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This report describes the state of the New York metropolitan region’s health as well as its urban systems that influence health outcomes. It builds on the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation model of population health that describes how the social and physical determinants of health relate to county health outcomes. First this report analyzes health outcomes in the region with their potential causes and associated factors by reviewing key systems in the region through the lens of health determinants. Following sections are dedicated to transportation and urban form, to inequality and its consequences, to housing as a systemic issue, and to the resiliency of our current infrastructure systems.

This report seeks to add to our understanding of the health impacts of long term urban planning decisions. How do planning decisions such as investment in a subway line, the creation of a park or the redevelopment of a neighborhood affect health outcomes decades later? To answer that question we need to look at not only how individual localities work alone, but how clusters of cities, towns and villages work together. The New York region spans across three states and includes more than 700 municipalities that are inextricably linked by multiple factors. The local economy and job market is regional in scope, as is the housing market—housing demand in one part of the region will impact prices in another part. The region is connected by a metropolitan transportation system, and other critical infrastructure systems crossing municipal boundaries. The region’s floodplain is part of the shared ecology of the New York Harbor and the Hudson River. These metropolitan systems shape the conditions needed for good health, from the quality of the air we breathe to the types of homes and communities we live in.

Acknowledgements

Authored by

Mandu Sen

Former Program Manager
Christopher Jones

Senior Research Fellow
Jeanne Herb

Environmental Analysis and Communications Group, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, Rutgers, Associate Director
Sarah Serpas

Former Senior Planner
Melat Seyoum

Former Data and Visualization Analyst
Rebecca Ramsey
Michael Phillips