Ensuring environmental health in post industrial cities : workshop summary

PREFACE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix SUMMARY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 1 INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Charge to Speakers and Participants, 5 Overview of the Workshop, 6 What Is Environmental Health?, 7 2 KEYNOTE: ENSURING ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH IN PENNSYLVANIA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 3 THE CHANGING FACE OF PITTSBURGH: A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 Grime and the Rivers, 14 Clearing the Air, 15 Beyond Celebration, 19 4 SPECIAL ISSUE FOR PITTSBURGH: OUR RIVERS . . . . . . . . . .20 Cradle of the American Industrial Revolution, 20 Polluted Rivers, Sewage Overflows, 21 Rivers As Our Future, 25 5 IMPROVING HEALTH IN THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT: A DAUNTING BUT DOABLE CHALLENGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28 “Landscraping” Degrades Environmental Health, 29 Driven to Depression, or Worse, 30 The Hazards of Obesity, 32 Where People Want to Be, 33 xiii xiv CONTENTS 6 COMMUNITY—PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE . . . . . . . . . . . . .36 “Active Living” in Walkable Communities, 37 Redeveloping Brownfields: Developer, 38 Redeveloping Brownfields: Regulator, 40 Environmental Justice, 42 Toward Healthy Homes, 44 7 SYSTEMS, BUILT ENVIRONMENT— PAST, PRESENT, FUTURE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47 Health and the Built Environment, 48 Smart Growth, 51 Transportation’s Impacts on Environmental Health, 54 Green Building, 56 Revolutionizing Energy Systems, 58 8 WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61 More and Better Feedback Loops, 61 Information Sharing Gets Results, 62 Making Clear the Connections, 63 Facilitating Progress, 65 The Elements of Success, 66 REFERENCES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68 APPENDIXES A AGENDA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69 B SPEAKERS AND PANELISTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75 C MEETING PARTICIPANTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77