urban-design-transport-health-0\" class=\"btn ncst-component__button-link is-style-secondary\" data-ncst-lightbox=\"false\" data-ua-cat=\"Button Block\" data-ua-action=\"Button Click\" data-ua-label=\"https:\/\/researcheracademy.elsevier.com\/publishing-premium-journals\/lancet\/urban-design-transport-health-0\"><span class=\"ncst-component__button-container\"><span>View the Webinar <\/span><span class=\"nowrap\"><span>Here&nbsp;<\/span><span class=\"arrow-indicator\"> <svg class=\"wolficon\" role=\"img\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><use xlink:href=\"#wolficon-arrow-right-bold\" \/><\/svg> <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Dr. Adlakha is an Executive Member of the <a href=\"https:\/\/cur.org.au\/project\/project-global-healthy-and-sustainable-city-indicators-collaboration\/\">Global Healthy and Sustainable City-Indicators Collaboration<\/a>, an international network of over 80 collaborators with expertise in public health, urban and transport planning, urban design, architecture, geospatial science, behavioral science, statistics, epidemiology, and public policy. The Collaboration emerged from discussions at the 7th International Society for Physical Activity and Health (ISPAH) Congress in 2018, where the World Health Organization launched its global physical activity strategy. &#8220;More Active People for a Healthier World.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOur team developed a scalable framework with standardized methods and open-source tools that can be used by other cities to benchmark and monitor progress towards being healthy and sustainable,\u201d says Dr. Adlakha. \u201cThis framework offers a roadmap for city leaders to act quickly, plan for future urban growth, and provide equitable infrastructure, services, and amenities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thelancet.com\/pb-assets\/Lancet\/infographics\/urban-design-2022\/urban-design-2022.pdf\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/urban-design-2022-infographic_web-437x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Infographic from the Urban design, transport, and health series in the Lancet\" class=\"wp-image-30099\" \/><\/a><figcaption>Image from The Lancet Global Health Series on Urban Design, Transport and Health<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The team of more than 80 researchers in 25 cities across 19 countries used standardized methods to assess the policy settings and lived experiences of city-dwellers. They identified thresholds for urban design and transport features that would increase active transport and promote health and used spatial indicators to assess the health-supporting nature and sustainability of each city and identify inequities in access. \u201cUrban design and planning decisions affect human and planetary health and amplify urban vulnerabilities,\u201d Adlakha adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The new research used indicators such as proximity to public transport and food, walkability, city density, and policy settings to determine how healthy and sustainable are the cities of Maiduguri, Mexico City, Sao Paulo, Baltimore, Phoenix, Seattle, Hong Kong, Chennai, Bangkok, Hanoi, Graz, Ghent, Bern, Olomouc, Cologne, Odense, Barcelona, Valencia, Vic, Belfast, Lisbon, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, and Auckland. The research published in TLGH is supported by reports and scorecards that present assessments for each city, available at www.healthysustainablecities.org.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This series presents a first step toward the development of a global system of policy and spatial indicators for healthy and sustainable cities using tools the group has created.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe are calling for a 1000-cities challenge to activate a global citizen science program and incentivize the collection of open data and create city planning indicators to improve the knowledge base and inform decision-making, with a focus on the most data-scarce areas,\u201d she continues. \u201cThese indicators could be used by global agencies to assess progress toward achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Lancet Global Health\u00a0Urban Design, Transport and Health Series was released on May 11, 2022. See the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thelancet.com\/series\/urban-design-2022\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">papers<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thelancet.com\/journals\/langlo\/article\/PIIS2214-109X(22)00069-9\/fulltext#seccestitle60\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">scorecards<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><em>This post was <a href=\"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/blog\/2022\/05\/12\/deepti-adlakha-the-lancet\/\">originally published<\/a> in College of Design Blog.<\/em><\/p>","protected":false,"raw":"<!-- wp:ncst\/dynamic-header -->\n<!-- wp:ncst\/default-post-header \/-->\n<!-- \/wp:ncst\/dynamic-header -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Director of the Natural Learning Initiative, Dr. Deepti Adlakha\u2019s latest research work was published as part of <em>The Lancet Global Health Series on Urban Design, Transport and Health<\/em>. Urban design and city planning influence how we can travel, the quality of the air we breathe, our access to essential facilities and services, our participation in social events, and our enjoyment of green spaces. All this is vital to our physical and mental health. In 2016, a series of papers in The Lancet highlighted the myriad links between cities and health and proposed a set of city planning indicators. <\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:image {\"align\":\"center\",\"id\":27427,\"sizeSlug\":\"medium\",\"linkDestination\":\"none\"} -->\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-medium\"><img src=\"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/deepti-headshot_1500x844-300x169.jpg\" alt=\"Deepti Adlakha\" class=\"wp-image-27427\" \/><figcaption>Director of the Natural Learning Initiative Deepti Adlakha, Ph.D.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n<!-- \/wp:image -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>In this follow-up series <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thelancet.com\/series\/urban-design-2022\" target=\"_blank\">published in <em>The Lancet Global Health<\/em><\/a>, authors show how the indicators can benchmark and monitor progress to guide urban policy to achieve population health and sustainability targets. They provide tools that other cities can use to replicate the indicators and explore \u201cwhere to next\u201d to create healthy and sustainable cities, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:image {\"id\":30098,\"sizeSlug\":\"medium\",\"linkDestination\":\"none\"} -->\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-medium\"><img src=\"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/lancet-urban-series-webinar-300x263.jpg\" alt=\"Lancet save the date series\" class=\"wp-image-30098\" \/><\/figure>\n<!-- \/wp:image -->\n\n<!-- wp:ncst\/buttons -->\n<div class=\"wp-block-ncst-buttons\"><!-- wp:ncst\/button {\"text\":\"View the Webinar Here\",\"className\":\"is-style-secondary\"} -->\n<div class=\"wp-block-ncst-button is-style-secondary\"><a href=\"https:\/\/researcheracademy.elsevier.com\/publishing-premium-journals\/lancet\/urban-design-transport-health-0\" class=\"btn ncst-component__button-link is-style-secondary\" data-ncst-lightbox=\"false\" data-ua-cat=\"Button Block\" data-ua-action=\"Button Click\" data-ua-label=\"https:\/\/researcheracademy.elsevier.com\/publishing-premium-journals\/lancet\/urban-design-transport-health-0\"><span class=\"ncst-component__button-container\"><span>View the Webinar <\/span><span class=\"nowrap\"><span>Here&nbsp;<\/span><span class=\"arrow-indicator\"> <svg class=\"wolficon\" role=\"img\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><use xlink:href=\"#wolficon-arrow-right-bold\" \/><\/svg> <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<!-- \/wp:ncst\/button --><\/div>\n<!-- \/wp:ncst\/buttons -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>Dr. Adlakha is an Executive Member of the <a href=\"https:\/\/cur.org.au\/project\/project-global-healthy-and-sustainable-city-indicators-collaboration\/\">Global Healthy and Sustainable City-Indicators Collaboration<\/a>, an international network of over 80 collaborators with expertise in public health, urban and transport planning, urban design, architecture, geospatial science, behavioral science, statistics, epidemiology, and public policy. The Collaboration emerged from discussions at the 7th International Society for Physical Activity and Health (ISPAH) Congress in 2018, where the World Health Organization launched its global physical activity strategy. \"More Active People for a Healthier World.\"<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>\u201cOur team developed a scalable framework with standardized methods and open-source tools that can be used by other cities to benchmark and monitor progress towards being healthy and sustainable,\u201d says Dr. Adlakha. \u201cThis framework offers a roadmap for city leaders to act quickly, plan for future urban growth, and provide equitable infrastructure, services, and amenities.\u201d<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:image {\"id\":30099,\"sizeSlug\":\"large\",\"linkDestination\":\"custom\"} -->\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thelancet.com\/pb-assets\/Lancet\/infographics\/urban-design-2022\/urban-design-2022.pdf\"><img src=\"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/urban-design-2022-infographic_web-437x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Infographic from the Urban design, transport, and health series in the Lancet\" class=\"wp-image-30099\" \/><\/a><figcaption>Image from The Lancet Global Health Series on Urban Design, Transport and Health<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<!-- \/wp:image -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>The team of more than 80 researchers in 25 cities across 19 countries used standardized methods to assess the policy settings and lived experiences of city-dwellers. They identified thresholds for urban design and transport features that would increase active transport and promote health and used spatial indicators to assess the health-supporting nature and sustainability of each city and identify inequities in access. \u201cUrban design and planning decisions affect human and planetary health and amplify urban vulnerabilities,\u201d Adlakha adds.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>The new research used indicators such as proximity to public transport and food, walkability, city density, and policy settings to determine how healthy and sustainable are the cities of Maiduguri, Mexico City, Sao Paulo, Baltimore, Phoenix, Seattle, Hong Kong, Chennai, Bangkok, Hanoi, Graz, Ghent, Bern, Olomouc, Cologne, Odense, Barcelona, Valencia, Vic, Belfast, Lisbon, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, and Auckland. The research published in TLGH is supported by reports and scorecards that present assessments for each city, available at www.healthysustainablecities.org.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>This series presents a first step toward the development of a global system of policy and spatial indicators for healthy and sustainable cities using tools the group has created.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>\u201cWe are calling for a 1000-cities challenge to activate a global citizen science program and incentivize the collection of open data and create city planning indicators to improve the knowledge base and inform decision-making, with a focus on the most data-scarce areas,\u201d she continues. \u201cThese indicators could be used by global agencies to assess progress toward achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals.\u201d<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->\n\n<!-- wp:paragraph -->\n<p>The Lancet Global Health\u00a0Urban Design, Transport and Health Series was released on May 11, 2022. See the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thelancet.com\/series\/urban-design-2022\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">papers<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thelancet.com\/journals\/langlo\/article\/PIIS2214-109X(22)00069-9\/fulltext#seccestitle60\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">scorecards<\/a>.<\/p>\n<!-- \/wp:paragraph -->"},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Director of the Natural Learning Initiative Dr. Deepti Adlakha\u2019s latest research work was published as part of The Lancet Global Health Series on Urban Design, Transport and Health. Urban design and city planning influence how we can travel, the quality of the air we breathe, our access to essential facilities and services, our participation in social events, and our enjoyment of green spaces. All this is vital to our physical and mental health. In 2016, a series of papers in The Lancet highlighted the myriad links between cities and health and proposed a set of city planning indicators. In this follow-up series published in The Lancet Global Health, authors show how the indicators can benchmark and monitor progress to guide urban policy to achieve population health and sustainability targets. They provide tools that other cities can use to replicate the indicators and explore \u201cwhere to next\u201d to create healthy and sustainable cities, particularly in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":27305,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"source":"ncstate_wire","ncst_custom_author":"","ncst_show_custom_author":false,"ncst_dynamicHeaderBlockName":"","ncst_dynamicHeaderData":"","ncst_content_audit_freq":"","ncst_content_audit_date":"","ncst_content_audit_display":false,"ncst_backToTopFlag":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[5],"class_list":["post-27304","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-_from-newswire-collection-280"],"displayCategory":null,"acf":{"ncst_posts_meta_modified_date":null},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/landscape-architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27304","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/landscape-architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/landscape-architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/landscape-architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/landscape-architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27304"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/landscape-architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27304\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28265,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/landscape-architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27304\/revisions\/28265"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/landscape-architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27305"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/landscape-architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27304"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/landscape-architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27304"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/design.ncsu.edu\/landscape-architecture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27304"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}