The Role of Urban Morphology Design on Enhancing Physical Activity and Public Health

Sadegh Fathi, Hassan Sajadzadeh, Faezeh Mohammadi Sheshkal, Farshid Aram, Gergo Pinter, Imre Felde and Amir Mosavi
Additional contact information
Sadegh Fathi: Department of Urban Design, Bu-Ali Sina University, 94171-71946 Hamadan, Iran
Hassan Sajadzadeh: Department of Urban Design, Bu-Ali Sina University, 94171-71946 Hamadan, Iran
Faezeh Mohammadi Sheshkal: Department of Urban Design, Bu-Ali Sina University, 94171-71946 Hamadan, Iran
Farshid Aram: Escuela Tecnica Superior de Arquitectura, Universidad Politecnica de Madrid-UPM, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Gergo Pinter: John von Neumann Faculty of Informatics, Obuda University, 1034 Budapest, Hungary
Imre Felde: John von Neumann Faculty of Informatics, Obuda University, 1034 Budapest, Hungary
Amir Mosavi: Thuringian Institute of Sustainability and Climate Protection, 07743 Jena, Germany

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 7, 1-29

Abstract: Along with environmental pollution, urban planning has been connected to public health. The research indicates that the quality of built environments plays an important role in reducing mental disorders and overall health. The structure and shape of the city are considered as one of the factors influencing happiness and health in urban communities and the type of the daily activities of citizens. The aim of this study was to promote physical activity in the main structure of the city via urban design in a way that the main form and morphology of the city can encourage citizens to move around and have physical activity within the city. Functional, physical, cultural-social, and perceptual-visual features are regarded as the most important and effective criteria in increasing physical activities in urban spaces, based on literature review. The environmental quality of urban spaces and their role in the physical activities of citizens in urban spaces were assessed by using the questionnaire tool and analytical network process (ANP) of structural equation modeling. Further, the space syntax method was utilized to evaluate the role of the spatial integration of urban spaces on improving physical activities. Based on the results, consideration of functional diversity, spatial flexibility and integration, security, and the aesthetic and visual quality of urban spaces plays an important role in improving the physical health of citizens in urban spaces. Further, more physical activities, including motivation for walking and the sense of public health and happiness, were observed in the streets having higher linkage and space syntax indexes with their surrounding texture.

Keywords: urban morphology; physical activities; health; public health; public space; urban health; smart cities; sustainability; urbanization; urban planning; analytical network process; health economics; health informatics; Society 5.0; health information systems (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

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