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668623 
Journal Article 
Urban sprawl and public health 
Frumkin, H 
2002 
1 
Public Health Reports
ISSN: 0033-3549
EISSN: 1468-2877 
117 
3 
201 
English 
12432132 
WOS:000179364000001 
Urban sprawl features rapid geographic expansion of metropolitan areas in a “leapfrog,”
low density pattern, segregation of distinct land uses, heavy dependence on automobile travel
with extensive road construction, architectural and social homogeneity, shift of capital
investment and economic opportunity from the city center to the periphery, and relatively weak
regional planning. The economic, environmental, and social costs of sprawl have been widely
debated, but the health implications have received less attention.
This paper reviews direct and indirect impacts of urban sprawl on health. Some relate
directly to the heavy reliance on automobiles: air pollution, automobile crashes, and pedestrian
injuries and fatalities. Others relate to the land use patterns that typify sprawl: decreased
physical activity, threats to water quantity and quality, and an expansion of the urban heat island
effect. Finally, some health effects—mental health and social capital—are mediated by the
social dimensions of sprawl. For each, the health effect and its connection with sprawl are
identified, available evidence is reviewed, and issues requiring further research are noted.
Inequities in the impact of sprawl are identified and discussed. Finally, some solutions are
discussed. 
Sprawl; suburbs; urban health; air pollution; urban heat island; automobile crashes; pedestrians;
obesity; exercise; mental health; road rage; social capital; income inequality; environmental
justice