Season 14 • Episode 1081

Curbing Urban Sprawl: Why Better City Planning Could Mean Better Health

Jul 22, 2026

15:17

Environmental Health Fitness & Exercise Global Health Public Health

Episode Description

About this episode:

Recent research from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health finds that living in a compact metropolitan setting could yield more health benefits than living in a more sprawling suburban area. In this episode: the report's lead researcher, Shima Hamidi, explains why this is the case and how communities can reshape infrastructure to foster mobility and connection.

Guest:

Shima Hamidi, PhD, MSc, is a Bloomberg Associate Professor of American Health in the Department of Environmental Health and Engineering and director of the Center for Smart Transportation.

Host:

Stephanie Desmon, MA, is a former journalist, author, and the director of public relations and communications for the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs.

Show links and related content:

Sprawl Rankings Reveal Health Benefits and Cost Offsets in Compact, Connected U.S. County and Metro Areas—Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Mapping Urban Sprawl in the U.S.@bloombergamericanhealth via Instagram
Associations between Urban Sprawl and Life Expectancy in the United States—International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Relationship between urban sprawl and physical activity, obesity, and morbidity - update and refinement—Health & Place

Transcript information:

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