Grant: Collaborative Health Research Projects (NSERC partnered)

Transportation systems and land use planning modulate road traffic volumes which in turn are associated with numerous health effects, including pedestrian and cyclists injuries and effects associated with noise and traffic-related air pollutants. Transportation and land use planning can also contribute to increased walking and cycling which can result in health benefits of active transportation. Sustainable transportation systems and land use planning have to respond to increased travel demand in cities, while minimising population health impacts. Yet to date, rarely has health been considered in transportation planning decisions due to a lack of adequate integrated transportation-health tools that can predict traffic volumes and associated health impacts in an urban area, which result from proposed changes to road, public transit capacities and land use. Given the massive investments in infrastructure that are planned for the coming decade for our Canadian cities, it is imperative to develop a framework to orient planning decisions towards sustainable transportation systems and land uses. The main objective of this proposal is to develop a framework for the quantification of health benefits and adverse impacts associated with current transportation systems and land use and future projects, plans and policies in Canada. The framework will integrate models to predict travel behaviors, mode choice (e.g. car or public transit), traffic flows, noise and air pollution, and epidemiological exposure-risk functions to estimate the health burden.