The Hidden Health Costs of Transportation

  • Source: American Public Health Association
  • Date: 01/01/2010

Transportation policies and decisions influence land use and how communities and neighborhoods are designed and built—whether sprawling and disconnected, or central and connected. Health impacts and costs have typically not been considered in the transportation policy, planning, and funding decision-making process. There are few standards or models for estimating health costs. However, existing research can be used to estimate the population at risk, the magnitude of the health impact, and the health costs associated with those impacts. Growing recognition of the connection between transportation, land development and health has resulted in some studies and examples where health impacts and costs have been considered and assessed. These examples not only demonstrate that health costs should be a significant factor in decision-making, but also show that calculating such costs is indeed possible.

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