Document Type : Research Paper
Authors
1
Urban and regional planning and design Department, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
2
Department of Geography and Urban Planning, Sistan and Baluchestan University, Zahedan, Iran
Abstract
Today, the growth of urbanization rates in the world has not only caused issues such as environmental degradation, inefficiency of urban structures and traffic problems, but also has had a negative impact on the health of urban residents. Citizens' health is severely affected and threatened by urban programs and projects such as housing, urban renewal, and the transportation system. On the other hand, urban development programs that are implemented in the form of plans are one of the most important tools of planners in order to intervene in the affairs of the city, and paying attention to them can be appropriate in increasing the health of citizens. Different methods are used to evaluate the designs. The Health Impact Assessment (HIA) method, by identifying the relationship between urban planning factors and health, measures the impact of an urban plan on citizens' health. The purpose of this study is to identify health in general in urban planning and in particular to evaluate the detailed plan of the ten districts of Tehran with the method of assessing health effects. Regarding the method of conducting this research, which is of an applied type, the research evaluation variables were extracted and then its detailed design was evaluated with the method of health impact assessment. There was. Findings showed that eight criteria in the four components of transportation and sustainable access, sustainable economy and social inclusion have the greatest impact on health. Finally, by evaluating the detailed plan of region ten by mixed research method, it was found that the criteria of quality of living environment (with a score of 0.271), access to public services (0.165) and optimality of housing size (0.143) have the most negative impact on health of citizens in this region. And in order to improve the health status of the citizens of ten district of Tehran, it is necessary to pay more basic attention to the issues of quality of housing environment, access to public services and optimization of housing size in the detailed plan of this district.
Extended Abstract
Introduction
Today, the growth of urbanization rates in the world has not only caused issues such as environmental degradation, tissue inefficiency and traffic problems, but also has had a negative impact on the health of urban residents. In fact, the city as a whole and its social and political issues have shown their connection with the components of the city, i.e. its inhabitants and in this regard, new responsibilities of city planners have been revealed, which should pay attention to all the needs of city residents, including their physical and mental health. On the other hand, urban development programs are one of the main tools of urban planners for the development of human societies. Through the development programs that are applied to the whole city, the effects on the citizens will be put, which can endanger the health of the citizens. Assessment of which can determine their effects in different ways.
Methodology
The Health Impact Assessment (HIA) method measures the impact of an urban plan on citizens' health by identifying the relationship between urban planning and health factors. In this study, considering the problems of Tehran's District 10, such as tissue inefficiency and environmental and traffic problems, its detailed design was assessed using the health impact assessment method. In this applied research, after identifying the necessity of the problem, the research literature was compiled based on the method of assessing health effects. Then the proposed criteria and indicators were evaluated. In order to collect research information and data, the method of library / documentary studies (secondary data) and semi-structured interviews have been used. Therefore, health effects were assessed for Detailed plan region 10 of Tehran. Techniques used in the health impact assessment process include steps: screening, delineation, impact assessment, review, and transcendental. In the screening and delineation phase using selected indicators as well as available reports and documents, in addition to a thorough knowledge of the study area, the need and obligation to use a health impact assessment method in research is revealed. In the impact assessment phase, in order to assess the situation in region 10, after determining the indicators affecting health, each of the indicators of the study area is statistically and spatially analyzed and a comprehensive database of indicators is prepared. In order to analyze the information, according to the objectives and nature of the research, in which the application of spatial analysis is also obvious, and determining the weight of the importance of the indicators relative to each other and their combined evaluation, form the indicators. Finally, the effects of the formed process are reviewed for general analysis.
Results and discussion
In order to evaluate the program or in other words, the level of response of the detailed plan to the issue of health, the evaluation checklist was compiled in two parts of the theoretical and executive evaluation of the program. The response rate of each item to the selected criteria and indicators scores from zero to four. Then, the score obtained in the weight and the effectiveness of each of the selected indicators and criteria, which is multiplied by the Delphi method from urban planning experts as well as health department experts in expert choice software, will be the final score of each component in the selected criterion. As mentioned in the introduction of the detailed plan of the region, the plan has proposed a set of goals, strategies and executive strategies that can be assessed to assess the health effects of the program due to or not paying attention to the selected criteria in the stage. Before extracting was paid. According to the table provided, the final score of the strategies in the detailed plan of Region 10 is equal to 0.532 in the component of housing and living environment, which has the greatest impact. Examining the consequences of health determinants in the region shows that the most criterion (urban planning factors) affecting the health of residents in the region is the quality of the living environment. This is also confirmed by the evidence in District Ten, as District Ten is one of the most inefficient areas of the urban fabric and there are many polluting workshops and uses in this area; Therefore, according to the results of the present study and the evaluation of the health effects of the detailed plan of District 10, the most important criterion that affects the health of citizens can be considered the quality of the living environment. After that, equitable access to public services in the region, which in itself is a result of improper urban planning, has been the second most effective criterion. Optimal housing size, access to public transportation, quality housing, and participation are other criteria for urban planning that affect the health of residents in the detailed plan of District Ten, respectively. In the research method, it was stated that the closer the final score number is to +1 and -1, the stronger the relationship is. Therefore, it is now possible to answer research questions in a way that generally affects citizens' health planning. Also, in the present study in the region, ten criteria of residential quality (with a score of 0.271), access to public services (0.165) and housing size optimality (0.143) have the most negative impact on the health of citizens in this region and it is necessary to improve the health of citizens. This area of Tehran should pay more attention to the issues of quality of housing, access to public services and the optimality of housing size in the detailed plan of this area.
Conclusion
The increase in urban population in the world has had many consequences in various dimensions on the lives of city dwellers. In fact, in addition to the challenges of self-planning, such as housing and economic problems of cities and citizens, there is a more basic challenge, namely the physical and mental health of citizens. The health impact assessment method, by its own criteria, measures the effect of each of the urban planning factors on the health of the city and citizens and shows in an urban development plan and plan, such as a detailed plan, making suggestions in which areas can increase citizens' health. This study found that there is a significant relationship between urban planning and its tools such as development plans and citizens' health, which is very understandable in the detailed plan of the ten districts of Tehran due to environmental pollution. In this study, after studying the theoretical foundations of the health impact assessment method, the relevant criteria were extracted. The criteria were classified into four components of sustainable economy, social inclusion, transportation and sustainable access, as well as housing and habitable environment. Then, by identifying area ten and its detailed plan, the criteria of the health impact assessment method in area ten were assessed. Findings from the study show that the most important and most important determinant of health in District 10 is the quality of the living environment. In other words, improving the quality of housing in the region has a significant impact on the health of the region. Although this issue has been seen in the objectives of the plan, but the results of this study show that attention to the issue of quality of living environment from the perspective of health impact assessment still need to be considered in detailed plans. Also, other determinants of health based on the results of the research can be considered as the optimal size of housing, access to public transportation, quality housing and participation, which should be given more attention. Compared to other researches, the present study considered that according to the planning criteria, it can affect the health of citizens and, like other limited researches in this field, the health of citizens can be evaluated in an urban development plan.
Keywords
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