Recent Streetsblog USA posts about Public Health

Senate Health Bill Approved: What it Means for Transportation

By Elana Schor | Mar 22, 2010 | 2 Comments

After 14 months of drama, deal-making, and declarations of its demise, the health care legislation envisioned by President Obama and congressional Democrats finally cleared its biggest hurdle last night, with the House approving the Senate-passed measure on a 219-212 vote. Safe Routes to School programs, such as this one, could see a boost from the […]

EPA Declares Brooklyn’s Gowanus Canal a Superfund Site

By Elana Schor | Mar 2, 2010 | No Comments

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today named Brooklyn’s Gowanus Canal a Superfund site, putting the waterway on the list of the nation’s most polluted waste areas and paving the way for a years-long cleanup process that could upend city officals’ plans to redevelop the neighborhood. Brooklyn’s Gowanus Canal, now a federal Superfund site. (Photo: NYT) […]

Study: Even in Car-Centric Atlanta, Transport Reform is Health Reform

By Elana Schor | Feb 16, 2010 | 1 Comment

The connection between transportation reform — an emphasis on land use that makes biking and walking as viable as auto travel for routine trips — and health reform is one that’s not often made, despite the best efforts of the Obama administration. Even in traffic-choked Atlanta, denser residential neighborhoods had positive health effects. (Photo: MSNBC) […]

First Lady Launches Childhood Obesity Push With Nod to Biking & Walking

By Elana Schor | Feb 9, 2010 | 1 Comment

First Lady Michelle Obama took to the mikes this afternoon to kick off a national campaign to combat childhood obesity, emphasizing new initiatives to promote biking and walking alongside a strong focus on healthier food options in schools. The first lady visited "Sesame Street" last fall as part of her push to fight childhood obesity. […]

New Study Shows $56 Billion in Hidden Health Damage from Autos

By Elana Schor | Oct 19, 2009 | 1 Comment

Transportation’s effects on public health are rarely discussed by policy-makers, but they remain very real — and the National Research Council (NRC) put a number on them today, reporting that cars and trucks have about $56 billion in "hidden" health costs that are not reflected in the price of oil or electricity. (Photo: MetroDCLiving.com) In […]

Obama Adviser Proves it: Transportation Reform is Health Reform

By Elana Schor | Oct 15, 2009 | 1 Comment

Over the summer, Streetsblog Capitol Hill published a riff on the rhetorical stylings of White House budget director Peter Orszag that coined a new phrase: "Transportation reform is health reform." The logic behind the principle stems from the health benefits of walking and biking, but also from the simple truth that fewer miles driven represents […]

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