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Integrating Human Health into Urban and Transport Planning pp 271–285Cite as

Complex Urban Systems: Compact Cities, Transport and Health

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Abstract

By 2050, more than 70% of the world’s population will reside in a city; the twenty-first century is undoubtedly the urban age. With rapid urbanisation, there is a growing need for sustainable urbanisation. As a consequence, considerable focus is being placed on compact cities namely, cities of short distances in which there are higher residential and population densities, greater mixed land-use and an urban design amenable to walking and cycling. Importantly, research is pointing to enhanced health outcomes associated with compact cities as a consequence of energy efficiency and reduced emissions as residents are more likely to live closer to amenities and walk, cycle or use public transport. However, although urban density is an important dimension of urban form and structure, it acts in a complex way with other social and morphological features to shape cities, human behaviour and population health. To respond to the complexity of twenty-first century cities, robust decision tools and platforms will be necessary to assist policymakers and key city-stakeholders deliver sustainable future cities.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Transport, Health and Urban Design Research Hub, Melbourne School of Design and Melbourne School of Engineering, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia

    Mark Stevenson

  2. Melbourne Sustainable Society Institute, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia

    Brendan Gleeson

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  1. Mark Stevenson
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  2. Brendan Gleeson
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Correspondence to Mark Stevenson .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Barcelona Institute for Global Health, ISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain

    Mark Nieuwenhuijsen

  2. Texas A&M Transportation Institute, Center for Advancing Research in Transportation Emissions, Energy, and Health, College Station, Texas, USA

    Haneen Khreis

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Stevenson, M., Gleeson, B. (2019). Complex Urban Systems: Compact Cities, Transport and Health. In: Nieuwenhuijsen, M., Khreis, H. (eds) Integrating Human Health into Urban and Transport Planning. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-74983-9_14

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