Built Environment

Throughout the late '90's and most of the '00's I collaborated with a diverse research group broadly examining principles of New Urbanist theory and Eco-Developmental modeling of health and behavior among adolescents and the elderly. Key members of this research team include Jose Szapocznik, Scott Brown, and Tatiana Perrino in the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at the University of Miami School of Medicine, Joanna Lombard and Frank Martinez in the School of Architecture at the University of Miami, and Arnie Spokane in the Counseling Psychology program at Lehigh University. The team conducted multiple projects examining health, behavior, and developmental outcomes in adolescent and elderly residents in East Little Havana, a community located within the city of Miami.

The general conceptualization for our work in this area is summarized in the following quotation from Spokane et al (2007)...

New Urbanism is an urban design model that encourages the planning and construction of compact, pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods that incorporate diversity of use (Jacobs, 1992; Katz, 1994). New Urbanist theory predicts that neighborhoods with diverse blocks and walkable streets and sidewalks will foster an extended network of connections among inhabitants (Duany & Plater-Zyberk, 1992; Leyden, 2003; Saelens, Sallis, Black, & Chen, 2003), thereby increasing monitoring, social responsibility and support (Leccese & McCormick, 2000; Leyden, 2003; Jacobs, 1992). The integration of residential, retail, and civic uses promotes continuous activity in urban neighborhoods, across the course of a day and with increased contact hours enhances the likelihood of social connectedness among inhabitants. This social connectedness can form a social net for children and families (Plas & Lewis, 1996) as well as create opportunities for socialization and activity among older adults (Hunt, 2001; Patterson & Chapman, 2004). Emerging evidence suggests that New Urban design may influence neighboring behavior, physical activity, and satisfaction with the neighborhood (Brown & Cropper, 2001), and that these activities may relate to the health and well being of the inhabitants.

Ecodevelopmental theory (Szapocznik & Coatsworth, 1999; see also Bronfenbrenner, 1979; Barker, 1968) reasons that individuals are nested within families, and families are nested within neighborhoods. The social and physical characteristics of neighborhoods are recognized to have both direct as well as indirect effects on the behavior of inhabitants (Coatsworth, Pantin, McBride, Briones, Kurtines, & Szapocznik, 2002; Coatsworth, Pantin, & Szapocznik, 2002). In turn, social processes in neighborhoods are influenced by larger, macro-level influences such as culture and policy. Policy influences upon the neighborhood may include zoning, building codes, and regional plans. Taken together, New Urbanism and Ecodevelopmental Theory reinforce the hypothesis that physical and social contexts create opportunities and demands that may affect behavior and health, particularly in urban environments (Cohen, et al., 2003; Frumkin, Frank, & Jackson, 2004).

From Spokane, A., Lombard, J., Martinez, F., Mason, C.A., Gorman-Smith, D., Plater-Zyberk, E., Brown, S.C., Perrino, T., and Szapocznik, J. (2007). Identifying streetscape features significant to well-being. Architectural Science Review, 50, 234-245.