CORRELATION ANALYSIS OF PUBLIC HEALTH & URBAN PLANNING

Post Graduate Thesis

Urban environments are highly diverse and dynamic. Their planning and design must take into account complex socio-economic, political, aesthetic and mental – as well as environmental – ecologies. .Urban places and their planning direct the functioning of a city.
Quality of environment particularly housing, transportation, and infrastructure are understood as prime determinants that influence public health.

TIMELINE

A century ago, the links between urban health and the built environment gave birth to the fields of public health and urban planning.After having drifted apart, researchers from both fields are now working to bridge the gap between the two fields. Much can be learned from integrating public health and planning research.

SELECTED REGION OF STUDY:

VIJAYAWADA

ANDHRA PRADESH,INDIA

Vijayawada, the third largest city in the state of Andhra Pradesh.
Bound by hills and canals, Vijayawada has grown into the world’s third most densely packed city.The whole city is divided into 59 wards. Area of the city is 61.88 sq.Km with a population of 1,034,358 as per 2011 census & Population to become 16.41 lakhs by 2021.

ANNUAL DISEASE OCCURRENCE

The seasonality, distribution, and prevalence of vector-borne diseases are influenced by
climate factors.Access to water and sanitation is a very important factor in disease control
and elimination.

HEALTHCARE DISTRIBUTION

In an emergency, the number of hospital-associated infections will typically rise.(a
concentrated area of germs.)
STANDARD :
As per World Health Organization standards, 5 hospital beds are required for every 1000 population & hospital service radius is 2 miles. Provision of healthcare facilities based on
population levels aids better service during the time of emergency as well.

POLLUTION LEVELS

Air pollution has overtaken poor sanitation and a lack of drinking water to become the main environmental cause of premature death long-term exposure to organic carbon leading to heart disease and pulmonary mortality.

DEMOGRAPHY

For communities, inadequate shelter and overcrowding are major factors in the transmission of diseases with epidemic potential such as acute respiratory infections, meningitis, typhus, cholera, scabies, etc. Outbreaks of disease are more frequent and more severe when the population density is high
INFERENCE : 33,32,34,31,36,37,38 are most densely populated wards

MUNICIPAL INFRASTRUCTURE

Infrastructures are "the basic services or social capital of a country, or part of it, which make economic and social activities possible…". In terms of public health, they are the formal and enduring structures that support public health, having both tangible and intangible aspects and existing inside and outside the government sector. They may be directly protective of health - as in public sanitation systems - or they may support other activities that protect and enhance health.

ECONOMIC PROFILE

Health performance and economic performance are interlinked.
Wealthier communities have healthier populations for a start.
The effects of health on development are clear. Countries with weak health and educationconditions find it harder to achieve sustained growth.

URBAN HEALTH INDEX

The UHI provides a flexible approach to selection, amalgamation, and presentation of health data. Its purpose is to furnish visual, graphical, and statistical insight into various health indicators and, health determinants within particular geographic boundaries and health disparities with a focus on capturing intra-urban health disparities.
The UHI may be used by public health workers, evaluators, statisticians, program managers, academic researchers, and decision makers to examine the current status of urban areas, to assess change and the effect of program interventions, and to plan for urban improvements.

URBAN HEALTH INDEX OF VIJAYAWADA

Considering that all the indicators contribute equally in determining the health outcomes of a region/ward, all the vulnerable wards have to been identified that are

Sensitive to disease outbreaks
Poor urban infrastructure

The wards with UHI greater than the mean value need to be addressed prior compared to the wards with lower UHI values.

WEIGHTED URBAN HEALTH INDEX OF VIJAYAWADA

Considering that all the indicators contribute equally in determining the health outcomes of a region/ward, all the vulnerable wards have to been identified that are

Sensitive to disease outbreaks
Poor urban infrastructure

The wards with UHI greater than the mean value need to be addressed prior compared to the wards with lower UHI values.

OVERLAY OF DISEASE INCIDENCE & URBAN HEALTH INDEX

Public health condition is dependent & directly linked to urban planning and reflects on how well a urban area / region function. Wards that lack basic urban infrastructure reflect poor health conditions compared to other wards.
Wards that are sensitive to disease outbreak
1,16,22,23,24 ,26,45,52,53,56,58
Every indicator plays an important role in shaping the public health of the city.

INFERENCES

Correlation of public health & urban planning domain helps us identify the target areas
These areas need to be addressed the earliest to improve the health condition of the city.

Through UHI , the most vulnerable area ( with highest UHI value) need to be addressed.
These areas are highly sensitive to various health outcomes. The profiles of these wards helps us understand the shortfalls that are hindering a healthy Outcome in general. The indicators that are considered are the main factors that enables us to fix the condition of the ward. Understanding the urban connections with health outcomes comes into picture and approach accordingly shall help Urban Planners to come to an appropriate framework of action.

CONCLUSIONS

The cities of today are continuously being restructured to meet the growing needs of the population economically and technically. In this process, simultaneously Cities must be socially just, politically well managed and ecologically sustainable to maximize human comfort. The complexity of health prevention in modern society demands interdisciplinary working.
• Work towards a multi sectoral approach that will improve the vulnerable zones.
• Focus on human health as an outcome of sustainable development
• Identify the gaps that hinder healthy functioning and propose accordingly.
• Distribution of healthcare infrastructure to avoid havoc during emergencies
• Proposals on recreational activities around highly polluted areas
Monitoring urban development to assure cities are sustainable in the future is an absolute necessity. Planners should also adjust their decisions towards more sustainable urban design.

All maps have been generated using ArcGIS software with data provided by Vijayawada Municipal Corporation