Project Grant R44HL169137

STREET SOLUTIONS: BLUEPRINTS AND FOOTPRINTS FOR CREATORS AND USERS OF URBAN ENVIRONMENTS - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT URBAN DESIGN 4 HEALTH (UD4H) IS A LONG-TIME INDUSTRY LEADER IN THE ASSESSMENT OF HEALTH IMPACTS OF LAND USE AND TRANSPORTATION INVESTMENT FEATURES AND CREATION OF DECISION SUPPORT TOOLS TO ELEVATE HEALTH WITHIN PLANNING AND PUBLIC HEALTH DECISIONS. THIS PROJECT BUILDS DIRECTLY ON UD4H'S PEER REVIEWED NATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH ASSESSMENT MODEL (N-PHAM) IN USE IN 12 REGIONS OF THE NATION AND REALIZES AN INVENTION UD4H PATENTED IN 2023. THE PROPOSED PROJECT APPLIES ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) TO AUTOMATE THE DETECTION OF PEFS AND THEN PREDICTS PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND CARDIOMETABOLIC DISEASE (DIABETES, HYPERTENSION, AND CVD). BLUEPRINT SOLUTIONS FURTHER QUANTIFIES A COST BENEFIT RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE COST OF PEFS AND PREDICTED REDUCTIONS HEALTH CARE COSTS AND LOSS IN WORKFORCE PRODUCTIVITY WHILE ALSO CAPTURING BENEFITS OF PEF CONSTRUCTION RELATED JOB CREATION AND LAND VALUE INCREASE. THIS PROJECT CREATES A COMMERCIALIZABLE "BLUEPRINT" TOOL DESIGNED TO BRING HEALTH AND ECONOMIC BENEFITS OF PEDESTRIAN ENVIRONMENT FEATURES (PEFS) INTO THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND INVESTMENT DECISIONS OF PLACEMAKERS OR COMMUNITY "CREATORS." THESE INCLUDE LAND DEVELOPERS, URBAN PLANNERS, ARCHITECTS, ELECTED OFFICIALS, AND LENDERS. THE RATIO OF PEF COSTS TO THESE HEALTH AND ECONOMIC IMPACTS PROVIDES A RETURN ON INVESTMENT (ROI) FOR CONTRASTING PEF INVESTMENT OPTIONS USED TO OPTIMIZE ROI SOLUTIONS. THIS INFORMATION IS REQUIRED FOR INVESTMENTS IN THE PEDESTRIAN ENVIRONMENT TO COMPETE FOR TRANSPORTATION FUNDING. STREET SOLUTIONS BRINGS HEALTH AND SAFETY IMPACTS OF PEDESTRIAN ENVIRONMENTS INTO DAILY DECISION MAKING OF THE GENERAL PUBLIC. PHASE I PROVED PEFS CAN BE OBTAINED FROM AI AND PREDICT OBJECTIVE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. PEFS ARE COST EFFECTIVE, EASY TO CREATE AND BUILD, AND SUBJECT TO LESS PUBLIC RESISTANCE THAN CURRENT WALKABILITY METRICS SUCH AS DENSIFICATION, LAND USE MIX, OR ROAD NETWORK CHANGES.