Sammendrag
Whereas compact cities have long been suggested to be the most sustainable solution for
urban development, the health impacts of living in dense urban environments are contested.
We present results from a mixed-methods study on the associations between built
environment (residential location, neighborhood density, and distance from green space), and
general health, back pain, headache, and depressive symptoms in Oslo metropolitan area,
Norway. The study indicates that the built environment has some associations with health.
However, it does not support claims from an earlier study of aggregate-scale comparisons of
geographical districts about overall negative health impacts of living in the central parts of
Oslo. Overall, living close to the main city center, appears to contribute to better self-reported
general health, whereas high local-area density showed a slight opposite association.
Otherwise, there were in general few associations between spatial characteristics of the
neighborhood and different health complaints. Based on this and earlier findings, we suggest
that the built environment influences residents’ health via different mechanisms that are
partly counteracting each other. Whereas inner-city dwellers are more exposed to air
pollution and noise, they travel more by physically active modes, avoid time-consuming and
dissatisfactory commutes, and might benefit from more social arenas.
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