Healthy Urban Environmental Features for Poverty Resilience: The Case of Detroit, USA

Abstract

Within the existing relationship among urban environment, health, and poverty, it is necessary to clarify and characterize the influence that the physical environment has on community socioeconomic outcomes. Given that Detroit has one of the highest poverty rates among large metropolitan areas in the United States, this study aims to identify environmental and urban features that have influenced poverty in this city by assessing whether changes in household income are associated with characteristics of the built environment. The difference of median household income (DMHI) between 2017 and 2013 and 27 environmental and urban variables were investigated using both geographic distribution mapping and statistical correlation analysis. Results suggest that proximity of housing to job opportunity areas, as well as to certain educational and health-related facilities, were positively related to increasing household incomes. These findings outline a healthy urban design that may benefit community socioeconomic outcomes—specifically a design with dense and mixed-use areas, good accessibility, high presence of urban facilities, and features that promote a healthy lifestyle (involving physical activity and a healthy diet). In this sense, urban planning and public health may be important allies for poverty resilience.