Urban Transport and Health: A Review

Urban transport has a major impact on health. The most familiar health risks of transport include exposure to air pollutants, noise emissions, and risks of road traffic injury. Less well known are the health benefits that can be realised if travel involves a certain amount of physical activity. Along with the journey itself, transport also impacts health by providing access to employment, education, health services and recreational opportunities. This paper provides a review of relationships between urban transport and health, and outlines policies for healthier transport. It concludes that smart land use planning and facilitating healthy transport modes appear likely to have the most beneficial effects for urban health.