Dive Brief:
- Newark, NJ, has passed the first ordinance of its kind requiring developments to be judged in part on how they will impact the health of residents, Building Design + Construction reported.
- The "Environmental Justice and Cumulative Impacts Ordinance" demands that both the city's Board of Adjustment and Central Planning Board consider the health and sustainability of a project in the approval process.
- City officials said they are trying to lessen the impact of life in an urban environment by reducing pollution.
Dive Insight:
According to BD+C, Newark's children have twice the average rates of asthma, and its citizens suffer from various health problems due to trash incinerator emissions and pollution from toxic waste sites, industrial plants and heavy traffic. The new ordinance, officials said, is meant to reduce the cumulative impact of all these sources of toxic air.
While there are many programs that promote health and wellbeing inside a building, it's usually the job of local, state and federal regulations to ensure a healthy outside environment. In a similar move last October, and in an effort to protect citizens from the risks of wood smoke, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District in San Francisco instituted a ban on wood-burning devices in new home construction. The rule, which will take effect later this year, is intended to reduce exposure to the fine particles of smoke that escape from wood-burning devices.
There are also private initiatives to make outdoor spaces healthier. Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik has joined forces with the WELL Building Institute to create the world's first WELL Certified city district around the Amalie Arena in Tampa. The $2 billion, 40-acre mixed-use development will focus on walkability, green space, low pollen trees, sound barriers to minimize the noise from surrounding traffic and other activity, green infrastructure and access to healthy food. The proposed district will include a hotel, office space and medical school and heart research institute, as well as retail and entertainment space.