The health map shows the determinants of health and

well-being in our neighborhoods. Barton & Grant 2006

Residents of the outer suburbs tend to travel much longer

distances between home, work and the services they
need daily. Getting around necessarily defaults to the car,
which has serious long-term implications for health.
Driving is particularly associated with extended sitting in
a confined space and, as a result, not getting enough
exercise each day.

When poorer communities are located in areas of lesser

amenity due to lower housing costs, this exacerbates
their health problems. — Economist Times
The close correlation between socioeconomic status
and health has long been out of question. The built
environment and the environmental context serve as
direct social determinants of health.
Due to lower housing costs, poorer communities are often
restricted to residing in areas of lesser amenity that
exacerbate the obstacles to mental and physical well-
being—lack of quality services and infrastructure, scarcity
of green space and long work commutes challenge health.
Additionally, poor building design and construction, and
the excessive noise that it causes, can significantly
contribute to stress, anxiety, sleep deprivation, and
sometimes even neighbor conflict and violence. What
might appear as light threats, such as sleep deprivation
which is linked to obesity, serve as risk factors for many
chronic diseases. 

While high-density living is increasingly trumpeted as

“healthy,” health and well-being of poor communities in
high-rise housing heavily depends on the specifics—
geographic contexts, supportive infrastructure and
community needs.