What’s this about?
The Built Environment & Health (BEH) project is an interdisciplinary program of research at Columbia University. Led by epidemiologist Andrew Rundle, BEH uses spatial data to examine the implications of the built environment, including land use, public transit, and housing, for physical activity, diet, obesity, and other aspects of health. With a focus on New York City, BEH research will inform public policy to promote health in the city and metropolitan area. BEH is affiliated with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health & Society Scholars program at Columbia.
About Us
Built Environment and Health Project
Built Environment and Health (BEH) is an interdisciplinary program of research at Columbia University. Led by epidemiologist Andrew Rundle, BEH uses spatial data to examine the impact of the built environment, including land use, public transit, and housing on physical activity, diet, obesity, and other aspects of health. The group has participants from public health, social science, and urban planning with a research staff based at the Institute of Social and Economic Research and Policy (ISERP).
Core funding for this research comes from the National Institute for Environmental Health Science (NIEHS) through the Obesity and Built Environment initiative. This four-year award supports research on the association between built environment features and physical activity, diet, and obesity using three diverse samples drawn from New York City and the surrounding suburbs. Neighborhood measures include access to nearby retail stores and consumer services, parks and recreational facilities, public transit, and pedestrian-friendly street design.
In addition to this core project, the BEH group has begun to develop related lines of research. With funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Active Living Research program, the group is developing and validating digital measures of aesthetic features of the urban environment. We will use these measures to learn whether aesthetic urban design encourages city residents to walk.
Given the wide disparities in health within New York City, the BEH group is also studying class and race differences in neighborhood environments. Combining census data with information on retail stores and consumer services, we will examine whether New York’s low-income and minority neighborhoods have less access to the stores and services they need on a daily basis. Given the local focus of this research, we plan to work with representatives of public and nonprofit agencies to disseminate the results and consider the implications for city planning in New York City.
The BEH group had its start in 2004 as a working group with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health & Society Scholars at Columbia, and continues to be affiliated with this program. Gina Lovasi, a Health & Society Scholar, is participating in the BEH group during her time at Columbia.
