Built Environment

For far too long we have ignored the importance of the indoor climate for health, learning and performance. We need a fresh air revolution, say researchers.

Harvard professor Joseph G. Allen argues it’s time to reshape how we design our buildings to stop the spread of respiratory disease.

We evaluated whether natural environments are inequitably distributed based on socioeconomic status (SES) and race/ethnicity in the contiguous United States.

Research documenting the health gains from nature exposure often concludes with the caveat that it remains unknown if and how individuals actually engage with nature. Evidence from many countries suggests that population-based health endpoints generally improve with proximity, extent and appeal of urban greenspace and walkable infrastructure. This study qualitatively explores nature engagement across race, region, age, and biophilic need to understand the origins of nature-seeking tendencies and reluctances to engage with nature that result in patterns of access and use

With rapid urbanization, the urban environment, especially the neighborhood environment, has received increasing global attention. However, a comprehensive overview of the association between neighborhood risk factors and human health remains unclear due to the large number of neighborhood risk factor–human health outcome pairs.

This study qualitatively explores nature engagement across race, region, age, and biophilic need to understand the origins of nature-seeking tendencies and reluctances to engage with nature that result in patterns of access and use

The Covid-19 pandemic has increased pressures for companies to ensure workspaces are better ventilated. But eco-friendly design guidelines call for ensuring that energy heating or cooling such spaces isn not wasted. Are healthy and green building principles in conflict? They don’t have to be. Several actions, such as regular building tune-ups, filters, air-quality monitoring, and electrification, can lead to progress on one front without diminishing it on the other.

October 11, 2022 – Dr. Joseph Allen, associate professor for exposure assessment science and director of the Healthy Buildings program at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, was a guest panelist at the first White House Summit on Indoor Air Quality (IAQ). The summit underlined the relevance of IAQ for public health and human well-being.

A small body of evidence suggests that when it comes to decision making, indoor air may matter more than we have realized.